Flipping houses can be a great supplementary job, and sometimes even a full time one depending on how good you are at it. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to cut corners in order to get a faster turnaround and make more savings, but this should never come at the expense of the safety and quality of the house. Here are a few areas in which you can ethically cut corners when flipping houses.
Animal Control
If you are curious on to how to save money when flipping a house, this is one area in which you can do that. Animal problems are a big deal, enough to put off potential home buyers when you are trying to sell a house. It does not, however, have to be an extensive and expensive affair. Get in touch with the local animal control and find out which animals are likely to cause an issue, and then find out their methods for dealing with this. Note that animal control deals with domestic animals so if you have issues with wild animals including deer, bats, and raccoons, you need to call wildlife control service.
Some reasons you may need to call animal control include:
- Seeing an injured pet on the property, or witnessing a dog or cat get hit by a car near the property and you cannot see their owner in sight.
- Coming across an animal that seems to be suffering from abuse, with signs like malnutrition, anxiety, and injuries.
- Encountering an aggressive pet around the property, which will often be a dog off its leash. If the animal has a behavior of growling at you even when you are non-threatening or has made attempts to bite you or other people working around the property, animal control needs to be involved if contacting the owner does not solve the issue. This will save home buyers the problems of dealing with unruly pets, which may put them off the property especially if they have children.
- Finally, seeing a cat or dog that has the signs and symptoms of rabies including: disorientation, aggression, partial paralysis, foaming at the mouth, and repeated licking of a specific spot. This is an animal that should be taken off the streets immediately as it poses a danger to everyone in its vicinity.
You could get the contacts of animal control companies as well so that you always have them close by in case you need them. This way, you will be sure you have a dependable backup in place any time you need it. It is not a good idea to deal with animals if you are not trained on it, so this is one where you have to sit it out and let the experts come in.
Backyard Fire Pits
This is another area to look at if you are wondering how to save money when flipping a house. Backyard fire pits in the backyard are a sure way to increase the value of any property. As opposed to buying an expensive one, you could construct one using leftover rocks, bricks, and cinder blocks from another project. Always let the buyer know that it is temporary before they make a purchase and find out afterwards. You can also buy a prefab unit which will be cheaper than a new one while still having the same effect. As long as it looks good and functions well, a majority of house buyers won’t mind it at all.
Forklifts
When you are working on repairs and remodels for a house you want to flip, forklifts, if you can get one, can come in extremely handy. Here are a few ways it can help:
- Moving heavy furniture and other materials during the renovation will be made a lot easier by having a forklift around. It will easily and safely move furniture, countertops, cabinets, and more, saving manpower and time. Other materials like cement, sand, bins, and more can also be moved as necessary, making the job take a shorter time.
- Adding the correct attachment to a forklift will enable it to act like a loading crane. It will easily move people working on the site up and down a building being renovated instead of having them use ladders.
- With a lot of dirt and debris produced during construction, adding a broom attachment to a forklift and using it to sweep large areas like roofs and open compounds is efficient.
Time truly is money, and no one knows this as well as house flippers. A second saved during renovations can make the difference between a fast sale and an extended one.
Deck Builder
You can subcontract a deck builder to build a deck for a house you want to flip. This is an easy way to raise the value of a house because a deck means there is more livable space on the property you are flipping. Depending on the size of the deck and the materials used, you can recoup from 50% to over 100% of the amount that it cost you to construct it. Hiring someone to do it will yield great results as well as save you a lot of time you would have used up in learning how to do it right and then doing it yourself. In the long term, this is another method you can use if you are wondering how to save money when flipping a house.
Land Clearing Service
If the renovations on a house you want to flip are extensive, sometimes it is necessary to clear out the land on which it stands. While this may sound pretty basic, there are a lot of technicalities involved like checking with the zoning and building departments what is allowed and what is not. This is because it is illegal to cut down or uproot and otherwise willfully destroy trees without the necessary permissions. It is also important to know which trees need to be cut and preserve those that you can work around. Enlisting the services of a competent land clearing service will save you from all of this hassle. Since they know all the necessary things, it will be fast and easy for them, and you can negotiate with them to get future deals for other houses you flip.
Custom Carpet Manufacturer
This is another great solution to the query of how to save money when flipping a house. Rather than deal with retailers when getting carpeting, go straight to a custom carpet manufacturer who may give you a wholesale price if they realize you flip houses for a living. This is because they will be sure of getting repeat orders from you for other houses, and besides saving money, you will have great quality carpeting that is bound to be the talk of everyone who sees it.
Real Estate Attorney
Different states have different rules governing the real estate industry. For this reason, it is important to enlist the services of a good real estate attorney especially when flipping houses in different state than the one you are familiar with. A lawsuit could potentially cost you a lot of time, money, and even your reputation if you are not careful. While you may recoup your funds in a duration of time, your reputation as a house flipper would be a bit harder to recover. Always follow the state rules and ordinances to make sure the fixtures and fittings you are using are safe and up to standard, and this way, you will avoid getting sued when someone discovers something is not the way it should be either during a house inspection or after buying the house.
A real estate attorney will also help you know the taxes that apply, as well as work with you to find ways in which you can keep more of your profits after you sell. This information will prove handy for you in the future, so instead of thinking of it as an expense, you should view it as an important course that will help you successfully flip houses in the future.
Frameless Shower
A frameless shower are simple and beautiful, and they also add to the spacious feeling of the bathroom in general. If you know where to look, it is possible to get them at an affordable price if you are concerned about how to save money when flipping a house, as you should be. This modern take on showers will recover the money spent on it by raising the value of an otherwise basic property.
Some of the benefits they bring include:
- The ability to be fully customized, making them perfect for the specific home they are fitted in. As they are not mass-produced, they provide a tailored precision that ensures there will be no leaks.
- They offer a modern, minimalist, yet luxurious aesthetic which will attract any savvy home buyer.
- Because they have no metal frames, there is no risk of rust and corrosion as there is with other types of showers. The homeowner will therefore save a lot of money on future repairs.
- They also drastically reduce the risk of mold in the bathroom because they lack excess hardware in which water may collect and encourage the growth of mold. This also means that they require less maintenance.
- They create the same effect as a well-designed open-plan kitchen which is giving an optical illusion of a larger space. The lack of bulky frames, shower curtains, and overall minimal hardware reduce the clutter in the bathroom as well, opening up new options for decoration.
People spend a lot of time in the shower, and so this is one of the most important selling points of a house alongside the kitchen. Make sure to check the latest trends to avoid going in the wrong direction and spending money.
Garage Door Sales
The garage is another important space when selling a house, and if you want to know how to save money when flipping a house, this is another area you should look towards. Make sure you go for a good door that looks as good as it works, because a functional door that looks worn and unattractive will dampen the interest of many potential buyers.
Try to get a great garage door from garage door sales people and make sure you use these three tips to potentially save even more:
- Get a quality system whose value will be included in the price of the house. The fewer the things that a homeowner has to fix after they buy a new home, the more attractive it is to them.
- Avoid getting quotes over the phone, but rather request to get a salesperson on the site. They can help you get the right door s well as a great price for it.
- As attractive as new wood garage doors may look, they are only a good idea if the person buying the house knows how to spend time and resources keeping them at their best. It may take a while to get a buyer for your house as well, and during this time it will be an added cost to maintain the garage door to keep it looking good.
Getting a garage door that will not only look shiny and new for prospective homeowners, but will work as it should and not be due for repairs in a short time will help you build a solid reputation.
With many people spending more time at home, you can use a neat and attractive garage to appeal to those people attempting hobbies. These may include molding, resin casting, screen printing, and many more.
As a house flipper, knowing where to remodel and how can help you recover a lot more money than what you spent on renovations, so always do research to ensure you are aware of the latest trends. Use these tips if you are wondering about how to save money when flipping a house, and practice ethics at all times. In no time at all, you will have built a great reputation as a good house flipper and the homes you sell will rise in demand.
