Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[LizDC]

Last night's house in Cypress with the dinosaur pool has a pending sale.

http://www.century21.com/property/4572-rainier-dr-cypress-ca-90630-C2139499450

[Vinyasa]

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Last night's house in Cypress with the dinosaur pool has a pending sale.

http://www.century21.com/property/4572-rainier-dr-cypress-ca-90630-C2139499450

Interesting! Wasn't the listing price first $949,000 or something like that?

What was the total they spent? $680,000 for the house and another $200,000 for reno? and now it is listed for $889,000??

The back yard is so small and no view. That type of backyard they created needs a big yard with a great view.

Is the dinosaur pool a flop?

Edited September 16, 2016 by Vinyasa

[MrPissyPuppy]

They cut down the privacy screen trees in the backyard at the Cypress house!  Why?!   They could have still put in the pool without removing them - it didn't look like they were diseased.    And why didn't they paint/clean up the steps at the outside entrance?  You can see the chipping/discoloration at LizDC's link.   

[LizDC]

2 hours ago, Vinyasa said:

Interesting! Wasn't the listing price first $949,000 or something like that?

What was the total they spent? $680,000 for the house and another $200,000 for reno? and now it is listed for $889,000??

According to Zillow it started at $949,000 and was reduced three times.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4572-Rainier-Dr-Cypress-CA-90630/25329628_zpid/?fromHomePage=true

[Vinyasa]

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They cut down the privacy screen trees in the backyard at the Cypress house!  Why?!  

Who knows? The trees were the best part of the backyard. They somewhat blocked the giant wall and house directly behind it!

Will be interesting to see what it finally sells for. Tarek always cracks me up when he gives the  "closing costs" for any property. Seems like no matter what the sales price is the "closing costs" he gives are so low.  I'm not sure what the realtor % is in CA, but if it is 3% that he has to pay to the buyers agent that is 27,000 alone.

He bought is 1 year ago in Sept 2015 so he had paid insurance and tax all this time. That has to add up.

Clearly, this backyard "over improved" this house. HGTV must have paid him a ton for this episode.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Vinyasa

[Vinyasa]

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What was the total they spent? $680,000 for the house and another $200,000 for reno? and now it is listed for $889,000??

I was wrong. They paid $590,000 and trying to remember the reno $$$.

[mojito]

Backyard: gaudy and too busy/cramped.

[iMonrey]

Christina could have killed Tarek pushing him into that tiny pool. And I was horrified they cut down those beautiful trees, eliminating the privacy they provided. Way too much going on in that back yard, they're going over the top with these outdoor designs just to provide HGTV with their special "selling summer" gimmick episodes. It also sounds like they're taking a real financial hit on these properties so I wonder how much HGTV pays them to do them.

[Vinyasa]

I read they get paid $10,000 per episode but no idea if that is true. Wonder if they are getting paid more these backyard episodes?

This house did not have the backyard for all that stuff cramped in there. The only thing nice about the yard were the trees they cut down.

Also I thought water was an issues in Southern Cal and people weren't to be filling pools and watering lawns.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Vinyasa

[ByaNose]

Way too much concrete in that backyard for me. They had so much crammed into that tiny lot. I guess the pool & firepit were a cool aspect but not something I would be into. I guess some young couple with lots of money would like it but they took the whole yard away. I'm looking forward to them getting back to their normal shows. Summer is over and now they can concentrate on the house itself. Also, what is with that out of order continuity with Tarek's hair? Did he cut it short before, during or after for the fun of it or was he sick again? One minute it's dark and long and another the sides are shaved and it looks light. The continuity editors must scream when they see the footage afterwards. 

[doodlebug]

On September 17, 2016 at 7:38 PM, Vinyasa said:

I read they get paid $10,000 per episode but no idea if that is true. Wonder if they are getting paid more these backyard episodes?

There's got to be something going on; maybe HGTV is paying for the house and not T&C. Or HGTV is guaranteeing a certain profit on them and making up the difference. Considering the hefty profits they seem to make on their flips; some sort of compensation is being made for T&C to over improve these properties to the point where they can't make their usual profit.

Edited September 19, 2016 by doodlebug

[Vinyasa]

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There's got to be something going on; maybe TLC is paying for the house and not T&C. Or TLC is guaranteeing a certain profit on them and making up the difference.

This show is on HGTV not TLC but the network doesn't buy the houses. The property records show Tarek does buy them.

HGTV could be paying him more for these backyard shows.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Vinyasa

[iMonrey]

I watched this one a second time and I don't get how that whole fire pit/waterfall thing works. It looked like the water just pooled into the fire pit, meaning anyone sitting there would be soaking their feet in water. 

