Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa - General Discussion

[MsTree]

On 10/22/2021 at 6:43 AM, Pegasaurus said:

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.  

I wouldn't worry too much about Taylor or Brayden, especially Taylor. They've both been on camera since they were babies, and I'm pretty sure (by now) they both realize that all the superficial stuff is just for TV camera.

[Hpmec]

On 10/22/2021 at 5:28 PM, iMonrey said:

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.

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.

They were married at the Rosewood Miramar Resort in Montecito. The rooms there start at 2K a night. My husband was appalled when I told him breakfast isn't included and we both had a good eyeroll when I read a room description that touted that sheets are included on the bed. Apparently, you get so little for your 2K that sheets on the bed are listed as an amenity. But, I digress. The couple cut a deal with Discovery + to create a tv special about the wedding to air in December. So, I would bet big that they did not have to pick up the considerable tab which, no doubt, ran well into the six figures. Tarek is nothing if not a guy out to make a buck. Profit off a wedding? Where do I sign up? Those two deserve each other. Will be curious to see how long it lasts. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Hpmec

[Grrarrggh]

21 hours ago, MsTree said:

I wouldn't worry too much about Taylor or Brayden, especially Taylor. They've both been on camera since they were babies, and I'm pretty sure (by now) they both realize that all the superficial stuff is just for TV camera.

Or they're like the parents and can no longer tell the difference. 

[MsTree]

4 hours ago, Hpmec said:

Tarek is nothing if not a guy out to make a buck. Profit off a wedding? Where do I sign up? Those two deserve each other. Will be curious to see how long it lasts. 

It's not just Tarek...they (Hollywood) ALL do it! Don't you know that money continues to grow more money? (i.e. goodie bags).

Tarek & Heather's relationships has lasted longer than any relationship Christina has had, including marriage #2 and potential marriage #3.

[Hpmec]

2 minutes ago, MsTree said:

It's not just Tarek...they (Hollywood) ALL do it! Don't you know that money continues to grow more money? (i.e. goodie bags).

Tarek & Heather's relationships has lasted longer than any relationship Christina has had, including marriage #2 and potential marriage #3.

Well, it's lasted just over two years which I guess is a lot by Hollywood standards. But then, how many of these marriages survive in the long run? Tarek and Christina built a successful career together but it wasn't enough to keep them together even as their fortune rose. She rebounded with Ant, and that certainly bombed out quickly. Now she's engaged to a guy who is also recently divorced. She seems to be on a marriage go round. Not saying Tarek and Heather won't make it work, but given the nature of their celebrity and love of the spotlight, who knows what will happen as they age and the shows are cancelled. Will be interesting to revisit them 10 years down the road. 

[MsTree]

9 minutes ago, Hpmec said:

Well, it's lasted just over two years which I guess is a lot by Hollywood standards. But then, how many of these marriages survive in the long run? Tarek and Christina built a successful career together but it wasn't enough to keep them together even as their fortune rose. She rebounded with Ant, and that certainly bombed out quickly. Now she's engaged to a guy who is also recently divorced. She seems to be on a marriage go round. Not saying Tarek and Heather won't make it work, but given the nature of their celebrity and love of the spotlight, who knows what will happen as they age and the shows are cancelled. Will be interesting to revisit them 10 years down the road. 

Agree that Christina is on a marriage-go-round. How ironic since she is the one who wanted the divorce from Tarek (and Ant, if rumors are correct).

I just have a feeling that Tarek wants to be married and enjoy family life; whereas Christina...not so much. Not that there's anything wrong with that 😉

Edited October 25, 2021 by MsTree
spelling helps

[deirdra]

I'm waiting for one of the kids to mistake one of the bleached-blonde/fake tan women for the other. Though Christina seems to prefer skinny jeans compared to Hot Pants Heather. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by deirdra

[Chris Knight]

I like Tarek for the most part except when he wears his hipster getup, or whatever that look is, with the big hat and chains. I think he's pretty smart and has good experience that I like hearing about. 

His sister's boyfriend, Appraiser Brandon, was super cute. They should make him a recurring character. 

I like Christina but I think she has major insecurity issues, hence her sarcasm and eye-rolling. I couldn't believe she threw away Ant, another cute and seemingly decent guy, so soon after shedding Tarek. I know nothing about her new dude.

