Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa - General Discussion

[iMonrey]

This latest one with the Vegas flippers wasn't a complete disaster but I'm skeptical they'll make any kind of profit. When the show ends and it still hasn't sold, I'm not buying the narrative that they stand to make a profit of X dollars. That's a big if. 

Can't believe how big Braden has gotten!

[Dehumidifier]

On 9/17/2021 at 6:29 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Having the stairs outside to the front door without a handrail would be a deal breaker for me, I think that's totally unsafe.   

How could it be legal to have steps like that? If you did fall sideways you would land on those concrete planters they lined up alongside. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Legacy and Patricia, return flippers, buy house for $1.255, with a $300k rehab budget. With a 6 month timeline, break even is $1,715 million. 

  They're no longer a couple, and their second flip barely made a profit.  If this flip doesn't turn out with a big profit, then the two will go their separate ways.    The outside of this house is hideous.    Patricia has a 'surprise', that's never good.    Legacy didn't check the disclosures, so the springs near the pool might crack it, but it turns out OK.  So, they did demo and the deck, before permits were finished by the city.     I hope the screwups are just for the filming.     

Patricia wants to do another funky kitchen, with stone back splash up the wall to the ceiling.  

Tarek's health issues show he has Celiac, gluten allergy.  

There's supposed to be a potential buyer for  $2.25 without contingencies, with $535,000 profit.      Legacy didn't check with the city, so the front deck extension was almost done, and was ripped out because it didn't look at city rules on set backs.   So, that's about $7k gone.  

I don't need Patricia and Legacy breaking up the partnership on the remodel time on the show.      I'm also sick of hearing about the flippers vision.   You want to appeal to the largest buying pool, not a small portion of buyers. 

Their added bedrooms are tiny.  The laundry room looks like a laundry closet.   I hate the bathroom saultillo floor tile, with the shower tile, it's not a cohesive look.  

I hate the stone wall in the kitchen, with the counter tops.       They're up to $2.4 with the prospective buyers, but comps are $2.1, and $2.2, and they want to wait for a much higher offer.  Now they want to list at $2.5.    They added the third bedroom by splitting the second bedroom, and $2.5 for a three bedroom is bizarre to me.   

They went way over budget at $450k, break even is $1.898 million.     So, they're having an open house to get more offers.   

Back yard is small.    Main bedroom is OK, main bath is spectacular, but other two bedrooms and shared bath are small, and I hate the Sautillo tile in the shared bath.  The floor tile in that bath doesn't go with the shower tile, or anything else in the bathroom.        Open house viewers don't like the price, or want to go over asking.    Patricia and Legacy are spliting the partnership.   They're lucky that the original offer of $2.4 still existed after the failure of the open house to bring more offers.   Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if it was under contract before the open houses, or any other shenanigans for filming. 

Sale price $2.4, profit of $502k.    I think they under report the costs, and other things that hurt the profit

Edited September 25, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Dehumidifier]

11 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

...I hate the bathroom saultillo floor tile, with the shower tile, it's not a cohesive look.  

Strange choice. If she liked that tile so much for the bathroom floor she should have picked different wall/shower tile. Maybe she could find something that would combine that color and the white/gray overall look of the house,

[iMonrey]

Quote

Legacy and Patricia, return flippers,

I did not remember them. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:55 AM, iMonrey said:

I did not remember them. 

The first time Legacy and Patricia appeared, they were very irritating to me.   They're the ballroom dancers who bought a house and financed the rehab in the mortgage too, which horrified Tarek (usually the mortgage is for the house, and they finance the remodel separately).     Kitchen cabinets were some kind of wood grain, and had to be refinished so they didn't look like plywood.     They didn't even look at the inspector's report, just as they didn't look at the disclosures this time.      They were romantic partners last show, no longer, and now aren't flipping houses together either.   

This Thursday there's a rerun, supposedly with bonus scenes, and extra facts, at 7 central of Legacy and Patricia.  I'm going to watch just to see the awful bathroom tile clashes, and the total incompetence of the two flippers.  The 8 p.m. Central episode is new, but sounds like another train wreck. 

Not looking at disclosures, not getting permits before adding the front deck, and other ridiculous moves.     Doing work they didn't have permits for.  They're lucky the inspector catching them violating the permits was a horrible move.  I was laughing when they put up the giant front deck, and then had to rip it out.    The kitchen stone back splash was hideous, and using the same stone on the front exterior made the house look dated. 

I really like the train wreck aspect of this show, but I hate that the market means the worst flippers still make a lot of profit. 

