All Forum Posts by: Cody Caswell

As an investor trying to sell your flips, choosing design elements that the majority of homebuyers will love is important. However, that being said, it's just as important to make your flips and developments stand out from the crowd! Since house flipping has become so popular over the past few years, it's never been more critical to give your projects that extra *POP* that homebuyers will notice as they're swiping through Zillow. 

Each year, new design trends enter the market, and some others exit. Here are the newest trends we see entering the market for 2025, from a company that designs 50+ flips for investors nationwide.

1. Wooden, furniture-style vanities. This trend has continued since 2024, and buyers absolutely love them. White Oak color and Walnut color are the two main ones you want to focus on, depending on the rest of the design in the house! Giving something fresh to the bathrooms rather than just matching the kitchen cabinets really gives the space a custom feel.

2. Greige cabinets - think Gossamer Veil (SW 9165). The warmth that greige brings into a kitchen gives the space that "homey" feel. Buyers are falling in love with this!

3. Zellige tiles. These are extremely popular right now and can be used in showers or on backsplashes. Pro tip - Home Depot has a tile from Ivy Hill that looks exactly like Zellige for a fraction of the cost. Just the different brand name lowers the cost dramatically!

4. Champagne Bronze fixtures (NOT brushed gold). The gold color of Delta faucets, in particular. The yellowish brushed gold has had its cycle and has worked its way out. Buyers are loving the softness of Champagne Bronze, and we are using that color for lights, plumbing fixtures, and cabinetry hardware.

We find that these elements work no matter where you're located in the US, and no matter the ARV! Curious to see what other design elements you think will enter the market in 2025. Let me know in the comments!

Our company has designed over 100 flips for Real Estate Investors in 12 states, and one of the biggest mistakes that we see our investors (try to) make is always going BOLD with the design! Let me explain...

Houses naturally have an aesthetic to them when they are first built. Roof lines, window styles, and masonry/siding all play into this natural flow, and the biggest mistake you can make when designing your flips is not following the flow that is already present! Lots of investors simply want to go "bold" on all of their projects by using sharp color contrasts, busy tiles that catch your attention, and modern lighting that looks like it belongs in a hotel. I'm not saying that this isn't right for SOME houses, but it's definitely not right for all!

Check out the photos of this house we just designed in Central Texas. This home was located in a zip code that is notorious for its ultra-modern design (though those homes are still sitting for sale). We wanted this client's project to stand out, but a bold and modern aesthetic just didn't match the house. It may have looked good in photos, but something would have felt off! 

The house was naturally a transitional design with its arched windows, shutters, and white stone. Rather than try to make a round peg fit into a square hole (i.e., blend a bold design with a transitional home), we decided to highlight its natural style and create this simple yet showstopper design!

Nothing in this house just "pops" out at you. There are no crazy tiles, the countertops don't have aggressive veining, and there are no crazy accent walls in the living room. But, this house went under contract in 3 days for $20k over ask, with multiple competing offers, in an area where the average days on the market for newly renovated flips is 100+ days! The number one comment from all potential buyers was the design. Comments like "this area has nothing else like this" and "it just flows so perfectly from room to room" confirm that following what the house called, not what the area called, worked! Design matters in today's investing world, and it's so important to get that design right on your projects.

This is just one example of how bold designs are not always what's best for your flips! We have tons of other case studies just like this. What you should do is determine what story the house is already telling with its design and add onto it from there. We're here to answer any design questions you have - comment below and let us know what your favorite element on this project is!

Hey Robby! Great to meet you.

We source from four primary suppliers: Lowe's, Home Depot, Floor & Decor, and Amazon. Furniture is another story; we have tons of suppliers. However, for building materials, we get 99% of them from the four mentioned!

What's up, everyone! I've been a member of BiggerPockets for 5 years or so, but have never truly contributed to the platform. It has helped me over the years so much, and I wanted to get started contributing back to the platform that has done so much for me. So, I decided to start a new profile and dive in!

About me: my name is Cody Caswell, and I'm an investor in Central Texas (Austin and surrounding areas). My wife and I also own the only interior design company specifically for real estate investors, Ivory Home. We've done around 60 deals using the fix-and-flip strategy, BRRRR strategy, and build-to-sell strategy! In 2022, we also bought a gutted 56-unit apartment complex and fully renovated it in 14 months (over $2.25mm in construction)!

I've been a real estate investor my entire life, doing my first deal as a senior in high school ($5,000 mobile home). I was honored to share my entire story on the BiggerPockets Rookie Podcast Episode 441, go give it a listen! I have lots of experience in all types of single-family investing, small partnerships in multifamily and commercial, and a vast knowledge of construction. My wife and I have designed over 100 projects in 11 states, so her design knowledge has also rubbed off on me a bit! 

Very happy to connect and share my knowledge and experiences with everyone on the platform. Glad to be here, and if you made it this far, thank you!!

Is it true you can use taxes, depreciation, insurance, and mortgage interest for qualifying income when applying for an FHA loan on a primary residence? Backstory - we have an apartment complex that had a $339k loss on paper last year (I'm a 40% partner). After adding those four items back in, it brings the complex to making around $6,500. This would probably allow me to qualify for the FHA loan if this is true since the giant loss is throwing off my DTI. This is my first personal mortgage so I'm trying to learn the game. Commercial financing is 100% different (and easier lol)!

We're working with a new construction builder who has an in-house lender (Austin, Texas area). It seems like the LO's have no experience working with investors and are not very concerned with trying to make the numbers work. Any knowledge or expertise in this area is greatly appreciated!!