I bought 3 houses with most recent last year. What I’m looking for is good house condition plus price and a pretty clean Inspection report. This is hard since many homeowners don’t maintain their homes. A flipped house is fixed for profit. If it’s out of range, it’s clear it’s over priced. The best a homeowner to do is weigh whether it’s worth it to fix it yourself. I felt I had a good deal when I bought my recent house and those things cited are largely unimportant.
The cheap wood panel on the outside of the tub is particle board. It'll be water damaged in the first month of use. For a smart home buyer, that would be a huge flag that this remodel was poorly done.
Well, you're not their target market. When we bought our first house, we were looking for a fixer upper to make our own, but we came across a house that was completely remodeled, literally everything from the electrical panel to the toilet was new. We got a hell of a deal seeing as it was a bank owned foreclosure so it wasn't a flippers profits we were paying. However, it was nice to move in and not need to change/upgrade anything for the first few years. Now, we're in the market for our forever home, which would be ok if it's a fixer upper because we'll be in it for much longer and things will be changing throughout the years anyways.
How about the noob moves: Micro hood is mounted too low-too close to the cooking surface New tub facing is not to code, toilet is now too close to the tub
Yes! Thanks for mentioning the micro hood distance above cooking surface. Clearly, it was set to be even with the wall cabinets. That’s a very, very difficult work space, especially if you’ve got a tall pot on the back burner. In addition, gas ranges usually require a minimum clearance of 30” between the cooking surface and the hood or cabinetry above. This makes it extremely dangerous to use a microwave oven at that height. Overall, it was a poorly designed kitchen.
@ bigpjohnson Great catch! This was a quick, cheap plumbing job. Too bad it wasn’t done properly, but what do they care? They aren’t living in it. More interested in making a profit.
The doors are crooked actually. You should always measure the point on the doors where you will be putting your hardware for all your cabinets and make sure these measurements are identical and then adjust your doors so that they are evenly matched.
Really liked this vid Kevin. Not quite sure what it was, but all the elements worked. You gave great interior design and staging tips, and prices of what was normal vs. not normal. Thank again!
Kevin you have genuine and quality content. Stop with all the clickbait and catchy titles. You will earn quality followers who will stay with you for years.
Kevin, Just want to say, both you and Graham have been so helpful for me these past 3 + years. Thank you, I'm still learning, and still have a lot of past videos I've saved to watch later :D Great energy and Spirit, this is your Calling!!
Yo, love your vids, they are very informative. You should really stop with the false clickbait titles that don't describe the actual video tho, they will hurt your credibility with your fans in the long run.
The lamp is one that I don't think people are ever going to notice or care about. They'll see it during the day (What realtor wants to work at night? What buyer wants to see a property in the dark?) and won't be tempted to turn it on... and even if they look inside and notice that it has no bulb, what does the buyer care? He's not buying the lamp! But the light fixture over the dining room table is another matter. That specialty bulb out will get noticed because the realtor will want to turn on the light for the buyer even during the day. Plus, any lights that are fixtures stay with the house and become the buyer's unless stipulated otherwise.
I'd take the small upgrade misses as concern on what may be covered up or what else may be incorrect. Not a big fan of buying quick flips for these reasons but I'm old school picky :) would rather do it myself to ensure it's done safely and right.
I love these Pro vs. Noob videos because I get a better understanding of what to look for in houses that I may not have thought to look for before. As soon as I think I know what's up, Meet Kevin teaches me something new 💛 Brilliant!
the fact that people have to live in a tiny house for $700K blows my mind. where I live houses at that cost are literally 300 sq ft and up, one i saw today is 7k sq ft ha. that size house in the video here, would be 200-300K
Try living in a small town in Canada with no economy.. houses that were built in 1920 800 sq ft 2bed/1 bath, no updates, with absebstos and vermiculite are going for 300k and up
I’ve learned so much from this short video. My favourites are the encased fireplace, the charging shelf and the side gate lock. Ah, and I’ve never seen a wooden privacy fence like that-what a great idea! 👍
Daniel S. The bad mistake was towards the end. The person got the house for 599k and listed it on the market for 690k. After construction costs, realtor fees, escrow fees, excise tax, etc, they probably lost money on it..