Not sure about Heather yet. 

I really like Flipping 101. I would never attempt a flip and like learning about this business. 

[deirdra]

I suspect that most people watch flipping shows to avoid buying a bad flip by knowing what to look for.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I watch for the ridiculous moves by the flippers.   Tonight, Hope the Buyers Have a Dog, is the new episode.   Two women using family money to flip a million dollar property.  There is a big family room, it's an addition and they didn't even check for permits, and actually think they can keep it if it wasn't permitted, or built to code.   Tarek says six months, but the flippers claim they can do it in four months.  Break even $1.287 million, or $1.387 with the six month time span, and that's without extra issues coming up.    I wonder if the flippers even had a termite, or building inspection?   

Then, the flippers decide to use two contractors.   First contractor said $220k for the rehab, and the second one is cheaper, but they're still working on the house.   I hate their kitchen plan.  The former kitchen was strange, but the new design is just a wide galley kitchen.   The kitchen design doesn't say million dollar house to me.    They're using laminate, but I wouldn't consider that fancy enough for the price point.   They're picking tile for four bathrooms, but they're picking what they would like in their own houses, not what they should pick to appeal to the widest buying pool. 

They keep making mistakes.   Then one flipper doesn't like the shower tile, and wants to rip it out and redo it.    They also want to do a dog bath, but it's too small for a lot of dogs, and what if the buyer doesn't have a dog?    Then the primary bathroom has a small tub, and the shower is small too, for the price point.  

The flippers 4 months time line, and Tarek's 6 month time line, has gone over 6 months, and it's still not finished.  The two flippers aren't communicating at all.    Then, one flipper changed the back yard landscaping, and spent more money for what I think are unneeded expenditures. 

I hate that the two flippers will probably get a hefty profit because of the market conditions in LA, even when they went $50,000 over their rehat budget.   Their break even is $1.352 million, and they're listing for $1,750 million with a huge profit to split.     On open house day, they didn't even get the lawn mowed.  The after on the kitchen is no improvement, and actually looks smaller than the original kitchen.   As I guessed, the dog wash is too small for a lot of the house shopper's dogs.  I see no point in putting a putting green on a big portion of the small backyard.    The main bathroom tub is small.   The front stairs are ugly, and buyers noticed the stairs are narrow, and look old fashioned.    

They get a first offer $1.8 million, but it fell through.    They got a second offer $1.725 mil.  with a $300k profit to split. 

I didn't like much of the house, and what they did.   The lack of communication between the flippers showed.  

[Dehumidifier]

14 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I didn't like much of the house, and what they did.   The lack of communication between the flippers showed.  

I can't recall -- have any of these flippers actually hired an architect or have they all just gotten a contractor to execute whatever unwise idea they've come up with?

[CrazyInAlabama]

The flippers have only hired an architect either after they screw up, and the city/county requires it, or after Tarek tells them that an architect is necessary for the design to get approved.     I knew because of the market that the two flippers from last night would make a bundle, but I didn't like much of what they did.    

[MakingBacon]

I grew up near View Park  and was excited it would be on the show. This was a major disappointment. It’s an upper middle class area and turnover is not high. It’s a family neighborhood. People live in those homes for 50 years. View Park is a hidden gem of very nice homes. They are more classic than modern, which may be why I was not a fan of the remodeling job. The kitchen was small. I don’t know why they put down fake grass in the back. It doesn’t make sense to do so when you build a doggie bath. If you think your buyer may have dogs and kids, real grass makes more sense.(I will not go into my hatred of fake grass.) I was surprised they didn’t put fake grass in the front but they seemed to forget it was there since they didn’t bother to cut the grass. The golf area was just stupid and I hated the fireplaces. 
 

These two should not flip anymore houses, either together or alone. They started out by saying they did their research and took classes but none of that is reflected in house. There was no theme to their decorating. I don’t think I liked anything about the house but, due to the area and the market, they were guaranteed to make a big profit. 

[MartyQui]

44 minutes ago, MakingBacon said:

There was no theme to their decorating. I don’t think I liked anything about the house but, due to the area and the market, they were guaranteed to make a big profit. 

How much do you want to bet that the buyer ripped out that primary bathroom and redid it?

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess has always been that the closing and other costs are minimized on this show, So I'm betting that the profits aren't as high as advertised.  

