Summer Real Estate Secrets for House Flippers

Summer is here, and with it the season of home sales. According to the Huffington Post, 60% of all homes sold in 2014 will be sold between the months of May and August. That means that if you have an investment property that you are currently working on, it's time to get busy! Homes sell for the highest prices during the summer months, which mean summer offers the biggest potential ROIs for rehabbing real estate.

Use these summer secrets to get ahead in the house flipping market this summer and make 2014 your best summer yet.

1. List your property now!

Maybe you're a bit behind schedule. Maybe you haven't quite finished all of the renovations that you wanted to get to by now. It's time to ask: Does it matter? Even if your property isn't exactly where you want it to be, it's time to reevaluate whether or not it's time to put your investment property up on the market. Consult your realtor, your accountant, or your private money lender and figure out a calculation of whether those last few fixes are worth completing before you put the house up for sale. It may turn out that listing your property right now will bring you higher profits than waiting until the end of summer, even if the house would be in better shape then.

2. Get ready for bidding wars.

Finding the right price to list your investment property at is going to be key this summer. Several markets have slowed down around the nation in recent months, but prices are still steadily creeping up. And in some markets like San Francisco and San Jose, bidding wars are going absolutely nuts. The trick for fix and flip investing pros this summer is setting the price at a point that sounds fair, but also spurs interest from multiple parties. It may actually be in your best interest to price your property a bit lower than you would like in order to encourage a bidding war which would eventually yield higher profits. (Be sure to consult your realtor and take a good hard look at your local housing market before adopting this strategy.)

3. Make sure your house is beautifully advertise on all the latest mobile apps.

More and more homebuyers are looking for houses via their smart phones. Housing search apps are the wave of the future, so if you don't have great photographs and videos of your investment property that can be easily viewed through mobile applications, your property isn't going to generate the level of interest that it should. Take a look at how other homes are getting listed on the most popular apps and make sure that your listings are up to snuff.

4. Know your audience.

Families are most likely to move during the summer to avoid transplanting their kids during the school year. If you're investment property is in the middle of a family-friendly area, make sure that you know all of the facts and figures about the local school districts, parks, and family amenities in order to woo potential buyers.