@@alexdimov3623 so ur saying they could sell it for more? or that they over-renovated the house for the area and couldnt sell for more even if they wanted?
Did you not see the lock on the gate. That must have put the price up by 230.000. :) I live near London in the UK and thought places here were to much but 700.000 for that house is crazy.
@@luis61961944 The U.S has 3 million square miles of land... I'd go with get out of the city. Much easier to become wealthy elsewhere without all that overhead.
mibz1117 You can make money in luxury homes in California. We purchased land in a gated road with only 9 lots adjacent to a golf course for $450,000. Spent about $1.1 million to build a 6 bed 7 bath home. Lived in it for 6 years & sold it for $3 million.
No it doesn’t; however, gas ranges require 30” of space between top of range and bottom of hood or cabinets above it. Micro/vent is mounted with only 18” clearance, creating a fire hazard and making it a very tight, uncomfortable work space.
They could be keyed with one or two less pins. It would give the landscaper information on most of the keying of your home's locks, but it wouldn't work as is. And the full house key would open the partial keying of the gate.
I really like this noob vs pro series! I like it because you really know what to look for and see the things noobs wouldn’t see. I’d look out for things like the cabinets at the beginning. But, there are other certain aspects like the gate lock I wouldn’t know about. Love it man!
The stove is a mile from the sink. How convenient. Kitchen designed by someone who doesn't cook. Matter of taste but I prefer the aged wood look for fences, decks, etc. In California especially, spring for responsibly harvested redwood in no-ground-contact applications and it'll age beautifully without needing waterproofing. Saves some effort and has the added bonus of making nice kindling at the end of its lifespan, or can even be shredded and composted. Can't do either with treated wood.
Too many features that scream the house was not modified with proper building permits, just hacked together as quick as possible for a 'flip.' The one I don't see mentioned in the comments is the vent over the stove. It should be vented to the house's exterior OR you can install a vent kit to properly vent it back into the room. I've got that same G.E.-brand OTR microwave, so that mistake was easy to catch (mine vents to the exterior of the house).
Having the clock on the fireplace is a very amateur move. You don't want people looking at the house being I'm aware. But I don't sell homes, so what do I know.
That kitchen drawer would turn off my buyers. A simple filler strip could have solved that and 2" more of counter top. I will never understand this mistake. Wish this was a rare mistake but, I see this all the time as a agent here in Atlanta with flips..
I am not even in the business of construction and i even know this house looks cheap for 700k i would be embarrassed to live there and tell people how much i paid.
I'd have been impressed if that water heater had been an in-line heater for on demand use. It might be an investment in the beginning but pays for itself real fast with little waste.
Not being negative, but there are many more PRO mistakes, blown bulb in the dining room light, drives me crazy, no soft close kitchen cabinet doors or draws, but they used 'em in the bathroom. But, overall, a good job.
I'm from Ventura and you bet your sweet ass that if I ever see you in person I'm going to be asking for a picture and a handshake. You've been a great teacher and and entertainer. I'm currently a 22 year old superintendent for a construction company and hopefully in the near future I can start owning and flipping homes as well as own real estate. Thanks Kevin!
In all seriousness though. I made it a policy to place them on all my single families to avoid issues. Most recently, I had a property that was out of contract for 3-4 weeks and an agent instructed the loan officer to order an FHA appraisal. Appraisal calls me at the property with a FOB wondering how to get in. I told him to go away, since he was working on a contract that had expired, the price was lower and the seller recently did 15k+ worth of repairs since the contract expired. Obviously, the realtor and loan officer where trying to get a low ball appraisal and screw us over for the next 6 months if we refused to honor the previous contract amount. Allows for a little more, not much more, control.
Not really. They are gonna come down soon. Not 2008 style but they will come down. Especially in areas like Ventura, Some parts of Orange County and San Fernando Valley. LA I don't think so. We get a ton of calls for dumpsters. They are tearing down the old homes and building fourplexes or really high end single family homes. LA is basically rich folk and homeless.
