Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[CruiseDiva]

2 hours ago, Ninamags said:

PS. Tarek will get his own HGTV show next year. He helps out people who want to start a flipping business. That will be interesting. More so than someones "lifestyle". 🙄

That sounds a lot like Egypt Sherrod's show Flipping Virgins. I hope Tarek's show doesn't replace hers. Egypt is interesting and fun. Tarek strikes me as sort of grim.

[alexa]

On the new episode, I have to say it is refreshing how much more interesting they are on a show than Christina’s very boring show with Ant.  Just the part with the kids in the beginning seemed halfway real and less staged.  

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, alexa said:

On the new episode, I have to say it is refreshing how much more interesting they are on a show than Christina’s very boring show with Ant.  Just the part with the kids in the beginning seemed halfway real and less staged.  

The pool is sooooooo close to the house. There’s no yard. Pass!

[Ohmo]

Normally, I don't mind cement tile, but I think this time cement tile threw up all over the house!  I was fine with the backsplash tile, but I would have NOT put it on the fireplace, and I thought the bathroom had way too much of its tile.  I might have liked it in a smaller amount.

They both seem much calmer with each other now.  It's interesting that they're publicly commenting that the market is shifting and cooling.  The kids are both in private school, and for those who haven't watched Christina on the Coast, she's spending money like it's going out of style.  They're going to have to branch out into different areas of CA.

[alexa]

7 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Normally, I don't mind cement tile, but I think this time cement tile threw up all over the house!  I was fine with the backsplash tile, but I would have NOT put it on the fireplace, and I thought the bathroom had way too much of its tile.  I might have liked it in a smaller amount.

They both seem much calmer with each other now.  It's interesting that they're publicly commenting that the market is shifting and cooling.  The kids are both in private school, and for those who haven't watched Christina on the Coast, she's spending money like it's going out of style.  They're going to have to branch out into different areas of CA.

Yes, that is the big thing about her show--it just shows she is all about showing off the money she spends.  She isn't that special.  Goodness.  And honestly where she lives, she is just another drop in the bucket--noone there is impressed.

[Angeltoes]

I love blue but hated that tile.

I don't think these two would still be doing a show together if they didn't need the money.  They seem like they'd otherwise be happy to just see each other at kid trade-offs, birthday parties and school events.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Angeltoes

[ByaNose]

Way too much of the same tile. It's either the backsplash or the fireplace. Not both.

[TwirlyGirly]

9 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Normally, I don't mind cement tile, but I think this time cement tile threw up all over the house!  I was fine with the backsplash tile, but I would have NOT put it on the fireplace, and I thought the bathroom had way too much of its tile.  I might have liked it in a smaller amount.

Agreed!

If I bought a house like that, I'd have to replace my (upholstered) living room furniture and all my bathroom stuff, because none of it would coordinate with the tile.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'd have to replace all my small kitchen appliances that reside on my counters, too.

I wouldn't want to do that, so that house would be a pass for me.

It's one thing for a homeowner to renovate and include patterned tiles with colors/patterns that coordinate with furniture/appliances they already have (or plan to buy). But if you're renovating to sell it makes more sense to stick with neutral colors and simple patterns to increase the pool of prospective buyers. 

[Ninamags]

Well, compared to what they (she) usually choose  for tile and flooring and the like, I have to say this is a marked improvement!!!

No more grey and black and white!!!! That's a win in my book.  She's finally venturing out into color territory. 

All the patterned tile was beautiful but it should have been used in smaller doses. 

That pool was a hazard. 

I'm glad they continue to work well together once they decide on a plan of action. 

[iMonrey]

Even with all its faults this show is so much better than Christina on the Coast. I don't know if it's the format or Tarek or just what.

Am I crazy or do their kids seem way happier when they're with Tarek? They were practically bounding off the walls at his house.

Hideous tiles in both the bathroom and kitchen. Imagine having to face either one of them with a hangover.

Think of how desperate the buyer of that house must have been, with the entire backyard filled with pool just a foot away from the house, and up against that busy street behind it. California real estate is insane. 

[Ohmo]

22 hours ago, Ninamags said:

No more grey and black and white!!!! That's a win in my book.  She's finally venturing out into color territory. 

But, for what she's doing, which is flipping, color is a a risky choice.  Not everyone is going to like the same color, so I can see why flippers don't do it in something that can't be easily changed (like on backsplashes and fireplaces.)  The blue tile was fine for me,  either on the backsplash or on the fireplace.  If I were looking for a house, I could have lived with either, but not both.  Add the other tile that exploded all over the bathroom, and that would have been more than enough for me to walk away.  When people walk away, their money goes with them.