[HotHW]

On 10/25/2021 at 5:08 PM, deirdra said:

I'm waiting for one of the kids to mistake one of the bleached-blonde/fake tan women for the other. Though Christina seems to prefer skinny jeans compared to Hot Pants Heather. 

They're very interchangeable. I noticed a few episodes ago that Heather wears the same (or very similar) right hand diamond ring as Christina. Wonder if Tarek bought them both? Seems like he has a type and Heather is trying hard to stay firmly implanted into the Christina mold. 

I think these 2 will last because they both just want cameras following them around, regardless of who they're following first. Christina wants the cameras but she also doesn't like sharing screentime. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's new episode "Up Against a Brick Wall" Married couple Jessica, and  Jun, they paid $510k for a house, he's a realtor, she's a designer, and husband is blaming the wife for the narrow profit margins on their previous flip. The flip house is a three bed/1 bath 1500 sq. ft.  The latest comp. that was 1200 sq.ft. sold for $575k.  They want to spend $40k on the rehab, want to sell for $650k.  Husband is going to be contractor too.     They want to do a ton of work for a $40k budget.   Floor plan is strange.   SInce there are wall heaters, do they have central air?    

Tarek says break even of $585k, the highest comp is $575k. The roofer did a horrible patch job, and husband made a horrible mistake hiring that company.  Tarek told the couple that finding more deals is the key to successful flipping businesses.   The flippers lose a ton of time changing the kitchen design, and not ordering cabinets.   The flippers take way too much time changing their minds, and over-designing.   Tarek tells the flipper to make the funky room into a 4th bedroom.  They want to flip fast, but the wife is over-designing, and taking way too much time. 

 The couple keep arguing about design, and everything else.   The wife is worrying about something being outdated in five years.   House is finished, but a lot of things aren't done correctly.  Still no grass in most of the back yard, no closet door knobs. Tarek notices a lot of screw ups.  Why did they do a pot filler in a lower cost house?  They spent money on a pot filler, but no dishwasher?  And the back yard looks ragged, and has a lot of weeds, and the buyers notice the funky looking roof patch job, and the fourth bedroom is awful, and tiny.  They never put the closet door knobs on. 

I hate that the flippers did such a bad job, did some very bad work, and still made money.   

   They projected $40k rehab, but it was $65k.  Break even is $610k, listed for $675k with one bathroom, house sells for $680 k.  $70,000 profit.  My opinion is that only the wild, over-priced L.A. market made this flip a success.   

Edited November 5, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

Once again goes to prove that if you have enough money to start with, no matter how stupid or unscrupulous you are you'll still end up with more money. Sigh.

[MartyQui]

How could they ask $675K for a house without a dishwasher???

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 11/5/2021 at 7:13 PM, MartyQui said:

How could they ask $675K for a house without a dishwasher???

But they put that pot filler in., and I bet with installation, and buying the fixture, it's probably more than putting the dishwasher in.     Plus, the back mulch has tall weeds growing through it, they could have used some ground cover that's no maintenance, instead of that faded out mulch/   The closet door doesn't have a handle, and so many other screw ups that I can imagine a handyman (or handy person) could spend a year fixing things up.     Calling that 4th bedroom anything but a small walk-in closet was ridiculous.   

The only bathroom was hideous, no counter space at all.   The fact that a flipper can screw everything up, take a lot longer to finish the flip, go way over budget on carrying costs/interest, and the remodel, and make a profit is mind-boggling to me.   

I bet when the market turns, that some of the flippers will crash and burn, and I'll be laughing. 

 

Tonight's new one "Posts, Beams and Bold Designs"James and Elise, they did four flips and never made a profit.  Current train wreck is in Orange, CA.   Just from the camera shot that the first floor living room has three separate cracks, and looks like a failed foundation to me.   $42,000 is the only foundation estimate, and I don't think it will do it.    

They've been financing the flips with James' father's money, and they want to pay him back with non-existent profits.  4 bedroom, 2 bath, (I think it's a 4/2, hope there's a first floor half bath too),   2600 sq ft, with a 9,000 + sq. ft. lot.  It's a two story.