It's interesting that we're seeing Izzy on a regular basis with these special back yard episodes when he's been absent for the last couple seasons. I speculated awhile back that maybe he decided the show was bad for his business image, since it always depicts him missing crucial problems with the house during the initial inspection which any decent contractor should be able to spot. Now that they're so focused on these back yards, they're not doing the usual "Oh no! We need new plumbing/electric/roof" type of thing they normally do so maybe Izzy is more willing to be involved. I'll be interested to see if he's still around when the show resumes their normal format.

[Lovecat]

On September 12, 2016 at 9:19 AM, Jeeves said:

I think the mods told us to bring over here, the discussion of whether Christina does or doesn't have "vocal fry."

I don't have any particular opinion about that, but I did notice on a couple of episodes, I think not long before Brayden was born, she really overused "obsess and/or obsessed." I think it's some kind of trend right now, maybe California-based.

She was talking to Tarek about a completed renovation, I think it was a really old house where she had to bow out and he did it without her. She said things like, "That backsplash looks great. I know buyers are just going to obsess over it." Same kind of comment for something else. And in another episode she said something like she "was obsessed over" something - maybe a neighborhood or home feature.

I didn't keep a list, but I noticed her using "obsess" and "obsessed" that way a few times. I hope she's now gotten over using that turn of phrase. I find it strange and kind of annoying.

I've noticed that, too. Every time she says it, I mumble to myself, "I do not think that means...what you think it means."

[Portia]

I hear young adults and teens use "obsessed" that way all the  time.

[Minivanessa]

10 hours ago, Portia said:

I hear young adults and teens use "obsessed" that way all the  time.

Good to know. I wondered if it was a thing now. 

[buttercupia]

I didn't understand why with all the improvements they made to that house, why didn't they replace that ugly assed garage door.  

[Mu Shu]

On August 31, 2016 at 7:34 PM, Peanutbuttercup said:

My new neighbors have an outdoor stereo system and use it to play Nickelback and other horrific "music." Probably a factor in why I had such a violent reaction to the outdoor tv in this episode.

Oh god .  Nickelcrap?  You poor, poor thing.

But how do the stereo and tvs survive the elements?  I've seen indoor/outdoor bars have them in Florida, but they shutter the Windows after closing.   I would think salt water does a number on them fast. 

[Mu Shu]

Obsessed is a thing with the young'uns.

cant someone do a flipping trailers show?  I have always been fascinated with trailers, and used to daydream while visiting trailer dwelling relatives how to remodel and make their trailers less shitty and more awesome.   Some of the older ones are really cool. 

[topanga]

11 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

Obsessed is a thing with the young'uns.

cant someone do a flipping trailers show?  I have always been fascinated with trailers, and used to daydream while visiting trailer dwelling relatives how to remodel and make their trailers less shitty and more awesome.   Some of the older ones are really cool. 

I agree. Trailers don't have to be dirty and falling apart. 

Is there a show about RVs? I love RVs--much more than tiny houses, but I watch tiny house shows like crazy. 

[chessiegal]

Outdoor tvs and stereos are constructed to survive outside. I was watching an episode of "Ask This Old House" and they turned a water hose on one, and it kept on working.

[Frost]

I hate the artifice of these shows!  When Tarek and Christina were looking at the backyard drawing for the 'first time' the pergola was clearly shown.  So the sudden 'surprise' $30,000 to add the pergola to the plan was transparently false.  I don't get why this kind of stuff is needed.  To me, it adds absolutely nothing to the show.  I like the design portion and seeing the final product.  I'm sure enough real drama occurs with these renovations! 

Even after they were done, that house still looked bizarre.  What was with the weird triangular thing on the front of the house?  And the gingerbread trim didn't go with the house style at all.  I thought olive was an odd color choice as well.

[KAOS Agent]

I had to laugh when Christina walked into a house and commented with disgust that it was so very beige. I guess it's fine to make everything grey, but using a color outside of the grey palette is a no go.

[iMonrey]

This was the strangest house I ever saw. I agree the exterior color did not improve its curb appeal with all the weird roof lines and angles. The problem with these backyard specials is they sort of skip over a lot of the interior remodeling and I wanted to know how they resolved that weird access to the back portion of the house with the second fireplace. Did they eliminate the bedroom and just turn that into a big hallway? It was so strange.

What's with all the fire pits? I don't get it. They seem like really impractical extravagances. How much use are you going to get out of a fire pit in southern California? It seems like a status thing because it looks cool but really, if you've got a pool, a hot tub and a BBQ area, what the hell do you need a fire pit for? And while those metal columns with the gas jets looked really neat, it seemed like they'd be dangerous. Wouldn't the metal heat up with that fire shooting through them? You could burn the hell out of yourself if you brushed up against them.

