New Investor Looking to Learn From Experienced House Flippers

Inland empire · Member since 2026 · 1 post · 2 votes

Hey, I'm looking to get into real estate investing, mainly fix-and-flips. I'm newer to the industry but serious about learning and eventually doing deals. I'm hoping to connect with experienced investors who wouldn't mind sharing some advice or talking about their past projects. I'd love to grab coffee or hop on a call sometime if you're open to it.

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Aaron Zucker

Realtor · New York, NY · Member since 2019 · 71 posts · 28 votes

Welcome Mason. Here's what actually matters when you're starting out in flips - the stuff I wish someone told me early:

1. The deal is everything. In flipping, profit is made at the buy, not the sale. If you're paying retail-adjacent prices, the best rehab work in the world won't save you. Learn to run real comps first (sold within 90 days, same bed/bath count, within half a mile) and be willing to walk away from 9 out of 10 deals.

2. Budget like a pessimist. Take your contractor's number, add 15-20%, then add your holding costs (insurance, taxes, utilities, hard money payments if you're using them). Most first flips lose money because holding time was underestimated, not because the rehab went over.

3. Your contractor makes or breaks you. Get three bids, call their last three clients, and never pay large amounts upfront. A good GC on day one is worth more than any course.

4. Don't hunt for a "mentor" - get proximity. Go to your local REIA meetups in the Inland Empire, find people actually doing deals right now, and bring value (help with a demo day, drive for dollars lists, whatever). That's how you learn what's real.

If you can, shadow one deal before doing your own - even just walking a property with an experienced flipper and watching their numbers talk. Good luck.

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Matthew MorrowBusiness Member
Investor · PA - NY - NJ · Member since 2019 · 936 posts · 340 votes
3w
@Mason Abujudeh Welcome! Flipping goes a lot smoother when you treat underwriting and contractor management as the real skill, not just finding deals. Happy to answer specific questions if you throw a few over, like budget, timeline, or what to watch for. A call works too once you know what you want to learn. What area are you looking in?
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Hossein Sharifi
Investor · Member since 2023 · 139 posts · 73 votes
3w
Skip mentor hunting as step one and build a boring skill stack first: pull 20 recent sold comps in one zip and write down why each sold, get 3 cosmetic scopes bid by a GC so you learn real $/SF, and underwrite every interesting listing the same way (ARV, rehab, hold, selling costs, profit), tracking why you passed. Once you can talk numbers without a script, offer to help on someone's walkthroughs or punch lists. Experienced investors respond to competence more than enthusiasm. Pick one market and one exit for the first deal.
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Aaron Zucker
Realtor · New York, NY · Member since 2019 · 71 posts · 28 votes
3w
Welcome Mason. Here's what actually matters when you're starting out in flips - the stuff I wish someone told me early:
1. The deal is everything. In flipping, profit is made at the buy, not the sale. If you're paying retail-adjacent prices, the best rehab work in the world won't save you. Learn to run real comps first (sold within 90 days, same bed/bath count, within half a mile) and be willing to walk away from 9 out of 10 deals.
2. Budget like a pessimist. Take your contractor's number, add 15-20%, then add your holding costs (insurance, taxes, utilities, hard money payments if you're using them). Most first flips lose money because holding time was underestimated, not because the rehab went over.
3. Your contractor makes or breaks you. Get three bids, call their last three clients, and never pay large amounts upfront. A good GC on day one is worth more than any course.
4. Don't hunt for a "mentor" - get proximity. Go to your local REIA meetups in the Inland Empire, find people actually doing deals right now, and bring value (help with a demo day, drive for dollars lists, whatever). That's how you learn what's real.
If you can, shadow one deal before doing your own - even just walking a property with an experienced flipper and watching their numbers talk. Good luck.
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John Leland
Specialist · I give advice - [email protected] - I focus on states where investing is profitable, reasonably safe & secure · Member since 2026 · 177 posts · 63 votes
3w
Quote from @Mason Abujudeh:
Hey, I'm looking to get into real estate investing, mainly fix-and-flips. I'm newer to the industry but serious about learning and eventually doing deals. I'm hoping to connect with experienced investors who wouldn't mind sharing some advice or talking about their past projects. I'd love to grab coffee or hop on a call sometime if you're open to it.

Fix and flips are how a lot of people get started.

You will want a couple of rules to follow if the plan is to make money. (Some fix & flippers simply like to hammer wood) :-)
1. When you buy, calculate all of your costs before buying (obvious right; well, that includes the "hiddden" costs we can talk about later.
2. make sure it's within an easy drive of home
3. don't assume all contractors take the job as seriously as you do
4. get your financing in line including a contingency amount
5. know who your end buyer is by generality
6. 2 bedroom and 5 bedroom houses are for special situations and are hard to sell profitably in 3 bedroom neighborhoods
7. There are plenty of other pointers, can't list them all here
Start looking, drive the neighborhoods and try to buy directly from the homeowner if possible.
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Marc MoraPro Member
Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2026 · 87 posts · 17 votes
8h
@Mason Abujudeh , let's connect. Talking through past projects with people who've done them is one of the best ways to learn flips, you hear what went wrong, which the before and after photos never show. Before jumping in, it helps to be honest about how much time and cash you can put into a project that might run long. If you'd like a few more people to compare notes with, I can introduce you. Have you done any renovation work yourself?
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