Overspending on first house fix and flip

Overspending on first house fix and flip

New to Real Estate · Red Oak, TX · Member since 2022 · 2 posts · 2 votes

Hello! We bought this house in May 2023 for $300,000 south of Dallas Texas. It’s a 3br, 2 bath and needed to be completely gutted and repaired. Most houses in this neighborhood are selling for $400k or more with basic renovations, and we have put in about $100k in renovations. When we bought it and had an inspector look through, we were originally expecting to pay $55k. But when we started tearing down walls, we noticed the ceiling joists were broken and had to be fixed ($4k), foundation was cracked and uneven ($10k) and the electrical needed to be redone (20k). We also tore down all the drywall because the previous owner smoked in it daily for 30 years and the electrician said it’d be cheaper if we just tore down the drywall, so we had to pay $30k for someone to come through and put new drywall, tape, mud, texture, and paint when the electrician was done. So all in all, we have spent $64k on unplanned costs and spent a total of about $100k on renovations since buying it, And still need to get new cabinets in the kitchen and finish the second bathroom (still down to studs). It is currently our primary residence, we just had a baby so I’m not working at the moment, but our plan is to sell it in 2024/2025. I guess I’m wondering if anyone has overspent on a flip and what you did about it financially? Is there any hope that we might make our money back and be okay? Is there anything we can do to mitigate costs? We’re just really kicking ourselves and upset that we even bought this place. 

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Chris SeveneyBusiness Member
Moderator
Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes
2y
Quote from @Emily Alexander:

Hello! We bought this house in May 2023 for $300,000 south of Dallas Texas. It’s a 3br, 2 bath and needed to be completely gutted and repaired. Most houses in this neighborhood are selling for $400k or more with basic renovations, and we have put in about $100k in renovations. When we bought it and had an inspector look through, we were originally expecting to pay $55k. But when we started tearing down walls, we noticed the ceiling joists were broken and had to be fixed ($4k), foundation was cracked and uneven ($10k) and the electrical needed to be redone (20k). We also tore down all the drywall because the previous owner smoked in it daily for 30 years and the electrician said it’d be cheaper if we just tore down the drywall, so we had to pay $30k for someone to come through and put new drywall, tape, mud, texture, and paint when the electrician was done. So all in all, we have spent $64k on unplanned costs and spent a total of about $100k on renovations since buying it, And still need to get new cabinets in the kitchen and finish the second bathroom (still down to studs). It is currently our primary residence, we just had a baby so I’m not working at the moment, but our plan is to sell it in 2024/2025. I guess I’m wondering if anyone has overspent on a flip and what you did about it financially? Is there any hope that we might make our money back and be okay? Is there anything we can do to mitigate costs? We’re just really kicking ourselves and upset that we even bought this place. 


 If your plan is to sell it in 12-24 months, I would limit the work you to do what needs to be done and what is norm for that price range. For example in the bathroom do what others have done, do not select some expensive wall and floor tile or super expensive fixtures. Also do not go cheap, but do not overspend. 

Things like removing all the drywall, next time speak to others as you can get paints and other items to seal the smoke out that would have cost you 70% less than what you spent. 

Curious, did you get a home inspection on the property, as how did you find out the foundation had issues, and was that not caught during the inspection.

Also I wonder if the damage was required to be repaired or recommended. Big difference as foundations and joists crack but does not mean they lost their structural integrity. 

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  • Chris SeveneyBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes
    2y
    Quote from @Emily Alexander:

    Hello! We bought this house in May 2023 for $300,000 south of Dallas Texas. It’s a 3br, 2 bath and needed to be completely gutted and repaired. Most houses in this neighborhood are selling for $400k or more with basic renovations, and we have put in about $100k in renovations. When we bought it and had an inspector look through, we were originally expecting to pay $55k. But when we started tearing down walls, we noticed the ceiling joists were broken and had to be fixed ($4k), foundation was cracked and uneven ($10k) and the electrical needed to be redone (20k). We also tore down all the drywall because the previous owner smoked in it daily for 30 years and the electrician said it’d be cheaper if we just tore down the drywall, so we had to pay $30k for someone to come through and put new drywall, tape, mud, texture, and paint when the electrician was done. So all in all, we have spent $64k on unplanned costs and spent a total of about $100k on renovations since buying it, And still need to get new cabinets in the kitchen and finish the second bathroom (still down to studs). It is currently our primary residence, we just had a baby so I’m not working at the moment, but our plan is to sell it in 2024/2025. I guess I’m wondering if anyone has overspent on a flip and what you did about it financially? Is there any hope that we might make our money back and be okay? Is there anything we can do to mitigate costs? We’re just really kicking ourselves and upset that we even bought this place. 


