This is probably the most consistent problem I run into, more than the deals themselves. The rehab math can be solid, the buy price works, the ARV is reasonable, and then finding reliable subs to execute becomes its own parttime job. I've had guys quote a job, take a deposit, disappear for two weeks, come back and do half the scope, then ghost when the punch list shows up. Not a onetime thing either. It's happened enough that I started wondering if I'm just bad at vetting people or if this is genuinely the norm.
The guys I've found who are reliable are almost all referrals from other investors in the area, and that pool is small. Everyone's fighting over the same three competent drywall guys. I've tried Angi, local Facebook groups, Craigslist, all of it. Hit rate is not great.
What I've landed on lately is doing smaller test jobs before committing a full scope to someone I haven't worked with. It slows things down, but it at least filters out the worst offenders early.
Curious how other people are actually building their contractor bench. Whether you're in a market where this is easier, whether there's something in the vetting process that actually works, or whether you've just accepted that finding good subs is a permanent bottleneck in this business.
We thought we bought our forever home about 2 years ago but due to 3 different large life events are considering selling now in the next year and moving states.
I have spent a lot of time lurking this sub thats why I am posting here first, we had planned on refreshing all pink tile with large format modern tile, refreshing kitchen with quartz and painting cabinets, refreshing main bath (pic 1 and 2) with new tub, doubling shower size, new tile and a drop in vanity from Floor and Decore. As well as completely refreshing second major bath in pic 3. We have already updated lighting, done a ton of inspection fixes (this house was insanely neglected and fixing it up has taken most of my time), removed built in entertainment unit etc.
My friends think we should leave the house as is instead of me doing the remodeling myself (I am capable of doing it all but might hire out tile and plumbing just to save my back) but wanted to get Reddits input on going through with Reno myself vs just leaving it as is if we may sell in 1 year.
Will probably repost to a realtor or flipping sub but r/remodel I am familiar with (y'all are awesome).
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Currently working through numbers on a small flip and a bit stuck with flooring. The existing floors are a mix of old laminate and stained carpet. I want it to feel move in ready but don’t wanna overspend on something potential buyers might not even care about. I’m considering a budget LVP from a big box store. I’ve also heard 50floor can come out and recommend what might work best. Generally just going for consistent flooring that won’t cause problems in the long run. It’s my first time flipping a house so wanted to ask opinions. Do you usually use the same flooring throughout the main areas? Is it worth paying more for a better wear layer + cleaner install, or do buyers mostly care that it looks fresh/neutral?
I’m an RE investor in South Florida that likes to pickup dilapidated properties and bring them up to their potential.
With this 800 sq ft duplex, I installed combo washer/dryers and Fotile drop in dishwashers to give the micro units full functionality. We also installed 27 SEER mini splits and 3” closed cell spray foam under the flat roof deck. This keeps the energy usage very low. We‘ve also installed Nema 14-50 outlets for EV charging from each unit.
Finishes included wood look porcelain tile, grey quartz, IKEA Tistorp Sektion cabinets, and impact windows.
I've flipped 100+ properties and I've never lost money (so far). I'm going to share my secret weapon with you.
It's a calculator.
If you have a google account, you can have your very own copy here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xGe89w_dy8FY80MwZDQRqQ_F_gZhxxA6a66D9GIKk-4/copy
Or you can look at it / download it here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PfJhzwTR5_o4hIdOtrYkOpwTZLxeuHFt-EPaiiDwb3Y/edit?usp=sharing
What's so special about this calculator? It saves me time. I DO NOT drive by, walk through, or otherwise spend any time on a property until it's been through my spreadsheet. This is first a high level sanity check on any deal, then later a tool to make me a better flipper. Here's how to use it.
Profit Sheet!
This is where we all like to be, salivating over our profits before we've even bought the property. You'll see 9 darker shaded cells, those are the only ones you need to mess with. Let's go down the list.
Ok, so you've thrown in your numbers. Now the spreadsheet will have worked its math magic. Look at the green box, do you have a PROFIT? If yes, proceed to step 2, if no, you need to adjust your offer!
Step 2 - This might be worth buying
Let's dive a little deeper into the math. Back to the big green box.
Just below the green box are some other numbers, they could use an explanation.
The middle of the sheet has all the actual dollar figures. Bottom left has some fun math ratios.
Alright, you LOVE the property, it's going to make a TON of money, now it's time for the detail work. Go over to the rehab budget and start filling it out. Just make up numbers from what you can see in the pictures. Go through every item, does the final number match your gut number from earlier? When you walk through the property, fill out the 2nd Budget column, and when you get bids, fill out the final column. This will help you estimate better in the future.