The house was not in an ideal location, and it already had a grandfathered-in pool.  Using the tile in the colors and amounts that it was used was adding a strike to the house by choice when they already had two strikes that were much more difficult to deal with.  Not making wiser decisions with the tile choice and amount likely cost them money.

Edited August 3, 2019 by Ohmo

[iMonrey]

Yeah they only made like 20K in profit or something close to that, which is where they were when they first started flipping houses. Also, I strongly suspect their reported profits are inflated for TV, and it's just as likely they broke even or lost money. HGTV has a strong motive to present flipping and remodeling as profitable. Look who their main advertisers are.

[Saylii]

12 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah they only made like 20K in profit or something close to that, which is where they were when they first started flipping houses. Also, I strongly suspect their reported profits are inflated for TV, and it's just as likely they broke even or lost money. HGTV has a strong motive to present flipping and remodeling as profitable. Look who their main advertisers are.

When they did that Flip or Flop Where Are They Now? show it was shown that most of the reported profits were eaten up by holding costs.  But they also don’t talk about the quick flips that the T&C company does and whatever real estate stuff comes out of the firm (since at one point I know they employed regular agents, but not sure where they are at since the divorce).

[Gregg247]

I was surprised they didn't simply get rid of the fireplace (they both said it was a little crooked to begin with).  That would have meant no more chimney outside, so there would have been at least 3 feet of sidewalk alongside the pool.  Sure, the pool was too big for the yard, but at least you wouldn't be pressed up against the chimney every time you wanted to walk to the deep end.

[Ohmo]

I thought it was fine to keep the cabinets, but I was glad they changed the hardware,  Also loved the backsplash and the blue tile on the fireplace.

Have never been a fan of mulch, though.  It may be cheap, but it's ugly.

[iMonrey]

I did not like the shiny tile they picked for the fireplace. I honestly don't know what Christina's problem was with those white cabinets. That's pretty much what she puts into every house she does. Maybe they just needed something to argue about.

I'll never cease to be amused by Christina's ever-changing hair length. It's shoulder length, it's waist length, it's shoulder length, it's waist length. Who else is old enough to remember those giant Barbie heads you could pull the hair out of the back to make it "grow?" That's what Christina reminds me of.

[mojito]

West Covina flip

Pickins must be awfully slim in southern California. Tarek and Christina are paying so much for homes and driving so far to get to them. I guestimated that West Covina was around 25 miles from their starting point of Buena Park. If it takes an hour and a half to get there, that's a driving distance of under 17 mph! 

The mulch, for me, would be fine if they had put (and filled with soil) a bunch of raised garden beds. But even at that, far too much space was devoted to  mulch. That small patch of grass looked silly.

They made a nice profit on this home.  I wonder when or if they'll reach the point in the market where flipping just isn't profitable anymore in southern CA?

[suebee12]

41 minutes ago, mojito said:

They made a nice profit on this home.

How much did they make? My recording cut off early...will have to adjust next week.

[iMonrey]

I think they made around 80K.

Quote

 I wonder when or if they'll reach the point in the market where flipping just isn't profitable anymore in southern CA?

It looks like it's getting there now.

Quote

I guestimated that West Covina was around 25 miles from their starting point of Buena Park. If it takes an hour and a half to get there, that's a driving distance of under 17 mph!

Traffic in SoCal is murder.

[Ohmo]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

t looks like it's getting there now.

Along with the fact that $80K is now $40K for each of them before taxes, which is not a lot given that they're still in business together, but now have separate homes.  They've raised that point a couple of times this season, which may mean that they're beginning to feel a pinch.

Christina might not have paid attention to the pinch, but that doesn't mean one isn't there that she's choosing to ignore.

[topanga]

17 hours ago, suebee12 said:

How much did they make? My recording cut off early...will have to adjust next week.

Almost $83K. They ended up getting 2 offers above their asking price. 

On 8/8/2019 at 9:53 PM, Ohmo said:

I thought it was fine to keep the cabinets, but I was glad they changed the hardware,  Also loved the backsplash and the blue tile on the fireplace.

Have never been a fan of mulch, though.  It may be cheap, but it's ugly.

The tile was pretty, but having that huge fireplace in the middle of the room seemed dated. They made it work. 