Tonight's new episode "Location, Location, Laundromat" with  house flippers Alex & Mitzie,  are a couple who have been flipping for 13 years, and make very little.  I love they bought a house that shares a driveway with a laundromat, the look on Tarek's face should be hysterical.   The house is in Compton, CA.

3 bed 2 bath, 1753 sq ft, purchase price $403k , rehab $50k, with a proposed selling price of $550k, possible profit of 70k, split with their investor.   Tarek makes a good point, put in laminate floor instead of wasting time and money sanding and refinishing the floor.  The family room addition with the bar is hideous.  The husband wants to spend $10k redoing the family room fireplace, so Tarek figures that they're over improving the homes.   Driveway to garage is shared with a laundromat, and the second bath doorway is in the garage (not I'm not kidding).   The driveway to the garage is through the neighboring laundromat parking lot.   

I'm skipping the reno on Tarek and Heather's new house.   It's only two years old, and they're remodeling it. 

The flipper is one of the worst drywall installers ever.   No surprise they didn't get permits before starting, which is at least a two week delay.   Now the city wants everything in the house rendered by an architect, a delay of 10 to 12 weeks extra.   Plus, their competition is a 1500 sq. ft. house, 4 bed 3 bath, and that's 8 sq ft larger than my house at 1492 sq. ft. with 3 bed and 2 baths.     I didn't even look at the price.    The prices there are ridiculous.   

Speaking of ridiculous, Tarek's new house, fire pit, and fire sconses in the front garden, and two more firepits on the roof garden.    The great thing about the new house is Izzy is working on it.  

Appraisals on the flipper's houses are coming in very low, so they're over improving the houses.     Appraised at $565k, but doesn't the bank pick the appraiser?    Not the sellers.   And the house got tagged with gang graffiti.     Bought for $403, break even is $504k, but any profit is split with their investor.   They're listing at $574k, so maybe $35k for their profit.  Next time they get a hard money lender, and pocket the extra profit.   House is nice, but I hate the gigantic fireplace they left in the family room addition.  Having a bedroom that is separate and opens from the garage is awful.     They sold for $590k, it appraised at full price, and their profit was $41k, (split with investor 50/50). 

Edited October 1, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[iMonrey]

While it's always nice to see Izzie again, I can do without the remodel on Tarek's and new bride's house. It sort of feels like they're rubbing it in how rich they are, which is a real turnoff. But I'm sure that's no accident. HGTV wants us to think that flipping houses can make us as rich as Tarek and Christina are. Actually most flippers go broke. They do not have HGTV bankrolling their ventures for the sake of shared profits. You better believe they are heavily invested in making flipping look profitable, and they pull out all the stops to make sure Tarek and Christina (and other flippers) look good. Crews, money, whatever they need to pull it off. 

Quote

Tarek makes a good point, put in laminate floor instead of wasting time and money sanding and refinishing the floor.  

The difference was $900, so I ended up agreeing with the wife. Most people are going to prefer real hard wood floors to laminate. Especially when those are the original floors, and they looked really good after refinishing.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The way T & C make money is they buy lower priced properties, (Tarek has a 'we buy anything' company), and have up to 10 houses going at once, so they do 80 to 100 houses a year, plus the income from the TV shows, and I suspect their own houses are remodeled, and sold at a hefty profit.      I seem to recall reading when the T & C divorce happened, that most of the cars, yachts, etc. were leased. 

I think one reason Tarek recommended laminate over the hardwoods, is sometimes the floors have been refinished so often that the floors won't refinish because they're so thin the nail heads are exposed.  Also, I bet tossing down laminate will be a lot quicker than sanding the floors, and staining them, and putting a protective poly coat on them.   Good quality laminate can look very good, and you can finish an entire house in a few days.      Some of the hardwoods I've seen still have faded sections, or some stains, and it doesn't look good to me.   The flippers were lucky the floors turned out so well on this house.    

On Location, Location, Laundromat, they sell a house for over $600k, that has a laundromat parking lot for a driveway, with a crooked mantle, and was so trendy for finishes.   The L.A. market is so wild.  

Edited October 7, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[MsTree]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

While it's always nice to see Izzie again, I can do without the remodel on Tarek's and new bride's house. It sort of feels like they're rubbing it in how rich they are, which is a real turnoff.

I don't see it that way. A lot of viewers are interested in Tarek's personal life...from the time a viewer noticed his thyroid cancer. We also watched the El Moussas break-up, Christina's new marriage, pregnancy and eventual break-up...and are also interested in Tarek's relationship.

Some of us enjoy watching/following them both or individually. I'm happy for Tarek and Heather, and will enjoy watching their house reno as well as their blossoming relationship.

