Flip Or Flop - General Discussion

[harrisonjames]

Working remotely from home, I binge watched the most recent season. What I find interesting is the initial layout of the home, and how they end up changing the floor plan. But, have they ever used anything in the kitchen aside from white cabinets? Also, they way it's presented on t.v., Tarek seems to be more on hands, while Christina on the other hand, doesn't appear to do as much. Did she do more in the earlier seasons, or has she always just been around with her white, grey, and blue samples to show off?

[CrazyInAlabama]

In the early seasons the kitchen cabinets were usually dark, and the walls and floors were beige/brown.    Then when everything changed to gray, with a white kitchen, they changed. 

[doodlebug]

4 hours ago, harrisonjames said:

Working remotely from home, I binge watched the most recent season. What I find interesting is the initial layout of the home, and how they end up changing the floor plan. But, have they ever used anything in the kitchen aside from white cabinets? Also, they way it's presented on t.v., Tarek seems to be more on hands, while Christina on the other hand, doesn't appear to do as much. Did she do more in the earlier seasons, or has she always just been around with her white, grey, and blue samples to show off?

No, Christina has never been very 'hands on', even in the early days.  She would go with Tarek to look at houses, usually in ridiculously inappropriate outfits with heels and spend the whole time complaining and shrieking when she saw mouse droppings or a roach.  Tarek seemingly decided on the price and did all the negotiating.  She would pick the same stuff for every house and refer to herself as a designer although she doesn't seem to have any talent or training in that area.  Used to be, it was white subway tiles everywhere.  This most recent season, it is ceramic tiles with a design on them; usually white with gray, black or dark blue designs.  There was a transitional period when she liked Moroccan tiles with an unusual shape and shiny surface. gray or white, sometimes dark blue.  She always favored black and white and now has spread her wings and added some gray and/or navy to her palette.

[ByaNose]

56 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

No, Christina has never been very 'hands on', even in the early days.  She would go with Tarek to look at houses, usually in ridiculously inappropriate outfits with heels and spend the whole time complaining and shrieking when she saw mouse droppings or a roach.  Tarek seemingly decided on the price and did all the negotiating.  She would pick the same stuff for every house and refer to herself as a designer although she doesn't seem to have any talent or training in that area.  Used to be, it was white subway tiles everywhere.  This most recent season, it is ceramic tiles with a design on them; usually white with gray, black or dark blue designs.  There was a transitional period when she liked Moroccan tiles with an unusual shape and shiny surface. gray or white, sometimes dark blue.  She always favored black and white and now has spread her wings and added some gray and/or navy to her palette.

Yeah, Tarek always did the heavy lifting whereas Christina made an appearance.

[harrisonjames]

Thank you everyone for your responses. They were helpful and gave me insight into the show. I started watching season 7 and am on the looking back on previous flips episodes and the styling is different as pointed out, dark cabinets being a significant difference! I was shocked to see it. Even though it was mentioned in the responses that their designs use to be different. After seeing a season of white the color in the kitchen was a surprise.  

The funny thing to me is Christina mentioned in the look back episodes how they were following trends when they first started. But, they still are following trends, and she calls herself a designer with a unique design aesthetic. 

Does anyone know if there is a website dedicated to whether or not their flips panned out or if they sold a house for as much as they claim?

Also, is it commonly known whether or not the house they tour they've already bought like on other flip shows? And, have they ever walked away from buying a house and went with another one? There was a terrible house of mold and asbestos they took on and put a lot of money into that didn't seem worth it. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

There were a few episodes, about what happened with houses after they flipped them.   T & C visited the home owners, and discussed if it was a flip or flop.      The one that was a hoarder house, and had the barn in the back yard, and chickens, turned out to be a flop.    They spent so much on fixing it, and changing it, and it took so long to sell, it was a major flop.    

The very expensive house they did with the huge glass, and iron doors was a big flop too.   They over improved for the neighborhood, and did too many changes that decreased the buying pool, and it was hard money loan, so a flop.  

A bunch of others they discussed didn't make the profit they thought it would either.   I think a lot of sales fell through too.  

Edited April 23, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[topanga]

4 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

There were a few episodes, about what happened with houses after they flipped them.   T & C visited the home owners, and discussed if it was a flip or flop.      The one that was a hoarder house, and had the barn in the back yard, and chickens, turned out to be a flop.    They spent so much on fixing it, and changing it, and it took so long to sell, it was a major flop.    