Backyard is big, but the huge pool needs replastering, tile, and who knows what other work.   They bought the house in mid-work from another flipper.  $650k purchase, rehab $165k with the foundation work, $5,000 a month hard money loan.   They think house will take 4 months, but Tarek says at least 5 months.  Break even is $910k.  Possible profit is $40k.   I'm guessing that rehab will cost way more than $165k, and unless the market rescues them, the $40k profit won't happen.  It's not a good thing to do four flips, and not make a penny on any of them.  

The plumbing looks like galvanized to me, I bet the house will need a repipe, and all new electric.  Unfortunately, the pipes do turn out to be galvanized.    The foundation issues are from broken sewer lines under the slab.  The house only has a first floor foundation around the edges of the rooms.   Rehab budget is going up to at least $180k.   

Elise wants to do a different, unique kitchen, not the one everyone does (big mistake, as we all know, you try to appeal to the biggest buyer pool).  She's ignoring every rule of flipping successfully.    I hate their idea of moving the laundry, and making it a stackable.   Tarek tells them to hire an architect, because they haven't planned properly, but they're refusing to hire an architect.   

To remove the post on the kitchen corner will cost $10k, so they're not moving it, and they never requested the permits for the post, and some other things, and that will delay progress even more.     It's week 13 before they pour the foundation concrete, and now they're doing the rewire.   

 They're now at the 4 month mark.   Even I know they should have picked tile, flooring, cabinets, and everything else by now.  I hate the plaid look bathroom tile, but it's not available anyway. so Elise wants to do three colors to make the same look.   I can't remember the last time I hated anything as much as the 2" x 2" mosaic of the three tile colors, and it would be super expensive to install.   

Now the garage slab needs to be ripped out, and redone.  Another missed opportunity, to do all of the foundation and concrete work at once.  

The flippers are giving incompetence a bad name. I really can't stand the bad decisions the flippers are making, and if they lose money, I won't be surprised.   Actually, if they make a profit I will be upset.   They were supposed to finish in four months, but they're over six months now, at $5,000 interest on the loan a month.    Tarek points out that he's done houses in Orange, finished and sold them, in the time the flippers have been wasting time on their house.   

Again the flippers goofed on the spacing between the toilet sewer hole and the distanct to the vanity.     I hate both showers they showed.  The en suite tile mixture is horrible.     I don't like the stove alcove, I think keeping the alcove tile clean will be a constant issue.    Kitchen and family room still look small, but dining looks OK. 

Buyer is right the pool tile mixture looks odd.  Buyers remark how small the stove alcove makes the kitchen look.  Primary/main bedroom looks great, I dislike the bamboo look tile in the shower in the en suite, it would look better with coordinating colors of tile.   I don't like the floor tile in the guest bath.    

Paid $650k, $220 rehab, $40k (8 months) carrying costs, break even $980k, list $1.150 million.    They'll make $170 k profit.

They get multiple offers.  House sells for $1.234 million $255,000 profit, at $85k over asking. 

The first downturn in the market, which can happen even in L.A., and these flippers will lose again. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[sempervivum]

On 11/5/2021 at 7:13 PM, MartyQui said:

How could they ask $675K for a house without a dishwasher???

It was supposed to have one, but Jessica (the 'designer' wife) said they couldn't make the dishwasher work because the space was too narrow and the cupboard doors conflicted with the dishwasher door. Of course that was her faul,t since it was her 'design'. I didn't like her, can you tell?

At least the husband was willing to learn from the experts; he just needs to ignore his wife more.

[MartyQui]

 I liked the couple on last night's episode...they went way over budget, but at least it looked like they did everything Tarek said, and that woodgrain tile in the primary bath was really nice.  The post in the kitchen wasn't great, but they did a decent job of working around it.  And am I weird, because I kind of like the stove in a little niche, it seems like it would help contain aerosolized grease?

[Kenzie]

On 11/5/2021 at 7:43 PM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 I don't like the stove alcove. 

Buyer is right the pool tile mixture looks odd. 

The alcove was a big mistake. Not only did it leave only 12" of counter on each side of the stove but it turned the counter space to the left and right of the alcove into dead space for cooking use.

A backyard filled with plain white concrete and no landscape immediately around the pool deck to brighten it up, a pool with white plaster creating pale blue water and then she chose white pool tile. So bland.