[Grrarrggh]

13 hours ago, MsTree said:

Some of us enjoy watching/following them both or individually. I'm happy for Tarek and Heather, and will enjoy watching their house reno 

I'd be more interested if I thought there was even a small chance their house reno would look different from the houses he flips.

[MsTree]

52 minutes ago, Grrarrggh said:

I'd be more interested if I thought there was even a small chance their house reno would look different from the houses he flips.

Well, since Heather has more personality than Christina, they might surprise us. Guess we'll find out soon enough :-)

[GeorgiaRai]

I guess it's weird to want to see how Tarek & Heather design their home, but feel discussion about their "budget" is too personal, but that's where I'm at.

[MsTree]

8 hours ago, GeorgiaRai said:

I guess it's weird to want to see how Tarek & Heather design their home, but feel discussion about their "budget" is too personal, but that's where I'm at.

It's not any more weird than walking through a model home when you have no intention of buying said home. Most people who do so are interested in design and getting ideas...much the same as viewing design photos on Pinterest. At least with Tarek & Heather, we all know who they are, and just might be curious as to their design aesthetic.

[ByaNose]

I don’t think I’ve watched this show past the initial first season episodes. One of the reason Tarek (and, Christina) are so rich with the house flipping is they have multiple crews & houses being worked on at the same time. Also, they’re making mucho bucks on their respective HGTV shows. Joe Schmo isn’t going to get rich with just doing one house at a time. Very few people get rich off this flipping just one house at a time or maybe two.

Anyhoo, I didn’t know they started a new series with Tarek and his newest wife. The last I heard he had built his dream after the divorce from Christina. I think he was on every talk show yapping about it. I only watch Flip or Flop. I do have to say that hipster Tarek wearing all black with the baseball hats and chains has always cracked me up. It’s funny what fame, money, divorce and a new wife will do to you. It’s like a midlife crisis on television. At 40 he’s living his best life. You might as well enjoy it. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by ByaNose

[iMonrey]

Quote

Well, since Heather has more personality than Christina,

I don't see it. She's practically a clone. Tarek definitely has a type.

[ByaNose]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't see it. She's practically a clone. Tarek definitely has a type.

They are sort of interchangeable. That said, I haven’t heard the new wife talk for a long period of time so I don’t know for sure. Tarek really didn’t stray from the Christina mold though. Definite type. 

[MsTree]

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't see it. She's practically a clone. Tarek definitely has a type.

Maybe they resemble one another physically, but I'm sure their personalities must be different...otherwise, what's the point? Based on what we've seen so far, Heather appears to be a lot more affectionate and so far, no eye rolling 😉

[Dehumidifier]

6 hours ago, MsTree said:

Maybe they resemble one another physically, but I'm sure their personalities must be different...otherwise, what's the point? Based on what we've seen so far, Heather appears to be a lot more affectionate and so far, no eye rolling 😉

I find her harsh looking with the very dark eyebrows and the bleached hair, especially since she pulls it back so tight.

[deirdra]

6 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I find her harsh looking with the very dark eyebrows and the bleached hair, especially since she pulls it back so tight.

I find both of them harsh looking.

[ByaNose]

4 minutes ago, deirdra said:

I find both of them harsh looking.

Too funny.

[Dehumidifier]

16 hours ago, deirdra said:

I find both of them harsh looking.

Her and Christina or her and Tarek? His post-divorce style doesn't appeal to me either.

[Dehumidifier]

I was thrilled that the recent flippers stuck to their guns and refinished the wood floors in the house instead of slapping down laminate like Tarek recommended.  That and using the kitchen/bathroom tile to frame fireplaces were two things that he and Christina used to do constantly on their flips. Then look for a lot of moolah.

[deirdra]

7 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

Her and Christina or her and Tarek? His post-divorce style doesn't appeal to me either.

Heather & Christina - their black eye makeup is harsh/scary looking, especially with all the peroxide. Tarek and his daughter are unfortunate looking, not harsh.

Edited October 5, 2021 by deirdra

[deirdra]

9 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I was thrilled that the recent flippers stuck to their guns and refinished the wood floors in the house instead of slapping down laminate like Tarek recommended.  That and using the kitchen/bathroom tile to frame fireplaces were two things that he and Christina used to do constantly on their flips. Then look for a lot of moolah.

Though it is amazing how many young house hunters ask if the floor is hardwood and often their realtor says no, it is laminate.  Tarek may just figure why spend money if their buyers are too dumb to know the difference. 

[lynxfx]

4 hours ago, deirdra said:

Though it is amazing how many young house hunters ask if the floor is hardwood and often their realtor says no, it is laminate.  Tarek may just figure why spend money if their buyers are too dumb to know the difference. 

