Skip to content
×
PRO
Pro Members Get Full Access!
Get off the sidelines and take action in real estate investing with BiggerPockets Pro. Our comprehensive suite of tools and resources minimize mistakes, support informed decisions, and propel you to success.
Advanced networking features
Market and Deal Finder tools
Property analysis calculators
Landlord Command Center
$0
TODAY
$69.00/month when billed monthly.
$32.50/month when billed annually.
7 day free trial. Cancel anytime
Already a Pro Member? Sign in here

Join Over 3 Million Real Estate Investors

Create a free BiggerPockets account to comment, participate, and connect with over 3 million real estate investors.
Use your real name
By signing up, you indicate that you agree to the BiggerPockets Terms & Conditions.
The community here is like my own little personal real estate army that I can depend upon to help me through ANY problems I come across.
Starting Out
All Forum Categories
Followed Discussions
Followed Categories
Followed People
Followed Locations
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback

Updated about 7 years ago,

User Stats

10
Posts
5
Votes
Charles White
  • Lynnwood, WA
5
Votes |
10
Posts

Advice for newbie, flip won't profit

Charles White
  • Lynnwood, WA
Posted

Hello BP members,

Here a newbie from WA that is in trouble. After studying for many months the possibility of buying a house through a foreclosure action I finally did it, and even though I knew about the risk and repeated my self to not make any of those mistakes,  I made them. I'm looking here for a sincere and helpful advice. 

On July of this year and with the help of a bidding company I bought my second flip. This company charged me 3% to represent me in the auction and gave me an overview of different foreclosed properties in the area. They present me this numbers for this house: ARV 460K, rehab cost 40k, decent condition house according to them in a B area, hot market, min bid 300k. This company presents this numbers to the investors one day before the auction, so with the pressure that I had to make a decision and since I have been trying to buy a property for many months without results I made my bid. Result, I got the property for 309k. I was excited since the numbers presented to me made sense, I was hoping to make a decent profit. Next, the day I went to see the house and it was basically a teardown! 7ft Blackberry bushes, leaking roof, carpet had feces on it, wood paneling that was covering a textured wall positive for asbestos, and many many other things that made this house a *hole. Oh, I forgot to mention I got a hard money loan at 12%, 5 months, 2 points with 10% downpayment.

Fast forward to today, new roof, updated electrical system, blackberries are gone with a nice grassy backyard, new furnace, new plumbing, and other things that just keep adding up totaling almost 33k. On the administrative side: payments to the hard money lender, water lien that didn't appear on records for 3.5k. Administrative matters were also on my way; city permits that take 8 weeks to be approved (I haven't even got the building permit yet, and it's already 8 weeks ), labor here in WA is expensive and contractors are busy. Anyways, to make it short, I don't think I will be able to finish in those 5 months and according to my calculations to get this house in a decent condition I will need to spend another 35k ( cabinets, floors, appliances, doors, trims, light fixtures, driveway, siding, drywall, granite countertop) even after that and after seeing how the market is behaving I think I could sell this house for 420000 max, not the 460k I was told. Also, the less I spend the less I will be able to sell it for. 

So at this point, I'm wondering what to do. Should I continue and pay 1 point more to the lender to extend the payment period to finish this property, sell it for 420k breaking even if lucky? Should I try to sell now, but who would like a house like this or maybe cashout refinance after done and rent it out for a while ( rent in this area for this type of property is from 1900 to 2k a month) leaving some money on it? I would really appreciate your output/advice/ creative solution. Thanks

Loading replies...