[CattyK]

On 11/12/2021 at 4:05 PM, MartyQui said:

 I liked the couple on last night's episode...they went way over budget, but at least it looked like they did everything Tarek said, and that woodgrain tile in the primary bath was really nice.  The post in the kitchen wasn't great, but they did a decent job of working around it.  And am I weird, because I kind of like the stove in a little niche, it seems like it would help contain aerosolized grease?

I don’t think you’re weird.  I kinda liked the niche too, and had the same thought about grease or other splatters.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tonight's "Ups and Downs in the Hills" the flippers don't know anything about flipping, or their numbers.  They don't even know how much they're paying for their mortgage (which is an 8.25% loan from one of the women's father's company).   Then the flippers find out that their mortgage with interest isn't $4,000 a month, but $6,000 a month.   I find it hard to believe that the contractor who appeared on TV is really who they're working with.     I absolutely can't understand why the flippers bought this house.    Unfortunately, with the huge dropoffs from house to ground level, I think their buying pool is made up of mountain goats. 

As usual, the crazy L.A. market prices will save the flippers.    The kitchen is glass front upper cabinets, and a bunch of open shelves.  Driveway is steep.   There under structure of the driveway, and steps looks scary.   Kitchen is small, living room looks small too, living room is small too.   Garage is above the office, and you can see the ugly wall under the driveway.   The Juliet balcony on the secondary bedroom looks awful, and Tarek says that the inspectors might not allow it.  .    One buyer says that the house is secluded, but neighboring houses are very close.   This is not the nicer area of that unincorporated area either.   Trabuco Canyon, or something like that, has some lovely lots, with flat areas around the house, not like this house location. 

The flippers might make up to $204,000 if it sells.   Is this the only one this season that didn't sell?    From what the flippers and Tarek discuss at the end, they haven't had the final inspections yet, so the house might not pass.     Or they'll need big modifications, further reducing their sale profits, and add more mortgage costs.  The living areas were too small.    

 

This episode is rerunning today, with the marathon of Flipping 101 shows. 

Edited November 21, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kenzie]

I think Tarek can't emphasize enough that this year-long train wreck of a flip skirted total financial disaster only because the market was hot and inventory was low.

I assume it will find a buyer but for me the bedroom whose only view was the dark underside of the suspended driveway, and the lack of space for a kitchen or dining room table would be a deal-killer for me. I don't like gloomy, viewless rooms and I don't want to eat every meal off a bar stool.

 

[MartyQui]

I didn’t understand why they didn’t at least mask that ugly plywood view under the driveway with some fake greenery (those lattice things that you can buy).

And agree about the lack of a dining room, what were they thinking?  Clearly, they weren’t.  They seemed really clueless about a lot of the process.

[greeneyedscorpio]

This was by far the most aggravating episode for me this season.  The absolute cluelessness of the flippers was frustrating.  They thought carrying costs were half of what they really were!  The house was a convoluted mess and all the spaces were small.  It didn't appear to be in a great neighborhood either, with most of the houses in view looking like they all needed overhauls too.  

I wonder what's going to happen to this show when the market cools and these idiot flippers (not all-some have been better than others) aren't making a ton of money despite huge mistakes and delays due to their own incompetence.  Not to mention shoddy work on some of them.  If the flippers aren't making money, will the show continue?  If so, it won't make Tarek look very good and it's all about image for him these days.  

Also, what is the point of taking a golf cart to the beach?  I don't live near a beach, so I don't get why they don't just drive.  And what a shock that Heather never gets in the water.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 11/19/2021 at 7:14 AM, MartyQui said:

I didn’t understand why they didn’t at least mask that ugly plywood view under the driveway with some fake greenery (those lattice things that you can buy).

My question is that even though the plywood is under the driveway, unless it's protected somehow, it will still deteriorate.     I didn't like the house at all.   I think the ending without the final inspection being done, and passed, and still not sold, is a really bad sign. 

If I was a house hunter, then I wouldn't even think about buying that house.    I hated that the rooms were small, there was no dining room, and it simply wasn't a nice floor plan.   I wonder about water run off around that property, since it looks like the house was built where water will come pouring around the foundation.   I'm wondering if the property will appraise for what they had it listed for too?    

When it reruns today, I'll try to get the location, and see if it's on the market.   