I don't see an issue with laminate these days especially 12-15mm variety. Most is more durable plus water and stain resistant than some original hardwood floors. Of course cheap flippers might put in the crappy .99/ft variety but if remodeling your own home on a budget, laminate is a good option. 

[Dehumidifier]

14 hours ago, deirdra said:

Though it is amazing how many young house hunters ask if the floor is hardwood and often their realtor says no, it is laminate.  Tarek may just figure why spend money if their buyers are too dumb to know the difference. 

Sometimes a question is a question and sometimes it's just a way of confirming what one already knows or suspects.

[CrazyInAlabama]

New episode looks promising, "Home Over Improvement" with flippers who lost $40k on their previous flip.   In the L.A. market losing $40k is an accomplishment, not a good one though.  The house that's losing is their completed flip and hasn't even sold yet. 

Hector and Aryana, he's a contractor, but they're always over budget, don't always make a profit.   Bought a hoarder house in Buena Park, for $480k, 4 bed 2.5 bath.   I bet clean up will cost $10k with dump fees, hauling.  Budget for rehab is $80k.    Tarek says instead of just replacing the roof, get a roofer out to certify how long it has left in it, good thinking by Tarek.     

House has a studio with a kitchen, permitted, for an ADU.    It's permitted, has room for laundry hook ups, and a separate entrance, great source of rental income.   The back yard has 3 feet high weeds.  There's a finder's fee of $60k to the original investor who found the house for them.  They'll save some on the realtor wife waiving her commission.     The house flippers keep ignoring what Tarek tells them, and spending money uselessly.   The flippers pick a slippery porcelain tile, and want to put it everywhere in the bath, and that's a big mistake.  As Tarek says, it's a safety issue.  Then Hector wants to use the tile on the bath and shower floor, but put some silicone coating on it so it won't be slippery.  

The roofer failed the roof, so they're going to put another layer of shingles over the current roof.   Hector is working on more than one flip, does contracting jobs for other people, but the couple try to do everything without delegating.   If the couple keep making bad decisions, then growing their business won't work.    Getting someone to find properties, and help sell them later on won't help if the couple can't learn to flip quickly, aim for the largest buyer pool, and stop making mistakes, then they'll never make a profit.  As Tarek says, the flippers don't communicate, the husband over designs.   Husband wants to paint the entire exterior of the house, which isn't needed. 

 The flippers don't even track their budget.    They know they're over budget, but not by how much, and haven't paid all of the labor bills yet.   When they go counter top shopping,  money doesn't seem to be a factor.    They should stop flipping their own properties, and bring them to a real flipper, and do the contractor work with someone else in charge. 

House was $540k, rehab $86k, and break even will be high, but with the market the way it is they might be able to sell for over $800k, make the loss up on the previous house, and do well.  

The tile, laminate pattern is not new, Tarek's done it before, and a lot of other flippers.   The big issue is they didn't get the back landscaping done.  Primary bath is small, and the tile floor is really slick, they didn't finish that yet either. But, turning the one big bathroom into two smaller ones, making a private main en suite was good.  

House sells for $950k, $220k profit, to cover the $40k loss on the previous house.   I don't think the flippers will stick with what Tarek taught them, and they were supposed to learn.  I suspect they will keep flipping, over improving, and spending money foolishly, and will go back to barely making a profit.    

I'm wondering if the 'flood' at Tarek's house with everything ripped out, was actually the before drywall and everything picture?    But, then shown as 'we had to take everything out we just put in'?  

Edited October 8, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kenzie]

, "Home Over Improvement"

I thought the original house color was much warmer and unlike the new white paint it helped the house stand out from all the plain concrete walks, pads and driveway.

But what I thought was a huge mistake was completely removing all the existing palms and lush landscape in the front. A trim would have sufficed. Now all they have is a bland, under-planted area that draws attention to a very Plain Jane looking curb view.

No excuse for the dead lawn in the backyard. Gardeners are not in short supply in L.A.

[sempervivum]

So tired of the same paint colors, countertop and tile choices, week after week, I mostly watch just to sneer at the novice flippers' dopey decisions.

I get that there's a (very small) ocean view from the roof deck of Tarek & Heather's new place, but that main floor patio has only a scrawny hedge around it for privacy- I could clearly see parked cars a few feet away. I guess 'location, location' when it's near the sea trumps actually having some land; there was no space between their house and all the others in that development.

On 10/5/2021 at 2:00 PM, deirdra said:

Tarek and his daughter are unfortunate looking,

Really? I think both of his kids are very cute. And other than his questionable hair choices, Tarek is tall, well-built, and has proportionate/symmetrical features. (OK, his ears stick out a bit).

