Archive for August, 2008

Flipping Houses- Cheap Ways to Clean a House

Flipping houses means renovations, repayments and cleanings. However, if you know the right way to go about it, you can do all of these very easily, in a short time and at a lower cost. Let us take a look at some of these simple but effective tools.

Scuff marks on the kitchen floor can be removed with the use of a baking soda paste mixed with warm water. This mixture is as effective as certain products that might cost more than double or triple the amount.

Bathtubs and sinks with ugly stains can easily be handled by leaving paper bags soaked with bleach overnight in them. The results will surely surprise you.

A common problem you may face when flipping houses is the awful smells that an old house can emit. This problem can however be tackled quite easily. But you must not go and buy a truck load of deodorizers from the market. Instead you can save up on this buy making your own homemade deodorizer. A teaspoon of baking soda and a teaspoon of lemon when mixed with two cups of hot water make a good deodorizer. This should be put in a spray bottle and used to refresh the house

One important aspect of flipping houses is to get the carpets replaced. But you can save a great deal of money here if you know how to turn around an old carpet into one that looks totally new. If the carpet is smelly, you could use your own carpet freshener by mixing one cup of cornmeal, one cup of borax and half a cup of baking soda. This mixture should be left overnight on the carpet. You will be surprised to see how much fresher the carpet will smell the next day when you vacuum the area.

You could make your own cheap yet heavy duty stain removing compound for a carpet that is stained. However there is one word of caution before you try this out, you should first experiment with the method by testing it out on an inconspicuous corner of the carpet to check whether it is color fast or not. Only after you are totally sure that the color will not rub out of the carpet should you try it out on the whole area of the carpet. Start by sprinkling a bit of baking soda on the carpet. After this a small amount of vinegar should be poured on it. You will notice that the area will start to become very frothy and full of bubbles. This should be allowed to dry. When cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, you will see how new and unstained the carpet looks. Spray window cleanser are also effective agents in cleaning up stubborn spots from the carpet.

Flipping houses does not mean that you go about spending a lot of money on the necessary changes and cleaning procedures, it means that you know how to achieve your goal smartly. Cleaning can be done amazingly well by simply combining certain inexpensive and easily available ingredients.

James Klobasa, once broke with no job and $20,000 in debt made a choice that changed his life forever. That choice was investing in Real Estate. With the founder of, The Little Building Co. you too, can learn at Real-Real Estate Investing

Flipping Houses- 5 Secrets to Make Money

Investors with experience can translate negative reports of flipping houses into a lucrative aspect. This is because they know that negative reports can be translated into a profitable business because the competition from home buyers is reduced, the home sellers get extremely motivated and the loan officers, closing agents and the real estate agents become more cooperative.

However the main question that arises here is: what is the secret that will lead to profits in flipping houses in a buyer’s market? Read on to know more about certain well kept trade secrets that will show you the way to your dream investment portfolio.

Nothing can be as good as becoming an expert in the geographical location that you target. It is best to stick to one area when it comes to flipping houses. Keeping records of certain statistics is a wise idea. These statistics can include houses for sale in your targeted area, number of houses sold in the previous month, the amount of days the house sat vacant in the market, the selling price of the house, how much discount was made and the concessions made by the seller. The statistic for the last question can be easily found by making a call to the sales agent and asking if the closing costs or seller financing was provided by the owner. After you get the lists and statistics, you must check the house out on your own. This will help you to understand which house will make a great investment.

The money that is going to be spent on paint, building materials, appliances etc should be as little as possible. You can get surplus and high quality building material at retail houses at a good price. Try to find appliance discount stores. These offer a good bargain on appliances.

One mistake that is made by most investors while flipping houses is that they just use an approach of blow and go. Experienced real estate investors know a secret. The secret is that though less money should be used on the minor renovations, the time spent should be used creatively. Instead of boring typical paints and floors, there should be an element of exciting colors, patterns and other decorating details that are going to make the house more attractive. You should turn the house into a home buyer’s magnet.

Another well kept secret that is used to make the best out of flipping houses is home staging. This helps in selling the house at a high rate. A vacant house does not actually have to be furnished. A few staged decorations can also aid the purpose. This is because the buyer just wants to visualize how it is going to feel living in the house. Your purpose should be to provide just the materials that will help the prospective buyer fall in love with the house.

One important secret that you must know is that it is imperative to be ahead of the real estate market. Precious time should not be wasted by showing the house to other investors. You should be on the lookout for those home buyers who just can’t wait to buy the house. Commission negotiations with real estate agents should be wisely done. You should be aware of the services that will be needed and accordingly shop around for a real estate agent. You must closely guard the sales while you are flipping houses. The home buyers should be kept motivated and the house should be kept in perfect order especially on the appraisal day.

James Klobasa, once broke with no job and $20,000 in debt made a choice that changed his life forever. That choice was investing in Real Estate. With the founder of, The Little Building Co. you too, can learn at Real-Real Estate Investing