We will be attending a seminar on Flipping Toledo on the 4th of March hosted by the guys that has the TV show "Flipping Boston". 

Most of the folks here focus on what they've learned from late night TV: Some sort of Single Family Residential play that, with all the investor competition, is a lot of hard work and thin profit margins. $30,000 may be a lot of money to earn from a project, but if you had to churn $300,000 (and that much speculation risk), plus a lot of hard physical work, to get it, that's still a thin profit margin.

Keep in mind that most buyers cannot envision how rooms are supposed to be used, so you need to tell them through staging, if you are using furniture, or through obvious cues (i.e. flat screen TV) in lieu of furnishings. 

First project: TV SHOW.

It is WAY better than them TV shows, because of the level of detail.

If you triple their payment by tripling their interest rate, many of them won't be able to pay.One poor schmuck on TV had his rate changed from 7% to 33% and had never missed a payment.

I know another guy waiting for people to die in Laguna woods (Leisure world area) and doing flips and making a nice little profit for himself.

I know that there is more behind the scenes then what is shown on TV but on these shows, they seem to be able to do a renovation for between 30-40K.

Local residents should take initiative to fix their own neighborhoods and lives.Maybe I'm cold and believe that people should be responsible for their own lives-- and in the slums, that could mean 80 hours a week, getting off welfare, educating oneself, skimping by on Ramen and having no TV/phone/cable/other luxury service or goods, shopping thrift stores for clothes, not smoking or drinking (expensive), not going out to eat or to clubs or movies when poverty-striken on welfare, cutting all expenses when on welfare and taking any job that's offered, making wise choices, and moving away from the slums.

A lot of people watch those TV shows and think "I can do that" but they don't have the facts on how to do it the right way and end up in trouble.