[MartyQui]

I couldn’t believe the over improvers put those slick porcelain tiles on the floor and on the floor of the shower.  Those were an accident waiting to happen.

[MakingBacon]

In one of the early episodes, Tarek said you need to appeal to the masses and remember you aren’t designing for yourself. You want a place to appeal to the most amount of people. I feel like these flippers never follow that rule. Buena Park is a middle class neighborhood. People who want to live there are not expecting Newport Beach level decor. I feel the flippers don’t even think about what potential buyers actually want. I liked the flippers but the bathroom floor was ridiculous. I do wonder how they lost $40k on a flip in Southern California. In this market, you have to work hard to take a loss. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 10/9/2021 at 5:44 PM, MartyQui said:

I couldn’t believe the over improvers put those slick porcelain tiles on the floor and on the floor of the shower.  Those were an accident waiting to happen.

I was shocked at the slick tiles too.    And the flippers were too busy to put the silicone coating on the shower, and bathroom floor to fix that.     Even worse than bad choices, are when Tarek or someone else warns them about the issue in advance, and they still go ahead with using a product that's not suitable, and risk buyers getting hurt.      With the two flippers this week, my guess is the next flip will be a total flop, because I don't think they learned anything from Tarek, and from losing money on so many other flips before this one.     

Tonight's new episode "Pilots and Permits and Babies, Oh My!" with two pilots flipping a house, are almost more clueless than the couple doing the house with the laundromat parking lot to enter the garage.    The contractor doesn't get permits, and an inspector dropped in and stopped work on everything.    The couple get a contractor that doesn't get permits, or have a solid bid, or drawings.   

The wife wants to do everything to her own taste, including she wanted gold grout on the kitchen backsplash (Tarek shot that down quickly).  That's the  wrong move on a flip where you want to appeal to the largest number of buyers.   

 The flippers still don't have permits, and they're seven weeks in.   A month later, still no permits.   The flippers have paid $20,000 just interest, after four months on the flip, and they finally have the permits.   If you're over budget, then why do a waterfall counter top, and use a slab on the back of the peninsula?   Now the house is close to finished, the flippers don't want to spend money on staging.   

The house is finished after 7 months, so $35,000 interest, and went $30,000 over rehab budget.  Break even is $813,000.  Flippers want to list at $799,000, so they can get a multiple offer situation.   The old garage has the washer/dryer stackable hook ups, the water heater, and a tiny office.   Tarek says if they sell at $850,000 they'll profit $37,000.  It's such a small house. House sells for $888,888, profit of almost $76,000. 

Tarek takes the flippers to go see the woman who was flipping a house with a major fire, but it's finished now.   The flipper made a major profit on it.   She made $255k profit. 

Tarek and Heather are thinking of selling the beach house, I thought it was a flip, and not a family house.  (I mean I never believed it was a home for the family, but always a flip).  

Edited October 15, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[greeneyedscorpio]

On 10/9/2021 at 7:14 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

I was shocked at the slick tiles too.    And the flippers were too busy to put the silicone coating on the shower, and bathroom floor to fix that.     Even worse than bad choices, are when Tarek or someone else warns them about the issue in advance, and they still go ahead with using a product that's not suitable, and risk buyers getting hurt.      With the two flippers this week, my guess is the next flip will be a total flop, because I don't think they learned anything from Tarek, and from losing money on so many other flips before this one.     

Tonight's new episode "Pilots and Permits and Babies, Oh My!" with two pilots flipping a house, are almost more clueless than the couple doing the house with the laundromat parking lot to enter the garage.    The contractor doesn't get permits, and an inspector dropped in and stopped work on everything.    The couple get a contractor that doesn't get permits, or have a solid bid, or drawings.   

The wife wants to do everything to her own taste, including she wanted gold grout on the kitchen backsplash (Tarek shot that down quickly).  That's the  wrong move on a flip where you want to appeal to the largest number of buyers.   

 The flippers still don't have permits, and they're seven weeks in.   A month later, still no permits.   The flippers have paid $20,000 just interest, after four months on the flip, and they finally have the permits.   If you're over budget, then why do a waterfall counter top, and use a slab on the back of the peninsula?   Now the house is close to finished, the flippers don't want to spend money on staging.   

The house is finished after 7 months, so $35,000 interest, and went $30,000 over rehab budget.  Break even is $813,000.  Flippers want to list at $799,000, so they can get a multiple offer situation.   The old garage has the washer/dryer stackable hook ups, the water heater, and a tiny office.   Tarek says if they sell at $850,000 they'll profit $37,000.  It's such a small house. House sells for $888,888, profit of almost $76,000. 