I do wonder where owners would put a TV. There are a lot of windows in that room and not much wall space. And I wouldn’t want to break that tile with a TV mount.

In the guest bathroom, I saw floor-to-ceiling tile but didn’t see their usual ‘soap tray.’ Did I miss that? 

[Ohmo]

Loved the backsplash tile and that cool black tile that they used in the shower.  Also liked the flooring that was used throughout the house.

What I didn't like was that they seemed to be "at" each other again, like with the exchange about Brayden and Christina on her phone.  If HGTV is trying to get them to do that, just stop.  Everyone knows they're divorced, and the snippy behavior makes them both look like children.

[iMonrey]

Actually I thought they were being much more playful with each other, like Christina laughing at Tarek being a wizard. That moment felt genuine. Or her making fun of his hot yoga appointment. It feels like the tension from the last couple of seasons is gone. I do still sense a bit of performance here and there but that's always been the case.

They did a nice job on this house, but I've noticed a trend that the carpet they put in the bedrooms is a hideous shade of dark brown and looks really cheap. Maybe that's the "in" thing now because it hides the dirt or something but yuk, is it ugly.

[topanga]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Actually I thought they were being much more playful with each other, like Christina laughing at Tarek being a wizard. That moment felt genuine. Or her making fun of his hot yoga appointment. It feels like the tension from the last couple of seasons is gone. I do still sense a bit of performance here and there but that's always been the case.

They did a nice job on this house, but I've noticed a trend that the carpet they put in the bedrooms is a hideous shade of dark brown and looks really cheap. Maybe that's the "in" thing now because it hides the dirt or something but yuk, is it ugly.

Yes, their teasing seems more light-hearted to me than it did last season. I always think Christina is being a little fake, but a few of her fits of laughter seemed genuine. I especially loved both of their reactions when they walked into the cat house. But surely that wasn't the first time they'd seen that house???

And I'm assuming the tools and materials really were stolen, but they recreated the scene for the show. If so, the contractor (Jeff?) is a bad actor. "My.Tools.Are.Gone. Oh, look. A. Broken. Padlock." LOL I like Jeff, but where's Izzy?

I liked the flip overall, but I agree with Christina that their tiny vanities and airplane sinks were fugly. I preferred the small rectangular sinks in the other house they visited. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

I don't think Christina would be amused at my cable guide.   They still list both exes as "El Moussa" not her new name.   

Jeff and some of the others, work for T & C construction & Design, Izzy is a contractor that is part of his family's construction business.   To make it even more confusing, Izzy and his brothers do their own flips and up scale remodels also.    If you get rich enough, and live around L.A., you can hire Izzy (We all have dreams, and that's mine). 

[sue450]

2 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I don't think Christina would be amused at my cable guide.   They still list both exes as "El Moussa" not her new name.   

Jeff and some of the others, work for T & C construction & Design, Izzy is a contractor that is part of his family's construction business.   To make it even more confusing, Izzy and his brothers do their own flips and up scale remodels also.    If you get rich enough, and live around L.A., you can hire Izzy (We all have dreams, and that's mine). 

so  they are back to flipping the nastiest houses they can find. There was a blind gossip that said they were spending moneny like crazy and  they make more on the flips that are on the tv so they were going to do EVERYTHING to keep the show going

[topanga]

27 minutes ago, sue450 said:

so  they are back to flipping the nastiest houses they can find. There was a blind gossip that said they were spending moneny like crazy and  they make more on the flips that are on the tv so they were going to do EVERYTHING to keep the show going

Divorce is expensive. I can’t why they’d be so frivolous after being almost homeless early in their married lives. 

[Ohmo]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:48 PM, sue450 said:

There was a blind gossip that said they were spending moneny like crazy 

One episode of Christina on the Coast will confirm this as far as she's concerned.  Tarek's remodel also looks expensive, and we know the kids are in private school because they mentioned it on the show.  Private school in Orange County can't be cheap.

ETA:

Quote

Divorce is expensive. I can’t why they’d be so frivolous after being almost homeless early in their married lives. 

I think some of that is human nature.  They went from close to broke to having gobs of money in one of the most expensive parts of the country.  Now that they "have," it's probably more difficult for them to wrap their minds around having to go back to a time when they had to be careful with money.  Sorta like the stories that you often hear about big lottery winners being flat broke after 5-10 years.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Ohmo

[Ohmo]

Yes to the kitchen (and mid-century modern is not normally my jam.)  I really liked it.  Thought the slide was fun, too.  Also loved the color of the front door and the garage doors.