Update: It's in Trabuco Canyon, CA, and I didn't see it on the MLS, so either it sold, or it's not on the market.  

I don't think they is a mistake the two flippers didn't make on this house.    I'm wondering if it's on septic, because of the pods that were in front of the house, where the driveway and entry stairs were built?  That looked like septic access to me.   

The reason so many where Tarek lives use the street legal (that's the type with seatbelts, headlights, etc.) golf carts, is there is very little beach parking.   The people who are parking near Heather & Tarek's house, are either some from the neighborhood, or beach goers.   So from Tarek's house you either use the golf cart to take the people and their stuff to the beach, or you walk.     Parking is a big issue when you live a block from the beach, even though it looks like a very long block to the beach.  

Edited November 21, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

5 hours ago, greeneyedscorpio said:

  I wonder what's going to happen to this show when the market cools and these idiot flippers (not all-some have been better than others) aren't making a ton of money despite huge mistakes and delays due to their own incompetence.  Not to mention shoddy work on some of them.  If the flippers aren't making money, will the show continue?  If so, it won't make Tarek look very good and it's all about image for him these days.  

The question is WILL the market ever cool or is this how it's going to be for at least the next decade? So long as Tarek himself is making money I doubt he cares how he comes off, and with the magic of editing and straight out classic HGTV lying viewers could be told he's helping. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

My guess is if people start losing money on flips, it will be Tarek explaining why they lost money, how they should have listened to him, and how they bought the wrong property.   

This episode was bizarre.  I agree with others who think we weren't being told the entire story, and there was a lot going on behind the scenes.    I absolutely hated the house.    The rooms were small in the living area, no dining room, the office under the driveway was bizarre, and I really wonder if they ever finished the flip?     

I wonder if the house has a septic tank?  The hatches in front of the house looked like the top access to a septic tank.  

That contractor couldn't be legit, he didn't have a clue about anything, but neither did the flippers.    No cohesive design in any part of the house.      I really wonder if the house ever passed the final inspections, and was ever on the market?    I would love to see what the house location looks when rain is pouring down, because it looked like the house would be surrounded by water.    I would worry about erosion too.   

Edited November 20, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[MakingBacon]

Am I the only one who thought the long-time realtor was the girlfriend of the other’s dad and that’s why he gave them the loan? I just did not see these two as friends in any way and didn’t feel like even liked or respected each other.
 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the house has never actually gone on the market because it could not pass a city inspection. I don’t know why if they weren’t going to put a deck off the bedroom that they just didn’t close up the door and make a big window. I would have turned the room under the garage into a media room or something where you wouldn’t want a lot of light coming in. The design of the bathrooms was just awful. Too many things going on at once. 

[CattyK]

1 hour ago, MakingBacon said:

Am I the only one who thought the long-time realtor was the girlfriend of the other’s dad and that’s why he gave them the loan? I just did not see these two as friends in any way and didn’t feel like even liked or respected each other.
 

I agree they didn’t seem to have much of a relationship.  Your theory makes sense.  I thought the two realtors and the contractor were just three people who wanted  to be on tv.  They didn’t seem really invested in the project at all.  Contractor looked more like a dancer than a construction person.  

i  thought this house seemed to be in a very awkward place.  I can’t imagine living in a house built on such a slope.  The neighborhood didn’t seem to be great, hard to believe people would pay almost a million for it.  

[MartyQui]

My sister’s house is built on a slope like that, but it’s built so that the house rests on top of the hill, and then there is a deck off of the back, and stairs with multiple decks down to the ground.  It’s nice because it means she has a walkout basement.  However, her driveway is at the bottom, not resting on beams on the top of the hill…that was crazy!  And considering the time that flip took, the idea that they couldn’t fix the design and get re-permitted made no sense.

[Chris Knight]

I wouldn't let a bird land on those decks or the master bedroom Juliet balcony thing. So dangerous, good lord. I dont love tri or quad level houses anyway and this was just weird. Anyone considering buying this mess would need to think long and hard about resale. That house is too "unique " for most buyers.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The flippers might make up to $204,000 if it sells.   Is this the only one this season that didn't sell?

I found that suspicious. I hate how the network seemingly has to spin it to make it sound like it would eventually net a huge profit, when in fact it might actually lose money. HGTV's whole brand rests on making people think they can get rich flipping houses. We never hear about someone losing their shirt in one of these flips and I'm willing to be that happens a lot.