Tarek takes the flippers to go see the woman who was flipping a house with a major fire, but it's finished now.   The flipper made a major profit on it.   She made $255k profit. 

Tarek and Heather are thinking of selling the beach house, I thought it was a flip, and not a family house. 

The beach house is the one they bought for themselves.  They've realized they don't like the traffic and busy-ness that is around the house/beach, so they were talking about selling before they move in.  So strange that two people who have made millions in real estate didn't stake out the house/neighborhood during different times of the day/week to see traffic patterns.  Every realtor I've ever had has advised this. 

 

[CrazyInAlabama]

What I meant is that I suspected they were buying the beach house to flip, even though they kept talking about it being Tarek and Heather's family home on TV.    I just didn't have the feeling that they were really keeping it for themselves.    It's a fun house, not a house for a growing family. 

I'm enjoying the marathon of episodes today, including the Pasadena flippers that bought for $1.25 million, spent forever doing the flip, and had it on the market for a long time, but it's now contingent at $1.8+.   However, if it closes, I'm not sure with holding costs, rehab costs, commissions, etc. it will even clear a profit. 

I suspect the 'let's live in it for a while first" was fake, and the house was always intended to be a flip.     With $1.7 million profit, minus the commissions, closing costs, etc. and probably Heather as the agent, it's a lot of profit. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[greeneyedscorpio]

10 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

What I meant is that I suspected they were buying the beach house to flip, even though they kept talking about it being Tarek and Heather's family home on TV.    I just didn't have the feeling that they were really keeping it for themselves.    It's a fun house, not a house for a growing family. 

 

Gotcha.  I still don't understand their decision though.  They talked about breakeven being 3.8 mil and that a house on the same street just closed at 5.5mil.  Heather acted totally blown away and said, "the market is so hot right now" acting like she wanted to flip it, then said, "let's try it. let's live in it for a little while then try to sell it".  WHAT?  Why?  

[Kenzie]

On 10/9/2021 at 6:14 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

Tonight's new episode "Pilots and Permits and Babies, Oh My!" with two pilots flipping a house, are almost more clueless than the couple doing the house with the laundromat parking lot to enter the garage.    The contractor doesn't get permits, and an inspector dropped in and stopped work on everything.    The couple get a contractor that doesn't get permits, or have a solid bid, or drawings.   

I've lived my entire 67 years in Southern California so I'm well aware of our high real estate prices but even my jaw dropped that someone, anyone, was willing to pay almost $900,000 for a 600+ sq. ft. house that didn't even have a garage. I noticed too that the contractor was using concrete blocks behind his tires to keep his truck from rolling down that steep driveway. 

They really lucked out - it had the potential to be a major flop and financial loss - but the crazy market out here saved them. 

[iMonrey]

$888K for that tiny cracker box is crazy. 

That said, I rather liked the flipping couple. This show really lives or dies on the appeal of the flippers. You have a different couple every week and you either like them or you don't (or just don't care). That's really a problem because some weeks I find myself shutting off the show halfway thru.

The husband had quite the schnozz, but I have no objection. He looked a lot better without the beard, though. It really aged him, especially with the grey running through it. The baby had a shock of black hair that was really funny.

I personally think making Heather a regular fixture of this show is a mistake because every time I see her I'm gobsmacked by how much she looks like Christina. Same blonde, carefully curled extensions, same big fake eyelashes, same big, white teeth. It just makes Tarek look like he went out and found a mirror image replacement for her.

Also, what on earth is with her outfits? In one scene she is wearing what I can only describe as mini skorts, with high heeled boots. And then in another scene she is wearing the exact same thing . . . only in a different color! How many mini skorts does she have? Skorts and boots, is that her jam?

[StatisticalOutlier]

I don't usually watch this show but I saw in the description that there was going to be a 652-square-foot two-bedroom house and I wanted to see how that could be, and if they were going to have to add on to make it livable.  They didn't add on (although I don't know if the unpermitted bathroom was included in the 652 square feet), and I could definitely live in it.  But not for $888,888!

They said it was in Highland Park, and I didn't realize I'd been there until I looked it up and the Galco soda pop store is in Highland Park, and I was there a few years ago (you can make mix your own bottle of soda pop with flavors you want, and use a device to put a cap on it--pretty fun).  I remember thinking the area seemed rough.  But it supports almost $900,000 for a 652-square-foot flip.  Heavens.