On the comps tab, find 3 or more recently sold properties and see how close your estimated ARV was to reality. Maybe even double check with an agent, make them earn their commission!
Now take those numbers back to our profit worksheet and plug them in. If it still looks good, go tour the property, make and offer, and most of all PROFIT!
Purchased my first flip house from a sheriff's sale auction. There was some visible mold in the bathroom. Tore it down to the studs and im pretty sure theres mold all on these exterior walls. The outside siding has moss or lichen growing on all sides. The gutters were clogged for who knows how long. See pictures attached.
My question is, am I screwed? Does every exterior wall have mold? Is this something that can be fixed correctly without tearing all the walls down, or am I overreacting.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Hello,
If my partner and I want to buy a house and flip it what needs to be done? We wouldn't sell it. We want to live on property and help flip it but have a contactor. Please give any tips from money and loans and eveything
Thank you!!! This would be NYS
Disclaimer: This post references a coaching call conducted by Ascension Rooming Houses, on which an AI agent clearly disclosed at the outset that the call was being recorded. Under Ascension Rooming Houses' Terms of Service, all content, communications, and materials generated within or arising from its coaching programme are the intellectual property of Ascension Rooming Houses and may be used, including for public disclosure and advertising purposes, at its discretion.
Who I am, upfront: My name is Vincent Holthouse. I run Ascension Rooming Houses, a rent-to-rent rooming house education and coaching business. I have a direct competing offer to the one I'm about to describe. I'm telling you that before anything else because I don't want a single person reading this to think I'm hiding it. I'm posting under my own name, with evidence, because leaving my name on this and saying anything that wasn't true would leave me open to a defamation claim. That is not the situation here, because everything I'm about to describe is accurate, and I believe people are at real risk of losing real money.
The background
Late in 2025, a man named Justin Young, who runs Property Cash Flow Institute, enrolled in my high-level coaching programme. On our sales call, he told us directly that he did not have the skills to implement the rent-to-rent rooming house model and that he had never set up or run a single rent-to-rent project. He said he wanted to learn the skill from scratch so he could start building it out himself. He paid for 12 months of coaching.
Before enrolling with me, Justin worked as a salesperson for a company that builds and sells new-build rooming houses. That company does not operate the rent-to-rent model at all, it is a new-build business, which is a different model entirely. In my opinion, selling on behalf of a builder, without ever personally sourcing, negotiating, or operating a project, does not amount to expertise in rent-to-rent rooming houses. Just because someone sells yachts doesn't make them a sailor, and it doesn't mean they know how to build one.
He was active in the programme for a couple of months, learning from the material I built over the past decade. During that time, he approached another student in my community and purchased two projects from them, his very first projects. He did not source them, negotiate them, or build the feasibility on them himself.
Shortly after that purchase, he began running Facebook ads presenting himself as an expert in rent-to-rent rooming houses, and started signing paying clients into his own coaching programme, teaching people the exact model he told us two months earlier that he had zero experience in.
Why this matters
By the time he started signing clients, Justin would have only just been finishing his very first project. That project would not yet have broken even, let alone turned a profit. At that point, he had never personally negotiated a rent-to-rent deal with an agent or owner, had never independently assessed a feasibility, and had no experience operating at scale or navigating the compliance issues that come with this model over time.
I've been doing this for a decade. It took me years to understand the pitfalls that show up in feasibilities and in operating these projects at scale, the mistakes that don't show up until project three, or project ten, or year three. Someone with a few months and one unprofitable project behind them is not in a position to guide anyone else through that. In my opinion, it's the blind leading the blind. In my opinion, it's the equivalent of taking a martial arts class from someone wearing a black belt who has had one lesson in their entire life.
People getting into these projects are typically putting in anywhere from $5,000 to $60,000+ per project. For some of you, that's your life savings. Taking that kind of financial risk on the guidance of someone who has walked the path for a few months, once, is not a decision you should make without knowing the full picture.
The evidence
Why I'm posting this
The cease and desist was my first step, and it went nowhere. Posting publicly, under my own name, with evidence attached, is my next option, and I'm taking it because I'd rather deal with the discomfort of calling this out than watch people find out the hard way.
I don't need you to buy anything from me. I don't care whether you do or don't. What I care about is Australian investors going into this with their life savings and coming out with nothing because they trusted someone who had no business teaching this in the first place.
If you've seen Justin Young or Property Cash Flow Institute's ads, or spoken to him and been told he's an expert in this space, he isn't. Believe what you want, but the evidence is here, and the warning is clear.