Quote

Contractor looked more like a dancer than a construction person.

He had the weirdest body. His upper arms were huge but his legs were super skinny.

[mojito]

Does anyone else fast-forward through the clips of Tarek's personal life, or am I the only one interested in the real estate aspect of this show?

Geez, you get a show, you play up your celebrity. Or is it the viewers who crave celebrities so badly?

[greeneyedscorpio]

5 hours ago, mojito said:

Does anyone else fast-forward through the clips of Tarek's personal life, or am I the only one interested in the real estate aspect of this show?

Geez, you get a show, you play up your celebrity. Or is it the viewers who crave celebrities so badly?

Agree completely.  I do not care about Tarek's supposed $5mil can barely see the ocean house.  And although she comes across as sweet, Heather just seems so phony to me. 

[MsTree]

Guess I'm the lone party of one who actually enjoys seeing what the "designers" do to their own homes.

I also get the feeling that the 'peek-a-boo' ocean view house in Newport Beach is eventually going to be their own flip, until they can afford a full-on ocean view.

[CrazyInAlabama]

On 12/5/2021 at 1:59 AM, MsTree said:

Guess I'm the lone party of one who actually enjoys seeing what the "designers" do to their own homes.

I also get the feeling that the 'peek-a-boo' ocean view house in Newport Beach is eventually going to be their own flip, until they can afford a full-on ocean view.

I agree.   The Newport house remodel was just to show on TV, and then flip.   What great publicity for resale.         

[CrazyInAlabama]

They're having a marathon of this show, this morning on HGTV.   The two women flipping the house in Trabuco Canyon, and that episode is such a train wreck that I can't stop watching.   The two women can't even pretend to know what they're doing, or act like they have any real relationship.   I think the poster who thinks that the realtor is actually the girlfriend of the blond one's dad was right, or she's being pushed to 'supervise' the daughter's vanity project, was right.     I've looked online, and I've never seen this for sale online, so I'm agreeing that this house never passed final inspections, or they gave up and sold cheap to someone else.    

The fact that they claim they were going to make over $200k profit on a house with that strange office under the driveway, and with small rooms, and nowhere to eat except the kitchen island was ridiculous.    

The two flippers moving from Vegas to L.A. to flip were hysterically inept.   

Also, the people who had flipped repeatedly, and were financed by his father, and lost money every time but the flip on the show.   Their house had a wrecked foundation, they removed the house foundation slab, and redid it, then looked at the garage and had to do it also.    Unfortunately, they made a profit.

Then the couple that over improved/designed the house, and had been flipping for a long time, and barely made a profit on their flips.    They made a good profit on the one with the mother-in-law apartment, but could have made more if they wouldn't have done stupid moves.   

They people who had the attached garage entrance in the laundromat parking lot was strange.    I saw the laundromat, looked at every laundromat in that city on streetview, and I didn't find anything that looked like the laundromat or house.    I think they fudge the town name sometimes, for a higher priced area. just for the show. 

Edited February 10, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[3 is enough]

Watching the marathon.  The couple from Vegas.  What in the world were they thinking?  Why go to California?  The taxes, regulations, more expensive labor?  The Vegas market is hot right now and they could have saved so much money by just staying put.  Plus there is no state income tax on whatever they make.  Insane.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm watching the HGTV morning marathon, and it's just a funny as the first time. 

Legacy and Patricia (?) flipping the second house they've done, for a $2 million house is hysterical.   They don't read the disclosure, they don't look at the plans before submitting to the city, he decides to build a giant front deck, but doesn't check with the city first, and has to rip it out.   Then the worst two choices of all, stacked stone outside, and as the kitchen backsplash is awful.   Then, Patricia gets some 'antique' bathroom floor tile that all of the potential buyers think is original, and ugly, makes me laugh.  (OK, I'm mean).     Then, on a $2 million plus house, they change the laundry room to a laundry closet, bad decision.    If I was in the market for a house in that price range, I would run away from this one.  

Some of the other funny episodes are rerunning today too, the Vegas flipper are on at 3 p.m. Central. 