After their brief discussion about staging, I looked at the finished product with a more discerning eye, and realized how important it can be.  The bedrooms were small (of course--it's 652 square feet!), and I didn't notice a dresser in either one.  I can see a person going in and not noticing that because they're distracted by other things, but if they went into an empty room they'd be saying the bed would go here, and a nightstand here, but where would we put the dresser?  We can't even fit a dresser in here.  Let's go.

I also have to hand it to the contractor for letting Tarek look at his bid.  I would have been scared to do that if I were him.  But maybe they all have more business than they can handle so it doesn't matter.

[MsTree]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

every time I see her I'm gobsmacked by how much she looks like Christina. Same blonde, carefully curled extensions, same big fake eyelashes, same big, white teeth. It just makes Tarek look like he went out and found a mirror image replacement for her.

Nothing wrong with having a "type". And since they're both in the same industry, I'm sure he didn't have to look far.

[sempervivum]

20 hours ago, greeneyedscorpio said:

So strange that two people who have made millions in real estate didn't stake out the house/neighborhood during different times of the day/week to see traffic patterns.  Every realtor I've ever had has advised this. 

Uh, yeah, that's part of the 'location location' mantra, wouldn't you think? I just wonder why they're bothering with these (imo) unnecessary renovations if the market was strong enough to support an almost $2M profit- $3.8M paid by T & H, projected resale of $5.5M-? Regardless of whether they actually were OK with the traffic, etc., that would seem like a pretty big gain to ignore.

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Also, what on earth is with her outfits?

Since she's in the million dollar real estate biz in S.California, I'm going to guess that's expected. However, leather hot pants and suede over-the-knee pirate boots, all in pale, easily-soiled colors, seem extreme. She looked fabulous, though, and I actually think she's prettier/more striking even than Christina.

[iMonrey]

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They said it was in Highland Park, and I didn't realize I'd been there until I looked it up and the Galco soda pop store is in Highland Park

I was just thinking how helpful it would be if they showed the area in a map view so we could have a sense of where exactly it is. 

Quote

Nothing wrong with having a "type".

A "type," sure, but a clone? Eek. I wonder what the kids think. "Hey, she looks just like mommy!" Moreover, I wonder what she thinks. I guess she doesn't care. But if I met my boyfriend's ex and realized she looked exactly like me, that would give me pause.

[MsTree]

15 hours ago, iMonrey said:

A "type," sure, but a clone?

Not a clone at all! Maybe similarly built or color of hair...but I can easily tell them apart. So IMO not a clone, which means identical. Besides, once Heather speaks, you can tell it's not Christina's sarcastic, eye-rolling attitude & voice.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's new horror show is "High Desert to High Risk"  a house in Pomona.  The two friends are flippers who have been working flipping houses in the high desert, and this is their first flip in L.A. county.   Their names are Jonathan and Josh (Josh said he won't listen to Tarek if he doesn't agree with him).   

1535 sq. ft, with only 3 bedrooms, bought for $413k.   House was a 4 bedroom, and one was repurposed.   Both flippers do the design work.   They want to do green kitchen cabinets, and no engineer or other professional to help them decide what needs support to keep the house from caving in.    They want to bring their handyman who works on their flips in the desert into work in L.A.   They don't use a general contractor in their previous flips, and see no need for one in L.A.  

Josh demands to spend money to extend the main bedroom closet.   The pool guy the men use from their desert flips bids $11k for a pool and backyard job Tarek thinks will take $17k to $18k.    Pool looked terrible after. 

During demo, the men have the kitchen walls taken down, but leave the support posts all over the place.   It looks terrible, and Tarek is upset.     They used the desert flip handyman, and not a contractor.       The flippers refuse to use a contractor for the beams, and are sticking with their handyman instead, and will have the obvious beams hanging down from the ceiling, and the posts everywhere.  The handyman claims the roof trusses won't hold the weight of the beams, the flippers are so foolish.     

 I like the green they picked for the kitchen cabinets, and the herringbone look floor.   However, they wanted to use slippery floor tiles in the bathroom, but at least they listened to Tarek this time.  To save money, they're getting prefab granite countertops, instead of slabs.  Picking kitchen countertops is becoming a major ordeal. 

The tile job on the pool rim (the top of the pool, but not on the pool deck) is lovely, but the tiling installation is horrible.   Now we know why the pool contractor was so cheap.   The finished kitchen cabinets look a lot darker green than the one everyone picked.  However, the posts in the kitchen are awful.   The upper cabinets are way too high.  Tarek said (yes, I watched the rerun on the marathon on HGTV today) that in a higher price point market that they should have spent the money to fix the upper cabinet height, but in Pomona (it was Pomona I hope), the buyers don't want to spend the extra money on a house purchase.   So, leaving the cabinets and the other screw ups was profitable, and wouldn't effect the sale price, or multiple listing situation.   I guess it's logical, but it was still shoddy work. 