I disagree about the staging. Either leave it all unstaged or stage the bedrooms as well. There's probably nothing less appealing than a 10x12 white/gray room with no details except a closet door. Adding a cute daybed and a doll or twin with a cute bedspread and a mitt and ball is very suggestive. If the master bedroom is on the small size, use just a full-sized bed, not a queen or king, but if you've got the space, flaunt it with a king and maybe even a pair of cushy chairs and small table as well. For many people, the bedrooms, in particular the master bedroom suite, is just as important as the public spaces of the house for establishing a feeling of luxury. If that's what you're trying to achieve, then go all the way. Staging is much less important on a flip than most people think. As a buyer you should be wary of buying a property that has been staged, knowing that they're doing their best to get top dollar out of you, and are probably cutting corners where you can't see it. In this case, the kitchen hood that's unvented and the hot water heater that is undersized for the house and is built for the wrong fuel, and the single pane windows are obvious problems that the flipper has left for the new homeowner to address. That bathroom tub looks great now, but the wood is probably going to be a problem in the future. It may not even be solid wood. As a buyer I'd much rather see a more appropriate tub with a porcelain apron. It seems obvious that the flipper "cheaped out" here and used a tub he had on hand or got a really good deal on instead of choosing the correct kind for the location. If you're a flipper, definitely don't put a fancy lock on the gate to the side yard. The kindest thing to assume is that it was already there before the flip. But it's definitely gilding the lily to put something like that on a garden gate that can easily be climbed be an athletic man. I would not call it a noob mistake not to stain the gate. It will age naturally to fit in with the fence soon enough. If you are going to stain one, then stain the other as well, and that may be a good idea to freshen things up outdoors.
Bathroom ledge is not kitchen backsplash , kitchen backsplash is only 4” wide and the tub sill is definitely more then that , might be cut out from the same slab but it’s not pre manufacture backsplash .
These are good videos Kevin. As a very experienced flipper you are pretty dead on. Clearly a 700k house is different where you are from me but not that different. They have to stop putting the microwave over the stove it looks ridiculously cheap. Get a vent hood and tile behind it to the ceiling makes a way better impression. Love all the wood work around the fireplace and bath tub that’s a very nice touch.
I think contractors have razor thin margins and result to flipping to keep their business running, not to make a profit, when you have teams of people on payroll. Was it HD Supply btw?
@@jamesgreg5542 the fan is in the microwave, should be hooked up to 4' ducting connected to outside to vent the c02 emissions from the GAS burning stove.
Yeah painting a door handle a super shitty move IMO. It will wear off in a few months. You can tell in the video its already coming off. If its really a custom handle I might have someone powder-coat it
Hey Kevin, from your previous videos you mentioned that there's no need for expensive ornate/unique light fixtures and to get one that everyone would like. Then in this video you said to spend a little more on something more "luxury feeling". Is this different for a rental vs a flip?
They bought the house for $599k & selling for $690k after commission and construction I bet they barely broke even. And if they didn’t pay cash they were paying a mortgage the entire time. Escrow is usually 90 day. This wasn’t a flip, this was a flop.
Pro move if you sell to a novice first time buyer who is dumb for most people even the ones who knows nothing about construction can tell cheap work from what is not.
I agree all property's fir a safety problem have the damn vert setup to out out and stop doing that damn microwave over the stove shit it rookies that do that because its cheap or an illusion of freed space it's not
Go for it. Focus on high end work. You will work less volume but do much more rewarding work. I built about 50 high end recording studios. Only really proud of 3 of them. Having strict budgets will drain you emotionally. There is a lot of good guys to follow in Instagram as well that basically manufacture their own moulding and cope all the cuts. It's insane what these guys do. You also need a ton of patience which I do not have but a guy on my crew does.
Believe.Me ,,The only way to give the illusion that you’ve spent money,, IS TO SPEND MONEY,!,,🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 PS,,I’ve been flipping for 51 years,! I own 149 homes,,From zero,👴👍
