If you are someone who is interested in buying investment properties to flip and then sell, or you absolutely love DIY projects for the home, then you are in the right spot! In this “Flip House” series we are going to dive right into messy DIYs, Do’s and Don'ts in the fixer upper realm, the reality of flipping properties, and renovation projects that you can follow along, learn from, and hopefully get excited for your own projects!

Here we are, day one of our fixer upper. Annnnnd I can’t tell you how excited we were! Not only was this our first fixer upper, this was our first house we ever owned! I wanted to share our experience and hopefully help someone just starting or is interested in flipping homes.

You can follow along the journey on my YouTube channel. I will be uploading videos in the “Jet Drive Flip House” playlist as we go along. Or check out our IG page for more.

Day 1 | Walkthrough

If you’ve been following along since the beginning, you know my love for random hobbies. I never wanted to be “good” at just one thing. And flipping homes will not be my only venture, but it is a challenge that I do enjoy! When my husband and I initially saw this house, we knew it had a special character about it even though ALL the work that needed to be done.

In this series I will go over the reasons we picked this house, what we started working on first, the interior is one thing but the yard needed some love, and the whole process step by step until the day we sold our first flip house.

When my husband and I initially saw this house, we knew it had a special character...

5 Reasons We Picked This House:

#1: First and foremost, this home sold us on the view. In the price range we were looking at, it had the most beautiful view overlooking the town. Right away I knew this home deserved to be brought back to life!

#2: The kitchen size with a window facing the same view we fell in love with.

#3: Double sink in the main level bathroom.

#4: Simplicity of the layout. Perfect for one or four people to live comfortably.

#5: Garage. Hello! We live in Montana. Love it here! But man does it get cold…

Overall, our first flip house was in decent shape and luckily did not have any major problems that needed to be prepared. When it comes to looking for an investment property that you are going to turn around and sell in two years, there are some things to consider.

Here are my tips:

• Consider the amount of work that needs done in order for the house to be sellable

  • Sometimes this can be challenging because it is easy to get carried away on projects…

• Is it structurally sound? I would recommend getting a second or third opinion from a professional if you do not have much experience in this area. Since this was our first home, we ended up taking out a loan to purchase this house; therefore, having an inspector go through every inch of the house.

• $$ Make a conservative budget. $$ Like I mentioned in my Before You Start Renovating blog, giving yourself an extra 20% over your estimated costs can save you in the end.

• DIY is a great way to save on the budget.

• Hire a contractor for the big stuff! This includes anything that you are not sure how to do or do not have experience doing. For example: electrical. We don’t want your house accidently starting on fire… 🛠️

• Try to plan out the whole project including ordering materials ahead of time.

Write below in the comments! I would love to hear from you guys your renovation project journey and the lessons learned along the way. Let’s make this a space we can share ideas and our experiences.

Happy Styling! :)