The very expensive house they did with the huge glass, and iron doors was a big flop too.   They over improved for the neighborhood, and did too many changes that decreased the buying pool, and it was hard money loan, so a flop.  

A bunch of others they discussed didn't make the profit they thought it would either.   I think a lot of sales fell through too.  

And do you remember the summer season when they designed a bunch of elaborate (and IMO, tacky and non-functional) back yards? A lot of those hadn't sold by the time the episodes aired. I wonder if they ever did sell--without a major price drop. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

No, the summer season with the ridiculous back yards, were all losers.    I read that the network wanted that series, and paid a premium price for T & C to do the flips with the back yards.    

There is no way that the over done back yards added to the sale price.   They definitely did way too much to the backyards.  

Edited April 23, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[doodlebug]

20 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

No, the summer season with the ridiculous back yards, were all losers.    I read that the network wanted that series, and paid a premium price for T & C to do the flips with the back yards.    

Yep, the whole season was producer/network driven to give attention to various sponsors who sell outdoor furniture and such.  I believe Home Depot was one.  They pretty much overimproved every backyard to fit a very specific niche and there was no way they were ever going to recoup those costs in a sale.  I remember there was one with a rotating iron cube fire monstrosity that Tarek and his landscaper pal just loved.  It was the sort of thing that would only appeal to a very small number of buyers.  Anyone with kids or pets would have to have been worried about them getting burned, or the thing, which was a cube tilted on its edge, would topple over on them.  It was ugly, IMO.

4 hours ago, harrisonjames said:

. 

Does anyone know if there is a website dedicated to whether or not their flips panned out or if they sold a house for as much as they claim?

I don't know about a website, but a couple of people who used to post here were familiar with California real estate and were usually able to find the houses online, both the real estate listing and details of the sale.  In many, if not most cases, the price given on the show was significantly higher than the price listed on the property transfer.  There were also a significant number of homes which were supposed to have been sold when the show aired that were still listed and were still owned by T&C and there had been no sale since they had purchased it.  Makes it  really difficult to trust the epilogues where they have virtually always sold the house and usually at a big profit.

T&C have already purchased the homes long before filming.  I don't recall them ever looking at a place and not buying, though I guess it might've happened once or twice.  They actually have a large staff of employees who are tasked with finding the homes for them these days and the scenes where we see them looking at the house with or without a contractor and exclaiming about how awful it is and how they will never make a profit are all fictional.  One of their employees has already seen the house and the deal to buy it is done well in advance.

Edited April 23, 2020 by doodlebug

[lynxfx]

You'll notice that they almost always say "If this sale goes through..." during the epilogue. The first offer rarely does as you can review on sites like zillow. The Vegas flipping couple were really bad at giving the impression that a house sold on the show when in reality it was still sitting on the market. They also tended to switch and rent it out instead.

I recently sold a flip in Vegas and I had 3 offers fail in a row. Then a full price cash offer that also changed their mind the day after being accepted. It's rough out there. Eventually got a full list price offer and once closed they put it up as a rental. 

[OnTime]

$900 to paint a kitchen island that has a dishwasher installed in it?  That is not even four full sides to paint!

[iMonrey]

They re-ran the episode with Tarek and Robert, the guy who insisted on installing heated floors in the master bath. Something that struck me as odd - if not downright phony - was that at the beginning when Tarek and Christina are talking to each other in their respective cars, Christina casually informs Tarek she can't go look at the house because she's about to go out of town. WTF? Don't they have children together? Wasn't she going to tell him she was leaving town? Who's watching the kids?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I saw a short interview with Tarek, and he claims that there will be another season of F or F.   

[MsTree]

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Who's watching the kids?

Her husband

[doodlebug]

6 hours ago, MsTree said:

Her husband

Or one of their 3 nannies.

[iMonrey]

Yeah, but I would hope if she's leaving town she bothers to tell her kids' father. This made it look like she wasn't even planning to tell him she was leaving the kids with someone until he called her about a new flip. I guess we know where her priorities are. 

Quote

I saw a short interview with Tarek, and he claims that there will be another season of F or F.   

God knows when though. This virus is killing HGTV's business model. Have you checked out that new show, Design at Your Door? Or whatever it's called . . . should be called Design Over Zoom. They're getting desperate.  

[CruiseDiva]

45 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

God knows when though. This virus is killing HGTV's business model. Have you checked out that new show, Design at Your Door? Or whatever it's called . . . should be called Design Over Zoom. They're getting desperate.  

That's the worst show they've ever come up with. Desperate for certain. Doesn't everyone want boxes of random "decor" pieces from WalMart and furniture that you have to build yourself?

[buttersister]

I caught a few of those Zoom design shows yesterday and yikes! Reminded me at the start of Trading Places, when you find out who your designer is. Somebody was very excited to get the One of a Kind woman. For some reason. There was a polka dot wall kids room that was sorta cute, in a DIY way. But mostly, a Wayfair/Walmart infomercial. Seems like a super-rushed, WTH, brainstorm via Zoom network idea. Next!

Maureen McCormick?? 

Edited June 20, 2020 by buttersister

[CruiseDiva]

15 minutes ago, buttersister said:

I caught a few of those Zoom design shows yesterday and yikes! Reminded me at the start of Trading Places, when you find out who your designer is. Somebody was very excited to get the One of a Kind woman. For some reason. There was a polka dot wall kids room that was sorta cute, in a DIY way. But mostly, a Wayfair/Walmart infomercial. Seems like a super-rushed, WTH, brainstorm via Zoom network idea. Next!

Maureen McCormick?? 

And Eve Plumb? I hated the room with one blue wall, a blue build-it-yourself sofa, and two uncomfortable looking blue side chairs. NONE of the blues even remotely matched or even complemented each other.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I was watching the marathon of F or F today, and had to laugh at Christina going into the cat house with fur everywhere, and the stench must have been horrific. 

Then she insisted on a wallpaper feature wall in the great room or family room, and the pattern was so subtle you couldn't even tell it wasn't just plain white paint.   Christina said she thought it would have a visible pattern.  Great way to spend at least $500 for nothing. 

I like the one they bought sight unseen, and then walked in with Izzie.   Izzie's remark about if the couple owned the house yet or not was hysterical, after they found the house had major slab cracks.    You can't tell me that was a success, or that the repairs to the slab will hold up over time.  

Edited July 10, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[CruiseDiva]

3 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

Then she insisted on a wallpaper feature wall in the great room or family room, and the pattern was so subtle you couldn't even tell it wasn't just plain white paint.   Great way to spend at least $500 for nothing. 

When we bought our house in 1987 the builder said he had walls "prepped" for wallpaper, which was popular at the time for kitchen, bathrooms, dining room, foyer, and family room. Thankfully, I selected a neutral string cloth for the family room and a "watered silk" look paper for the dining room and foyer. Those areas still have wallpaper. The dining room and foyer paper looks like fabric with a very subtle "weave" and is still attractive. Unless you look closely, it looks almost like painted walls. I've really grown to detest wallpaper, but can live with those.

[lynxfx]

Yeah those subtle texture wallpapers will never show up correctly on tv but in person you can see it. Not much different than say a skip trowel or orange peel texturing they use on all walls of homes. 

Worth the money for a flip? Probably not. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I had only ever seen a couple eps of this show, and that was mostly as background while visiting my parents.  So today is the first where I've seen several eps in a row.  I am glad to see I am not the only one that thinks everything is always the same.  I was going to ask if they ever do something other than black/grey/white kitchens and bathrooms, but I see that's been discussed.  Apparently, yes, but long ago. 😄 At least they put color on the outside of the house occasionally. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

At the beginning, the trends were different.   Dark cabinets, sometimes darker counter tops, always granite.     A lot of beiges.    Now everything is gray, white or gray shaker cabinets, white or light counter tops in quartz, and gray floor.    If they go wild, it's usually the bathroom tiles, and showers.

When they do go bold now, it's maybe a fireplace tile, or an accent piece on an island or something.    That whole summer series with the over the top back yards lost on every house, except maybe the huge house on the top of the hill.    

They also used to have glass tile for a lot of back splash and shower tiles, but now it's all the patterned tile.   A few years ago it was all real cement tile, but now they make cement-look tile that's actually ceramic or porcelain, and more durable.   The cement tile is so trendy, I can see someone tearing it out in a year or two, because I would get tired of the busy pattern.     My tile store only had one, of the big tile with several cement gray tile patterns on it in a patchwork, the sales lady told me no one asked for cement tiles, and the grey patchwork one never sold.     

Edited July 11, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[iMonrey]

I really hate the patterned tile they keep using for kitchen backsplashes and for shower walls. It feels like a trend that is going to go out of style in a matter of years. Remember how trendy glass tiles were? That was only a couple of years ago and now you never see them being installed.

[CruiseDiva]

5 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I really hate the patterned tile they keep using for kitchen backsplashes and for shower walls. It feels like a trend that is going to go out of style in a matter of years. Remember how trendy glass tiles were? That was only a couple of years ago and now you never see them being installed.

When we renovated our master bathroom a couple years ago I chatted with the lady in the tile store about those patterned tiles. She only had a few designs on display and said no one was asking for them or actually buying them.

[topanga]

On 7/11/2020 at 11:46 AM, iMonrey said:

I really hate the patterned tile they keep using for kitchen backsplashes and for shower walls. It feels like a trend that is going to go out of style in a matter of years. Remember how trendy glass tiles were? That was only a couple of years ago and now you never see them being installed.

Do you mean the Moroccan tiles? Yeah, those are cute but overused. Or are you talking about the busy, seizure-inducing black-and-white patterned tiles that Tarek likes to use in bathrooms? I would hate those in my house. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

The seizure inducing ones are actually porcelain or ceramic I think, instead of the cement/Moroccan ones they used at first.   However, I can't stand the high-contrast, garish pattern ones they keep using.     The subtle colors and patterns might be in fashion longer.    

My understanding is the original cement ones had to be installed, sealed, and then grouted, and resealed regularly.     

Edited July 14, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[topanga]

16 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

The seizure inducing ones are actually porcelain or ceramic I think, instead of the cement/Moroccan ones they used at first.   However, I can't stand the high-contrast, garish pattern ones they keep using.     The subtle colors and patterns might be in fashion longer.    

My understanding is the Moroccan ones had to be installed, sealed, and then grouted, and resealed regularly.     

I was in Las Vagas last year and stayed in a hotel that had huge tiles on the shower walls (they must have been 6 x 12 inches). They also had a wavy, 3D pattern. I mention this because they weren't a busy pattern, they weren't placed in a complicated chevron pattern, and because there was so little grout, they seemed really easy to clean. But they didn't scream boring hotel room. They screamed elegant shower design. 

I know Tarek and Christina feel the need to be daring or different in their designs (FYI, they're neither). But sometimes their choices are butt ugly. Especially the way they choose to tile fireplaces. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Do you mean the Moroccan tiles? Yeah, those are cute but overused. Or are you talking about the busy, seizure-inducing black-and-white patterned tiles that Tarek likes to use in bathrooms? I would hate those in my house. 

Both, but yeah I meant the Moroccan-inspired patterns. Definitely over-used.

Quote

I know Tarek and Christina feel the need to be daring or different in their designs (FYI, they're neither). But sometimes their choices are butt ugly. Especially the way they choose to tile fireplaces. 

They keep doing shiny tile fireplaces. I firmly believe tile does not belong in the living room.

[CrazyInAlabama]

For a fireplace, I want something subtle, not something that is super shiny (remember the mirror tiles in a recent house?).   I like showers that are easy to clean, non-slip, and I don't have to wear sunglasses to cut down on the glare from super shiny tiles, in crazy patterns.   I also hate their super dark bathroom showers, that tile will show every water spot, and always look messy.  

[topanga]

Tarek certainly has a type.

Edited July 26, 2020 by topanga

[sempervivum]

The kids are going to have trouble telling the moms apart!

At least she's not barely legal, although still an age upgrade from 'old' Christina (age 37).

[Cheyanne11]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

The kids are going to have trouble telling the moms apart!

At least she's not barely legal, although still an age upgrade from 'old' Christina (age 37).

I'm still chuckling at the over-the-top proposal complete with a photographer and People magazine on speed dial.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

Tarek certainly has a type.

Criminy.

[ByaNose]

So lucky for Tarek that People Magazine needed a B story & were available. He really has a type. I think most people do though. Also, I had no idea she was a reality star, too. I thought she was just some random Californian blonde (no offense to blondes) that he ran in to. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Flip or Flop, new season of 15 episodes returns October 15, Thursday.    What I saw didn't say the time, so if it's 9 Eastern/8 Central, then there must be only a few new ones of Flipping 101, which is running instead of Christina episodes.    