[topanga]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

This was the strangest house I ever saw. I agree the exterior color did not improve its curb appeal with all the weird roof lines and angles. The problem with these backyard specials is they sort of skip over a lot of the interior remodeling and I wanted to know how they resolved that weird access to the back portion of the house with the second fireplace. Did they eliminate the bedroom and just turn that into a big hallway? It was so strange.

What's with all the fire pits? I don't get it. They seem like really impractical extravagances. How much use are you going to get out of a fire pit in southern California? It seems like a status thing because it looks cool but really, if you've got a pool, a hot tub and a BBQ area, what the hell do you need a fire pit for? And while those metal columns with the gas jets looked really neat, it seemed like they'd be dangerous. Wouldn't the metal heat up with that fire shooting through them? You could burn the hell out of yourself if you brushed up against them.

And didn't they say at the beginning that they would be marketing this house to families with children? Which also made the fire pit and the fire columns weird and dangerous choices. They could've added a water slide or put a diving board back onto the pool. But maybe those were too "common" for the hipster landscape designer. 

Where did those stairs lead to in the family room? I don't remember ever seeing what was upstairs. 

ETA: I did like the restaurant scene with Taylor. "Looking at a house. That's boring!" But I think her parents have started putting her in theater classes. Her surprised reaction when seeing the backyard was terribly overacted. 

Edited September 23, 2016 by topanga

[dleighg]

On 9/19/2016 at 2:18 PM, iMonrey said:

since it always depicts him missing crucial problems with the house during the initial inspection which any decent contractor should be able to spot.

And in the latest episode it happened again, with the "surprise" that the electrical is not grounded. Isn't that kind of obvious (unless all the outlets had a third prong going nowhere). But I would imagine any decent contractor has some tool that they can stick in an outlet and check.

[iMonrey]

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Where did those stairs lead to in the family room? I don't remember ever seeing what was upstairs.

It led to a loft. They never showed what they did with it. But the weird entry into that addition - a door on the other side of a small bedroom as the only access point - just weird, weird, weird. I really wanted to know if they were going to fix that somehow and the only way I could think of was maybe just ripping out the doorway wall on either side and turning that bedroom into a wide hallway. I don't even know if that would work.

I wish they'd saved this house for one of their regular episodes because that was one strange house. The shape of the lot was crazy too. They're picking these houses specifically for backyard spaces.

I'm not crazy about the Joss & Stone plugging either. They're only staging the house, they're not furnishing it. It all goes after the Open House. And why the hell would you put wicker chairs next to a fire pit??

Edited September 23, 2016 by iMonrey

[dleighg]

I wonder if they are real wicker, or sort of plastic. I have some that look just like that (not from J&M though). And those "fire tubes" were weird. Cool, but I think after one week, you'd just think they were weird.

[Broderbits]

The seating is undoubtedly resin all-weather wicker.

I'm sick of HGTV's outdoor space/"how much can we cram into one yard" obsession now. It's clear T&C were put up to this by the network; summer's over, let's go back to the relatively normal house flipping.

[Eeksquire]

All of these outdoor shows (not just these "Selling Summer" monstrosities, but also Yard Crashers, etc.) seem to me to be WAY over-improving the backyards of relatively normal, small houses.  I'm not much of a pool person (unless it's someone else's!) but all of this stuff seems to me to require so much maintenance to keep it looking nice that I wouldn't want the house, no matter what it looked like inside.

[netlyon2]

It's not specifically about RVs or trailers, but "Texas Flip and Move" has a variety of home types (including trailers, containers, rail cars, and small conventional houses).  No McMansions, though, since the houses have to be small enough to move.  There are also four different teams of flippers, so it takes longer to get stale, I think.

[dleighg]

And by totally filling the yard with concrete, they completely shut out any buyer who might want a small vegetable garden or a swing set for goodness sake. 

[pythonite]

I agree all that hardscaping was too much. The dinosaur pool was inelegant, cluttered and silly. None of that stuff ages well. In the other overdone backyard with tiny strips of grass between large pavers,  I just kept thinking, what if you have a dog? Where can they do their business, or run around?

[ginger90]

Every single episode, it's a cash offer and he says so, every time. I'msickofit !!!

[Mu Shu]

The roofline of that house was weird, and all hobbity at one point.  Also, if you're putting carpet in the bedrooms, Berber looks much higher end IMO than that shitty pile they used.   I am a bit fatigued with all the gray everything lately.    

[iMonrey]

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Every single episode, it's a cash offer and he says so, every time. I'msickofit !!!

I take it to mean a cash offer is more attractive to a seller than an offer contingent on a bank loan, although I'm not sure why. The seller gets their money either way. I'm guessing (?) with a cash offer the seller gets their money a lot quicker because they don't have to go through a 30 or 60-day closing process.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I take it to mean a cash offer is more attractive to a seller

No mortgage means no bank appraisal which can get in the way (if the bank doesn't agree the property is worth the purchase price, they would not get their money back in foreclosure). And yes, it can happen essentially immediately. On Million Dollar Listing it seems like that's pretty much the only way those high-end deals work.

[ginger90]

How much of an expert can he be? He closes on a house and then finds out outside renovations need approval? His contractor didn't know that either?

[Broderbits]

30 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

How much of an expert can he be? He closes on a house and then finds out outside renovations need approval? His contractor didn't know that either?

That's a standard plot point for HGTV shows so I don't take it seriously.

[iMonrey]

And you'd think they'd get it that we've figured that out by now and knock it off. I kind of liked their new contractor though.

[Rabbittron]

What I   love is that they are liars. They put the for sale sign up with their names on the sign but the truth is that the real sign is Century 21 Masters with his name on it and we never see that sign.

[iMonrey]

No new episode last week, I guess we're done with the special backyard transformations. Kind of pointless doing those if you ask me; it's not what they really do and they just tending to install the same gimmicks in all four yards. Spa! Fire pit! BBQ area! Outdoor TV!

[Broderbits]

On October 4, 2016 at 2:11 PM, Rabbittron said:

What I   love is that they are liars. They put the for sale sign up with their names on the sign but the truth is that the real sign is Century 21 Masters with his name on it and we never see that sign.

Once again, I have to say this kind of stuff is par for the course on HGTV. We have shows featuring designers who don't actually design anything (Love It or List It), so-called real estate agents who aren't actually writing contracts (Property Bros), and House Hunters who have already purchased a home. It's not educational tv, it's entertainment.

[Zoe]

On 10/4/2016 at 1:11 PM, Rabbittron said:

What I   love is that they are liars. They put the for sale sign up with their names on the sign but the truth is that the real sign is Century 21 Masters with his name on it and we never see that sign.

I'm sure there are legal reasons for that.

[iMonrey]

I'd be interested to know what the story is though. I'm assuming that T&C have allowed their real estate licenses to lapse? Maybe it's just easier to allow another realtor to list their properties since all their time is taken up with the production of this show and the flipping and designing business they've got going. What's their incentive to keep their licenses active just so they can list the property under their own names?

For what it's worth, Flip or Flop is actually one of the most realistic shows on HGTV, as I've pointed out numerous times. While I do not for a minute imagine T&C are really ripping out cabinets and installing tile walls themselves, they do in fact buy, rehab and flip homes. At least they're not like the Property Brothers who are not doing anything whatsoever. 

Edited October 6, 2016 by iMonrey

[Zoe]

You can still find him on the website along with his license number.

http://www.century21masters.com/Roster/33525/Tarek-El-Moussa.aspx

When I say they probably don't put real signs (for any of these shows) on camera for legal reasons, that's because they would have to get the consent of every company and listing agent that appears on the signs.  And even if they were to get the consent one time, what happens when a rerun is airing 5 years later and that person has exited the industry and it's someone else at the other end of that (most likely personal) phone line?

Edit: And that house linked further up on the page does explicitly list Tarek as the selling agent:

https://www.redfin.com/CA/Cypress/4572-Rainier-Dr-90630/home/3988484

Edited October 6, 2016 by Zoe

[doodlebug]

It could also be that HGTV/the producers aren't willing to give Century 21 free advertising on the show and Century 21 doesn't want to pay for the product placement.

[dleighg]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

 

It could also be that HGTV/the producers aren't willing to give Century 21 free advertising on the show and Century 21 doesn't want to pay for the product placement.

 

I notice on some reality shows that brands *sometimes* get blurred out. I figure that's exactly the reason.

[Eeksquire]

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It could also be that HGTV/the producers aren't willing to give Century 21 free advertising on the show and Century 21 doesn't want to pay for the product placement

Or vice versa - it could be that Century 21 demanded a license fee to show their trademark on the show and HGTV refused.

Anything involving trademarks on television is potentially a big mess.

[selhars]

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 I'm assuming that T&C have allowed their real estate licenses to lapse?

I'd assume just the opposite. That they'd keep their licenses and start their own brokerage. That's what I saw when I saw the signs with their name on it. So they wouldn't need  Cent 21 or anyone else.

Edited October 9, 2016 by selhars