     If your plan is to sell it in 12-24 months, I would limit the work you to do what needs to be done and what is norm for that price range. For example in the bathroom do what others have done, do not select some expensive wall and floor tile or super expensive fixtures. Also do not go cheap, but do not overspend. 

    Things like removing all the drywall, next time speak to others as you can get paints and other items to seal the smoke out that would have cost you 70% less than what you spent. 

    Curious, did you get a home inspection on the property, as how did you find out the foundation had issues, and was that not caught during the inspection.

    Also I wonder if the damage was required to be repaired or recommended. Big difference as foundations and joists crack but does not mean they lost their structural integrity. 

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  • Jaron WallingPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2018 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    2y

    I agree with @chris @Chris Seveney because the damage is already done. The checks were cashed and money spent. Only thing you can do is limit the remodeling budget on the bathroom and kitchen. Investors usually spend the most $$$$ on those rooms so that doesn't help your situation, but you have to try. You have to cut the plans and budget. 

    Find new contractors. Clearly you overpaid for some of this work. Learn from those mistakes and don't make them again when you finish the property. I predict RE prices stay high in 2024. You live there for two years you could sell tax free and probably make a small profit. Nothing wrong with renting to establish what kind of investor you want to be. Best of luck. 

  • Real Estate Agent · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    2y

    @Emily Alexander, tough situation, to say the least. All of this should have been prevented. As Chris asked above, what did the inspection report note? Going into the purchase you knew that the property needed to be completely gutted but then go on to say you were only expecting to pay $55k. Who the heck gave you this quote/estimate? Items such as foundational issues and the electrical panel should have been caught during the inspection. That right there would have saved you $30k. 

    Why do plan on selling? Not trying to be a pessimist, but unfortunately, I don't expect market conditions to improve significantly over the next two years. As noted above, you need to do the bare minimum for the kitchen and bathrooms. It's quite possible that some of these contractors took advantage of your situation. Fortunately, you are in a desirable/high-demand location so maybe you can get out at break even. I would love to see pictures if you have them.

  • Real Estate Agent · Arlington, TX · Member since 2016 · 151 posts · 54 votes
    2y

    If you can, do any of the work yourself or find new workers. I know of someone who does labor if you would like their contact. Was this your first flip? Its easy to over rehab. Like the others have said, try to buy the most inexpensive materials going forward. I have flipped before and it's tough, theres the product that you WANT to buy and what you NEED to buy...

  • Bill J FayPro Member
    Lender · San Diego · Member since 2023 · 216 posts · 209 votes
    2y

    I sympathize with you. If you flip enough property, every investor will run into a situation where you go negative. Although, doubling your budget in change orders is quite lofty. Did you use a GC? They should have caught a lot of these issues on the front end. Speaking from experience, it's really enticing to use cheaper contractors when you are getting started, but this can really bite you down the road. I would look at all the different exit strategies to mitigate any more loss. DM if you need to bounce any ideas off.

  • Alecia LovelessPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    2y

    @Emily Alexander I bought a 3/1 SFH about a year before the start of the pandemic for $99K. My rehab estimate was for cosmetic work and was around $30K. When we got into the project we realized it needed completely new electrical, a whole insulation installation, new plumbing, new fixtures that we thought the old ones would be ok, and some other stuff as well. The total cost overage was $50K and my contractor uses the least expensive subcontractors around and I got discounts on the materials for the insulation and we purchased many of the other supplies at cost with no contractor mark ups.

    It was just expensive. This was a buy and hold property but my numbers were way off. Then the pandemic happened and home prices shot through the roof. At the height of the pandemic the house was worth $369K and today I could easily sell it for around $319K. It rents for $1600/month and I’ve had it rented solidly every month since it went on the market. There’s only been a couple of minor repairs due to one tenant hanging their TV and the new tenants wanting the holes fixed.

    It’s highly likely you’ll get your money back if you keep your kitchen and bath renovations mid-priced.

  • Lakewood NJ · Member since 2021 · 45 posts · 16 votes
    2y

    @Emily Alexander experience cost money sorry for the loss still cheaper then collage

  • Houston, TX · Member since 2015 · 261 posts · 170 votes
    2y

    You need to limit anymore fixes/repairs. It is already a money pit. We are in a very tough situation for flipping, with high rates and a slowed down market. But the rental market is pretty strong. If you can rent it as-is and explore a sale in a year. Maybe the tenants in place would be interested to buy then.

  • Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2016 · 116 posts · 83 votes
    2y

    You would probably have to buy furniture and rent it mid-term for a few years.  
    This is why most investors only do one flip and give up. The contractors you hired are too expensive, they are for home owners and not investors. The crew investors use you would never find them on Yelp and only main guy speaks English. 

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