EVIDENCE 👇
https://fathom.video/share/tDZxfzVbMXwjDKZXZLnsP1S6BVjVtjzN
The absolute crook who renovated my home (2 owners ago) made the bathrooms look nice just to flip it, but it was all a façade. They poured wet concrete onto the pine boards and set the tiles down on that directly. No pan, no membrane, no wonderboard. The walls aren’t waterproofed either. After a few months, I noticed water damage in the room below, and in my adjacent bedroom. I hired a proper company to investigate this mess, and this rot is only the beginning. I’m looking at $30,000 or more of repairs just to get my home back to how I THOUGHT it was.
So if you’re going to flip a house, take heed: that’s not just investment capital you’re dealing with. That is someone’s future home. Do it right, or don’t do it at all. I’m not flipping this house, I live here. This is my dream home, my sanctuary. If my insurance doesn’t come through for me, I might lose it (in more ways than just the house). Thank you for your patience, and don’t take shortcuts with other people’s future.
Hey guys. I’ve got a fixer upper. Originally bought to fix up but wife had unforeseen medical issue and am now looking to sell and buy something already fixed. Will only sell if I have the equity to pay down payment and closing on another property. DM me and I’ll give you the address along with known issues.
Hey, has anyone engaged a buyers agent to source a property suitable for a "value add" and flip strategy? I am looking for a BA who could source the property , do the due diligence on the flip, find trades and project manage the reno (for a fee ofcourse). I do know some BA's that offer this
Bought a property in Q1, underwrote it assuming a 4 month hold based on what the market was doing at the time. Market cooled. Now I'm at month 6 and still not under contract. Rehab came in close to budget, which almost feels like a cruel joke because the carrying costs are quietly eating what was supposed to be the margin.
The part that bothers me is that I modeled for this. I had a slowsale scenario in my spreadsheet. It just didn't go far enough out, and I drew the line at 5 months for some reason I can no longer fully explain.
What I keep coming back to is whether there's a point where you cut the list price to shorten the hold versus staying patient and hoping the market turns. The math is pretty clear that a price cut can actually be profitable if it gets you out faster, but that requires knowing how long you'd otherwise sit, which you don't.
So how do people model this before they list? Do you run a sensitivity table on hold length versus price and actually use it when the market shifts, or is it more reactive once you're in it? And do you factor average DOM for your specific price band or just go off gut from the neighborhood?
getting ready to list my first flip and talked to three agents, but they’re giving me completely conflicting advice. one wants to shoot high and sit on it, another wants to price aggressive to trigger a bidding war, and the third is pitching a huge marketing blitz. to make it worse, their comps aren't even lining up. obviously don't want to just fall for whoever promises the highest list price. so my question is.. what matters most when picking who to go with? do i lean heavier on their pricing logic and comps, their actual track record in the immediate neighborhood, communication speed, or their overall marketing strategy? lmk how you weighed all that out.
Hey, has anyone engaged a buyers agent to source a property suitable for a "value add" and flip strategy? I am looking for a BA who could source the property , do the due diligence on the flip, find trades and project manage the reno (for a fee ofcourse). I do know some BA's that offer this
Does anyone use Chat GPT or Claude to help you analyze potential deals and ARV?
I’m an architectural designer with 10 years of experience, and I’ve always dreamed of getting into house flipping. I have a solid foundation when it comes to design, reading plans, understanding construction, space planning, finishes, etc. But I have zero actual experience as a flipper/investor, and I don’t want to jump into my first project thinking I know more than I actually do.
For those of you who have been doing this for a while, I’d really appreciate advice on how you would approach the beginning if you were in my position.
A few things I’m specifically wondering:
I want to learn how to do this properly and eventually build a business around it.
If you were starting over today with my background, what would your first 6–12 months look like?
I’d especially love to hear from people who started with little/no investing experience and built their way up. Thanks!
Has anyone had success with small, highly targeted handwritten direct-mail campaigns?
I’m looking into direct mail to source more of our own fix-and-flip deals, but looking into other ways than sending thousands and thousands of generic mailers each month. For context we are only trying to source 1 every month or two.
I’m considering pulling a smaller, highly targeted list of nearby properties—absentee owners, long-term ownership, high equity, visibly distressed homes, tired rentals, etc.
My plan would be to mail around 100–250 owners per month. I’d handwrite or have letter that looks handwritten, include a short letter, sign/address it by hand, and add my business card. I’d then mail them again every 4–6 weeks for a few touches instead of sending only one letter.
I’m in a competitive market, so I’m wondering if being more personal and targeted could outperform sending thousands of generic mailers. Thanks!