Absolutely NOT on the vampire facial.  No way, no how.

[iMonrey]

I liked what they did with the kitchen on this one. For once they weren't able to just take down a wall and make it all one big room. And it was fine! But that canopy over the back patio looked really stupid. So did that fire feature in the back yard IMO.

OMG what in the love of all things holy is this vampire facial thing??!! Only in Hollywood. I wonder if they had to shut down production until his face healed. He came out of there looking like he had the worst sunburn in the world and in the next scene he looked perfectly normal. (And didn't look a day younger, either, if you ask me). 

I don't believe he did it on some sort of dare. It was so weirdly out of place. I have to think he got HGTV to pay for it by using it on the show, or got it for free by promising the clinic free publicity or something. 

[lynxfx]

On 8/23/2019 at 9:56 AM, iMonrey said:

He came out of there looking like he had the worst sunburn in the world and in the next scene he looked perfectly normal.

He did say it was five days ago when they showed him looking better. I agree though, what a horrid procedure that didn't look like it did anything.

Each flip also takes 2-4 months so doubt any production shut down. They just schedule a few days here and there to do specific scenes. First look, a demo day coupled with a problem they always find, design choice day, usually one day mid installing finishes, an outdoor day (probably shot the same time as one of the interior days) then some b-roll of stagers followed by the open house. They might keep a skeleton crew available for those unique issues or drama that might pop up but we rarely see any work being done anymore so they probably don't even do that. Each flip is so formulaic now.

[topanga]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:56 PM, iMonrey said:

I liked what they did with the kitchen on this one. For once they weren't able to just take down a wall and make it all one big room. And it was fine! But that canopy over the back patio looked really stupid. So did that fire feature in the back yard IMO.

I loved everything except the fireplace. The black and white marble slab seems dated. Reminded me of the 1980’s.

Oh, and the barn door on the master bathroom. Can this trend just die already?

[Lovecat]

You can tell Californians aren't used to rain...that canopy wasn't taut and/or pitched enough for rain to roll off of it; one short downpour (which I believe does happen on occasion?) and the water's going to weigh the canopy down and collect in the middle.  The homeowners will have to lift the middle up from underneath with a broom or something, and the water will go spllllllashing all over the place.  Good times.

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, Lovecat said:

You can tell Californians aren't used to rain...that canopy wasn't taut and/or pitched enough for rain to roll off of it; one short downpour (which I believe does happen on occasion?) and the water's going to weigh the canopy down and collect in the middle.  The homeowners will have to lift the middle up from underneath with a broom or something, and the water will go spllllllashing all over the place.  Good times.

I've seen those "sailcloth" patio covers done well. If installed properly one corner should dip down enough so that rain will run off.

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, CruiseDiva said:

I've seen those "sailcloth" patio covers done well. If installed properly one corner should dip down enough so that rain will run off.

Ah, so maybe it was just a T&C half-assing it thing, because that canopy was flappin' in the breeze!

[suomi]

In one of the new episodes I watched today, she complimented him about the jacket he was wearing, snarked that she has one like it and asked if he got it from her closet. He said "No, I'm not allowed at your house." Ouch. 

[Brit]

This show is just so awkward.  It was always awkward when they were married and is even more now that their divorced.  I feel like it is even more fake now. Smh

On 8/25/2019 at 6:11 PM, topanga said:

I loved everything except the fireplace. The black and white marble slab seems dated. Reminded me of the 1980’s.

Oh, and the barn door on the master bathroom. Can this trend just die already?

Haha, yes, I am so over the modern farmhouse design.  

[iMonrey]

Again with the ugly, cheap-looking brown carpeting in the bedrooms. I don't get it. Who the hell wants brown shag carpet in their bedroom?

I'm surprised they "let" Tarek win the basketball challenge. And glad, too. I much preferred his kitchen design to Christine's. I'm so over her obsession with that Moroccan style decorative tile. 

I also thought the front door looked better white than painted gray.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The ugly brown carpet is the same builder grade that the new build homes have too.    At least they don't use the almost white carpet the builders used to, and it looked terrible very quickly.   When I look at houses, I can tell you when they were built from the carpet.   The 70's to 80's builder carpet was that beige and medium brown swirl, and then they went to the off white sort of wormy looking stuff, and now that brown stuff.    

