Are Fix & Flips Going to Fade Away?

[Glenn Gayet]

Hello everyone, I'm extremely new to real estate, just in my early days of getting educated, and I had a thought come to mind the other day. 

I've been listening to the bigger pockets podcast on my way to and from work and one of the episodes mentioned fixing and flipping houses as the income to buy rental properties. I liked that idea. 

Then I had a thought come to mind. More and more people are choosing to rent instead of buy, which makes me question if fixing and flipping is a good business model going into the future since according to the data, fewer and fewer Americans are purchasing homes. As much as I would love to fix and flip homes, the reality must be assessed. If fewer and fewer Americans are choosing to live in homes, then why would you choose to make your money off a product that fewer and fewer people want? 

Thanks, appreciate any feedback. 

[J Scott]

Originally posted by @Glenn Gayet:

I asked the question because 20, 30 years from now does matter. If you're honing a craft, I'd personally like to focus on the one that is going to be relevant in all circumstances and economies. 

There is nothing that is relevant in all circumstances and economies...

Businesses related to things as basic as food, energy and sex have (and will continue to) undergo radical changes.  That's the nature of the world.

30 years ago you probably would have been pretty sure that Playboy magazine and landline telephones would be relevant in 30 years.  20 years ago, you probably would have been pretty sure that physical maps would be relevant in 20 years.  10 years ago, you probably would have been pretty sure that DVD technology would have been relevant in 10 years.

Things can change quickly, and if you only want to pursue ideas that will be relevant for 20-30 years, you're likely going to be disappointed.  If you're flexible and can adapt to changing circumstances, you shouldn't have to worry about 20-30 years from now.