The flippers still aren't listening to Tarek.    The comps aren't supporting the price the flippers want to sell for.   So they're hoping for a multiple offer situation, where the buyer will waive the appraisal contengency, and maybe pay all cash.  The too high upper cabinets in the kitchen should have been fixed.   

On the open house, the prospective buyers notice the too high kitchen cabinets, and strange things in the back yard.  The main bath tub looks kind of short, because it's original.   The main bath wall paper doesn't coordinate with the colors in the bath, and I hate bathroom wall paper anyway.   It's too many types of patterns in that bathroom. 

They had an offer for $650k, and closed at $632k, (the house didn't appraise for $650k) profit $109k.   The only reason the incompetent flippers like this duo make money is because the house prices are so high, and multiple offers so common, that people will buy anything.    In this case, the workmanship looked terrible.     I don't think the two flippers listened to anything Tarek told them, and I bet they'll manage to lose money on their next house.   

Edited October 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kenzie]

5 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

 The upper cabinets are way too high.  

It bothered me that they not only wouldn't admit their error on the height of the cabinets but vowed to do the same thing on the next flip.

I'm 5'-4" tall. Many people my height might be able to just reach that microwave but what about the high programing buttons or my problem - trying to lift a heavy casserole dish in or out of such a high spot? 

[GeorgiaRai]

All flippers want to make money, but some also appear to want to end up with a decent, functional home to sell.  I saw none of that in these guys; only dollar signs.

So many awful choices - reglazing the old tub, using wallpaper leftover from their own homes, refusing to fix the sky-high cabinets & microwave.  I'm sure they feel justified since their cheapness paid off, but in a less crazy seller's market, I can't see houses done this badly being profitable.  (Though, admittedly, I know nothing.)

[CrazyInAlabama]

10 hours ago, GeorgiaRai said:

All flippers want to make money, but some also appear to want to end up with a decent, functional home to sell.  I saw none of that in these guys; only dollar signs.

So many awful choices - reglazing the old tub, using wallpaper leftover from their own homes, refusing to fix the sky-high cabinets & microwave.  I'm sure they feel justified since their cheapness paid off, but in a less crazy seller's market, I can't see houses done this badly being profitable.  (Though, admittedly, I know nothing.)

I absolutely agree.   Don't forget the pool tile on the edge that was uneven, and awful.   That reglazed tub was very low, and the color choices clashed with each other.    If the flippers had listened to Tarek, I bet they would have made even more profit.     I wonder what their previous high desert flips looked like?    I bet they never hire a general contractor, and keep making bad choices in finishes, construction and design.    I really couldn't believe the dark green color on the cabinets, that wasn't close to the color everyone agreed on.  

I bet the low appraisal was because of the bad workmanship, and horrible choices the flippers made.  I wonder how much they had to credit the buyers for because of bad workmanship?

Edited October 23, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

This is a highly depressing programme from what I read on here. You can do shoddy work and still make over $100k profit? What's the point of bothering to do good work then? (Not that I think most of what Tarek does is "good work"). There are no consequences anymore.

[MartyQui]

Those high cabinets were a big fail, but the post in the middle of the room?  There mustn’t be *any* inventory in Pomona.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I found these 2 guys weird and just plain dislikable. Was their bad decision-making encouraged by the director?

They sounded so pretentious trying to throw around "design" words, like they heard a few key phrases on TV and decided they were designers now.

I agree it's depressing they can do such shoddy work and still walk away with a 100K profit. It's depressing to think houses are that expensive and it's depressing they were basically rewarded for doing the project on the cheap. They apparently wouldn't have made any more money if they had lost the beams and fixed the cabinet since it wouldn't have changed the appraisal.

Quote

Tarek and the fiance:  Although Tarek actually seems like a nice guy, I sure hope they're showing his children that there's more to life than yachts, $3M+ houses, narcissistic photo shoots, expensive clothes & cars, etc.  Because, God only knows what life lessons they're learning from their mother. 

Ugh, the more I see of Heather the more I dislike her. She seems so superficial, high maintenance and materialistic. God knows how much the "proposal" photos cost and on top of that she wanted to shell out even more for "engagement" photos. I shudder to think what the total bill on this wedding extravaganza is going to end up being.

This isn't Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I don't know what the show thinks it gains by showing off Tarek and Heather's extravagant lifestyle. It just makes them seem much less relatable.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tarek and Heather are now married.   Congratulations!  

I just read that the wedding special will be on Dis. +, not the regular channel. 

Edited October 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama