Are you curious about house flipping in Western MA? These are the top three red flags in flipping a house AND how to navigate through them successfully. www.westernmahomes.net

1. Top Three Red Flags for House Flipping in Western
MA (and how to succesfully navigate them)
westernmahomes.net /top-three-red-f lags-f or-house-f lipping-in-western-ma/
Are you considering flipping a house in Western MA? House
flipping can be a great way to make a profit, but it can also be a
quick way to lose a bundle, if you are inexperienced and don’t have
the right help along the way.
You will want to know what the top three red flags are for house flipping in Western
Massachusetts and how to successfully navigate around them to make money.
ABC News recently reported that in 2013 there were 156,862 homes f lipped in the United States.
That f igure is up 114 percent over 2011.
That is a huge jump, but is it the right time f or you to invest in a f lip or did you miss the market?
There is still an opportunity to make money on f lipping homes, if you take the right steps and work
with the right REALTOR.
As a realtor in Western MA, I have extensive experience assisting investors with their f lipping
purchases and renovations. I have several clients who buy and sell f lipped homes with me multiple
times throughout any given year. Additionally, I grew up in a f amily that f lipped Western MA houses
and I learned f rom their experiences. I am not an investor in f lipping homes, but I use my experience

2. and I learned f rom their experiences. I am not an investor in f lipping homes, but I use my experience
and hands on knowledge to assist my investor clients and help them realize prof its on their projects.
If you involve me in this process from the beginning I will do all I can to ensure you have a positive
experience and turn a profit from your flip. The following items are the things to understand, but if you
understand the process you, too, could profit from flipping homes.
Red Flag Number One – Initial purchase. You need to be aware of several
things when you are buying a house to flip. These homes are always in
some sort of distress, whether they are foreclosure or short sale or just
merely rundown. The reason they are less expensive and less desirable to
traditional buyers is because there are usually mechanical and structural
flaws. These properties are sold as-is and sometimes you don’t even get
to inspect them. Be certain that you have done your research and
understand the flaws and the expense in repairing them.
You don’t need to f ly blind in this process. Bringing along an experienced Western MA real estate
agent to guide you with advice and negotiation power will help to protect you and ensure that you
f eel comf ortable with your decisions. Especially if this is your f irst time attempting to f lip a property,
you need to f ind someone you can trust and lean on their experience in making decisions.
Red Flag Number Two – Renovations. It is very easy to get lost in the
project. There are always unexpected repairs that come up and inevitably
something costs more than you budgeted for. You need to be sure that
you are prepared to weather a bit of surprise in working on the property.
Additionally, you need to take great care not to over improve the
property. Many investors make the mistake of finishing off a mid-range
home as if it were a mansion and spend what would have been their profit
at closing.
I advise my f lipping clients throughout the renovation process. I visit the house as it is being worked
on and let my client know if I think they are over improving or making poor decor choices. As an agent
working with buyers and visiting homes daily, I know what today’s buyer is looking f or in style and
color choices and I share that inf ormation with my investor clients. There are also upgrades that I tell
my investor clients are not worth doing as they won’t bring enough of a return. My advice ensures
that when the home is ready to go on the market it will have visual appeal and room to price it
attractively.
Red Flag Number Three: Selling. It is very tempting to want to ask top
dollar or even higher for your freshly renovated project. After all, it is
gleaming and you put your heart and soul into it and shouldn’t someone
pay more for that? Be very careful in pricing. There is an old saying
“Greedy pigs get slaughtered”. You should be very careful in making sure
that you aren’t reaching too far because overpriced homes, no matter how
pretty they are, will sit and grow stale on the market. Remember, you have
monthly carrying costs to consider. Your goal is to get the house sold in

3. 30-45 days for a reasonable price that will bring you profit.
Pricing is huge in f lipping a home. The time to know what the f air market value is f or your f lipped
property is bef ore you purchase it. I run comparable sales f igures f or my investor clients bef ore we
even write an of f er. In doing this, my client can f igure out what his top purchase price would be by
estimating repair costs, holding costs, expenses and f ees. My clients all have a pretty f air idea of
what type of prof it range they will see on any given home they purchase because we do all the
research in the f ront.
Flipping homes in Western MA is not for everyone, no matter how well prepared you are,
there is still a certain amount of risk involved. If you think you are ready to attempt a
flipping project in Western MA, get in touch with me to discuss the process and allow my
experience to guide you.
Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty
413-575-3611
Related posts:
1. Flipping Homes in Western Massachusetts
2. Investment Properties in Western MA
3. Investing in Western MA Real Estate
4. Make Your Western MA Home f or Sale Stand Out From the Competition!
5. Why Should You Work With REALTOR, Lesley Lambert?