Chicken or the Egg ? Whats the Base Starting Point 4 Your Flip

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I was at Lowes yesterday picking up a "mop" with my wife and we then wondered over to the flooring section. Wow so many options to choose from. This inevitable led me to thinking about Rehabbing my first house (when the time comes---read the about me section to see where Im at in the process) and wondering what is the base line item that the experienced investors chooses first to build around when flipping a house.

For example. Do you pick out the flooring first and then base your paint colors, cabinet style, etc. around that? Do you pick out your paint colors first and choose the flooring around that? With so many flooring options available (hardwood, laminate flooring, ceramic tile, ceramic tile that looks like wood, vinyl plant flooring,.....and the list goes on and on and on...

I'm all ears....like I said which came first the chicken or the egg. Thanks in advance for the replys and feedback.

[David Faulkner]

Most experienced flippers that do it regularly systematize it. They have different packages already pre-selected. Package A for high end homes, Package B for mid grade homes with more modestly priced finishes, and Package C for low end homes with basic finishes. These packages include a spreadsheet of Home Depot SKUs (for example) with all the flooring selections, cabinets, lighting, faucets, paint colors, trim, etc. already specified, and designed to go together design wise and be appropriate finishes for the market and asset class. This saves them time and effort to not have to reinvent the wheel each time. They just tell their contractors they work with regularly "package C" and they know exactly what materials to buy. BTW, this same method is useful for buy-and-hold investors too ... for example, try doing touch up paint for 20 units with 20 different paint colors for awhile and you'll understand the value of this system. You may even be able to find or buy specs for these packages online or via local networking ... local networking would be best as finish standards and styles vary from one market to the next.