I am totally sick of the high maintenance cement tiles.   

The new house last night was OK, but I doubt that they made that much profit on it.    And the one from last week with the pool was OK, but that pool slide should have been removed.    

I didn't like the stacked blue tile in the shower last week, and thought the kitchen back splash in the same color was too dark.    Lighter blue would have worked better.     I didn't like the boring gray door, it was boring after, would have looked better repainted white. . 

Edited August 30, 2019 by CrazyInAlabama

[Kenzie]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I also thought the front door looked better white than painted gray.

I had to laugh when Christina said the door was boring and needed a "pop of color" and then painted it ... gray.

[Ohmo]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I much preferred his kitchen design to Christine's.

His backsplash looked very 3-D to me....like it was coming up and off of the wall.  Not a fan of that, but the rest of the kitchen was fine.

[ByaNose]

5 hours ago, Ohmo said:

His backsplash looked very 3-D to me....like it was coming up and off of the wall.  Not a fan of that, but the rest of the kitchen was fine.

I didn’t care for the backsplash either. It looked it was stacked on each other and not flat. It was too trendy and kind of ugly. Also, the kitchen/dinning table was literally an inch from the couch. You would barely be able to pull your chair out. It was too small of a house for that price. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I had to laugh when Christina said the door was boring and needed a "pop of color" and then painted it ... gray.

To be fair she said "A pop of something" but . . . yeah, gray. It "popped" more when it was white and didn't blend in with the rest of the house. 

Quote

His backsplash looked very 3-D to me....like it was coming up and off of the wall.  Not a fan of that, but the rest of the kitchen was fine.

I didn't notice much about the backsplash but the alternative would have been Christine using those god-awful Moroccan-style tiles all over the floor. What is up with that? Are they really that popular, or does she just have a surplus of them in the Flip or Flop warehouse?

[chessiegal]

My step-daughter added a bathroom to their house She used Moroccan black and white tiles for the bathroom floor. They look great. She doesn't have cable tv nor watch HGTV. I'm guessing she found it on Pinterest.

[iMonrey]

I don't know how anyone can afford to live in SoCal when little cracker-box houses in terrible shape go for over half a million dollars. And three-quarters of a million after they're fixed up. Sheesh.

[topanga]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't know how anyone can afford to live in SoCal when little cracker-box houses in terrible shape go for over half a million dollars. And three-quarters of a million after they're fixed up. Sheesh.

Agreed.

I like the flip overall—removing the fireplace and gutting the kitchen made the area more spacious and light. 

But I did not like the white 3 D tiles they used in the kitchen and bathroom. 

And did Tarek mention why they had to keep cement in the backyard? Is the drought still in effect? Otherwise, why wouldn’t they put grass back there? And I’m sorry, but those garden boxes were fugly. But I get it would’ve been too expensive to remove them. 

[Ohmo]

9 minutes ago, topanga said:

And did Tarek mention why they had to keep cement in the backyard? Is the drought still in effect? Otherwise, why wouldn’t they put grass back there?

I don't think he was ever thinking about grass period, whether the existing concrete was fixed or whether new concrete was poured.  Perhaps they were thinking concrete for a patio?

I liked the wood floor that they chose.  I also like Jeff well enough, but there hasn't been nearly enough Izzy in this season.

[ByaNose]

The while modern backsplash was the only miss for me. I wasn’t crazy about the floor color but it wasn’t horrible. The backyard was okay but could have used a little grass. I even liked the orange door. At first, I was like no way until I saw the finished product. Pretty neat looking. I don’t think I could do it but I liked it. 

[suebee12]

For the most part, I am enjoying this season which surprises me! I really liked the first house that Tarek did all those years ago...cute little house. I liked most of the flip on the new house with the exception of the floor...it was too light for me, I would have chosen a little darker color.

The one thing that "bugs" me is that they are still trying to make us believe that Tarek is doing the work himself..I imagine when they first started flipping much of the work was done by them because they needed to save money anywhere they could....now I can believe(well, sorta' believe)they pick out the colors and flooring, counters and backsplash but doing the work themselves...no way. At least Christina tells him no, she didn't want to help.

I also like Jeff...he gets some good zingers in if you listen closely enough....still miss Izzy though!

[CruiseDiva]

9 hours ago, topanga said:

But I did not like the white 3 D tiles they used in the kitchen and bathroom. 

With grease and dust in the kitchen those 3-D tiles will be a bitch to keep clean.