The highlight of my viewing day is the two flippers who were flipping in the High Desert, and moved to L.A.   "High Desert to High Risk".   They were as bad as the Vegas flippers who used their previous contractor, which was a mistake.    They leave posts between kitchen/dining/living because their contractor says the trusses won't support a beam.   

Then, they put the kitchen upper cabinets so high that I wouldn't be able to put anything in them, and I'm not that short.   The outlets in the kitchen are really high too, so even if the flippers had moved the cabinets to the right height, they would have either covered up the outlets, or had to move them down. 

The other mistake is the pool tile is so horribly done that even I can see how wavy and badly done it is.   The pool plaster was horrible too.  I feel sorry for whoever bought this flip, because I bet there's a lot more that was screwed up on this house than they showed on TV.   I guess I should admit I hate watch this show, and I hate that the market gives the flippers a lot of profit.  

Tarek signed another deal with HGTV, and there will be more episodes of this show, and Christina's Coast show is coming back also.  However, Flip or Flop ends after this season finale.   

https://people.com/home/tarek-el-moussa-christina-haack-announce-end-of-flip-or-flip/

Edited March 10, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[freeser]

20 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Then, they put the kitchen upper cabinets so high that I wouldn't be able to put anything in them, and I'm not that short.    

Because the cabinets were so high - so was the microwave.  I couldn't believe it when I saw that it would take a big stretch to open the microwave much less be able to actually put something in it.  The one guy said even a short person could reach the lowest cabinet handle.  What a stupid thing to say - even if they could reach the handle, there is no way to be able to actually use the cabinet and get things out of it.  Plus that means there are several shelves that are so high they are totally unreachable. 

Unfortunately, they were able to sell it and make a good profit.  That means that they probably feel everything they did was fine as it did sell.  Although they did say the first price offered was too high and the home appraised for less.  They did not seem to appreciate Tarek's advice much.  

[sempervivum]

2 hours ago, freeser said:

They did not seem to appreciate Tarek's advice much.  

The shorter guy seemed very resentful every time Tarek pointed out a problem. Do you want to learn from a successful flipper or don't you?

On another topic, the outfits Heather wears make Christina look like a modest frump. The tan cropped turtleneck sweater with a completely open to the waist back !!!?

[greeneyedscorpio]

On 3/9/2022 at 10:51 AM, CrazyInAlabama said:

 

The highlight of my viewing day is the two flippers who were flipping in the High Desert, and moved to L.A.   "High Desert to High Risk".   They were as bad as the Vegas flippers who used their previous contractor, which was a mistake.    They leave posts between kitchen/dining/living because their contractor says the trusses won't support a beam.   

Then, they put the kitchen upper cabinets so high that I wouldn't be able to put anything in them, and I'm not that short.   The outlets in the kitchen are really high too, so even if the flippers had moved the cabinets to the right height, they would have either covered up the outlets, or had to move them down. 

The other mistake is the pool tile is so horribly done that even I can see how wavy and badly done it is.   The pool plaster was horrible too.  I feel sorry for whoever bought this flip, because I bet there's a lot more that was screwed up on this house than they showed on TV.   I guess I should admit I hate watch this show, and I hate that the market gives the flippers a lot of profit.  

Tarek signed another deal with HGTV, and there will be more episodes of this show, and Flip or Flop, and Christina's Coast show is coming back also.  

Tarek said at the end that it sold, but later the price had to be lowered after inspection and all the shoddy work came to light.  

[CrazyInAlabama]

Tarek and Heather were going to do IVF, but before that happened she's now expecting. 

Congratulations to both of them. 

[Gam2]

I thought that Tarik had to bank his sperm because of his cancer treatment. He and Christina had to do IVF to get Braydon. Am I misremembering?

[CrazyInAlabama]

3 hours ago, Gam2 said:

I thought that Tarik had to bank his sperm because of his cancer treatment. He and Christina had to do IVF to get Braydon. Am I misremembering?

That's accurate, I don't know if he froze the swimmers, or embryos, but it took two years for T & C to get pregnant with Brayden (Braydon?).       I always took the immediate pregnancy with Ant as a big old F.U. to Tarek.     

I know Heather and Tarek said they were not quite ready to do IVF, and then this happened.  

Congratulations to Tarek, and Heather.   

Edited July 15, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Grrarrggh]

Poor kid. Will it get any privacy? Hopefully Heather is only like Christina in looks....