Edited September 13, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[seasons]

I really still see such chemistry between Tarek and Christina. It's too bad they couldn't work things out. I don't see that chemistry with "Ant" /eyeroll or Christina's clone, Tarek's fiance Heather. 😕

[CrazyInAlabama]

They had one on my favorite episodes today.   The house where the keys are on the piano keyboard inside the house, and it turns out they had a lot of cats, and the house reeks.  T and C are desperate to open a door to get to fresh air, and they can't find the right key.   It's funny to me.  

I think my other favorite is the one where the kitchen stinks, and it's because someone left a frozen turkey out on the counter, and when T and C realize what it is, they both just about hurl.     

I always wondered what the people thought who bought the house that had a bunch of break ins, and someone squatting in the house, and then saw that on TV?   I wondered if they had any issues with trespassers after they moved in. 

Edited September 18, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[ClassicShowsFan]

Christina Anstead and Husband Ant Split After Less Than 2 Years of Marriage

 

[LexieLily]

I feel bad for the infant child they share and Christina/Tarek's kids who are getting their lives upended again, but who didn't see this coming when they first got together? It feels like they got together and she was pregnant five minutes after she divorced Tarek.

Edited September 19, 2020 by LexieLily

[CrazyInAlabama]

Not a surprise at all about the split.   I just feel sorry for the kids on both sides, and the newest baby.    

I bet Ant got very tired of having to schedule visitation around all of the remodels, moving, and his kids' schedule.   For his only visit to see his kids in England, he had to go there, and quarantine before the visit, and I'm betting did the same thing when he came back to the U.S.   

I just hate that the newest baby will have parents far apart geographically.   

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by CrazyInAlabama

[seasons]

On 9/17/2020 at 8:48 PM, seasons said:

I really still see such chemistry between Tarek and Christina. It's too bad they couldn't work things out. I don't see that chemistry with "Ant" /eyeroll or Christina's clone, Tarek's fiance Heather. 😕

OK, I don't often quote myself, but wow - i had no idea that this separation was coming. I feel really sad for those kids. 

Wonder if Heather will want to speed up that wedding date.  

[justdoit10]

I now read it was he who first brought up splitting.  What a cluster and a mess for the kids.  

[CruiseDiva]

45 minutes ago, justdoit10 said:

I now read it was he who first brought up splitting.  What a cluster and a mess for the kids.  

No surprise there. My husband watches Wheeler Dealers and I've never thought Ant is comfortable working/living in the US. That humongous expensive house that's in her name never seemed to excite him and Christina didn't really dedicate space for his two children from his previous marriage in the house. She said there was room for them to feel at home when they visit, but in actuality there weren't enough bedrooms for that to be true.

[buttersister]

Quote

She said there was room for them to feel at home when they visit, but in actuality there weren't enough bedrooms for that to be true.

That stuck with me at the time, which I thought pretty disrespectful of her towards him. Plus her manner around that wedding wreaked of FU, Tarek. So no surprises. Sorry, kids. All of them. 

Tarek's stand-alone show isn't must-see TV for me, but it appears to hold together better than her C on the C silliness. Wonder if this show will benefit from the increase in drama? Because the flips are all pretty much rote by this time.

[seasons]

This situation with Ant makes me continue to wonder about Harry and MM. I know that people move across the world every day and settle very happily, but sometimes it doesn't work out. London to LA is quite a shift in many ways. Add in ex-spouses and kids for Ant and Christina, and the odds start to stack up against you. Wonder if the UK just has too much of a pull for Ant.

regarding Harry, he seems such a Brit through and through, can't see LA being his thing after the glitter wears off.

Edited September 21, 2020 by seasons

[justdoit10]

On 9/20/2020 at 3:04 PM, justdoit10 said:

I now read it was he who first brought up splitting.  What a cluster and a mess for the kids.  

 

Just now, justdoit10 said:

 

 

Error

[Angeltoes]

Christina doesn't seem to be grieving over this divorce.

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/christina-anstead-buys-new-yacht-weeks-after-ant-anstead-split/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

Christina doesn't seem to be grieving over this divorce.

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/christina-anstead-buys-new-yacht-weeks-after-ant-anstead-split/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab&utm_content=algorithm

I will say I’ve heard of buying a sports car following a divorce or having a midlife crisis but a yacht is a new one.