Flipping a house requires money,time,skill and planning. Even if you think you’ll be able to make a tidy profit in a short period of time,the process can take longer than you’d hoped. There are a few mistakes that you can make when flipping a house that could end up putting you in the poor house.

First,you should set aside capital before starting your new business. It is not easy to turn a home into a profitable business. Before you start,it is important to have your finances in order. You must also have a realistic goal in mind for the property’s sale price and the timeframe you want to spend on renovations.

A second factor is to have an accurate estimate of the costs of renovations or repairs. Remember that your gross profit does not include the costs of repairing or renovating the property. These expenses must be covered by your profits. You should sell the house quickly. These are important steps that real estate agents can assist you with.

In addition to having the skills to fix the house,you should have friends who can help you with these tasks. Also,you should always ask for references from any contractors you hire. A good contractor will be able to tell you what needs to be fixed and how much it will cost. The last thing you want is to face a surprise repair bill after you’ve bought the house.

You have two options when buying a house to flip. You can either pay cash or take out a mortgage. While a 15-year mortgage or a 10-year mortgage is more desirable,it is important to remember that you won’t be living in the house for that long. A hard money loan is a short-term loan that is secured by real property. These loans are often lower interest than conventional mortgages and are popular amongst house flippers.

Lastly,you should hire contractors and suppliers who are experienced in house flipping,and always get a home inspection from a home inspector. While you’ll probably need to hire subcontractors for some work,having a team of experts who are experts in the field will ensure that you don’t run into any unexpected problems. If necessary,you can also hire an accountant for your taxes.

It is important to set a budget before you flip a house. Most buyers go by the 70 percent rule,which states that you should purchase a property for 70% of its ARV less the costs of repairs. This rule allows you to account for unexpected repairs,home insurance and utilities,and property taxes.

Once you have a budget,you should start searching for houses that match your budget. Depending on the condition of the property,some homes require extensive renovations before they are sellable. Others are in need of minor improvements.

About Jim Vanderberg,Toronto Canada

Jim Vanderberg is a real estate investor based in Toronto Canada. He spends his time on the tennis court during the day,and afternoons are spent watching his crypto investments and looking for the next property to invest in. He occasionally flips houses in the Toronto area,but also invests in properties for the rental income. You can follow him on Twitter @vanderbergjim

I have come across many note sellers that ignore the advice of being prepared. Properly structuring a note for resale can be the difference between selling the note fast and with little friction as opposed to selling yourself short or worse,not selling the note at all. In order to properly structure a mortgage note for resale is as follows:

1) Get the biggest down payment possible. 25% is the Note Buyer’s ideal amount in a perfect world although,you can definitely get away with 15% – 20% if need be. Anything under 15% equity becomes very risky for a Note Investor. In the case of a down payment under 14% equity,you will have a very tough time getting a high bid on that note. Anything under 10% down,will unlikely sell at all.  -!

2) Make sure you (the seller),pull credit on the potential borrower. 600 FICO score – 700 FICO score would be ideal. Remember; the worse the credit score is,the bigger the down payment you should require! Make sure you keep a copy of the credit report so you may present to the mortgage note investor underwriting the transaction. As far as credit scores,650 or higher is considered great to excellent credit. 610-649 is good,609-590 is fair 589-500 is poor and below 500 – don’t even bother. Also try to gather D.T.I. or Debt to Income information from the borrower as well. How much money she/he has coming in per month verses what dollar amount is going out per month. A standard credit report will show you what the borrowers monthly bills are. All you need to do after that is get an accurate dollar amount of what the borrower truly makes after taxes. This way there will be no surprises for you or the Note Investor and this will insure you the highest bids out there! 45% is the max D.T.I. ratio you should allow. This means,if the borrower’s income is $5,000.00 per month,45% DTI ratio would be $2,250.00 (5,000 x 0.45 = 2,250.00) in debt per month. The borrower only owes 45% of what they make to monthly debt.  -!

3) It helps tremendously if the seller orders and completes an appraisal before submitting the note to a Note Buyer. The reason being,presenting an exact legal appraisal to a Note Investor allows for a more accurate bid,thus a hassle free transaction. This way when the note is underwritten,there will be no surprises on the collateral property whatsoever. This step is not necessary although,by doing this your are drastically increasing your chances of a very smooth note sale.

4) Include a high interest rate with the shortest term possible. Meaning,be sure that your borrower can afford the payments at the shortest term she/he can legitimately agree to.

5) Try to keep the loan under a 10-15 year payback date. Anything over 12 years usually takes a much steeper discount then say a 10 balloon. The Note Investor generally likes to be out of an investment in 5-10 years. Ideally,if your borrower situation permits,5-10 is the first choice. 

6) Include a prepayment penalty based on your states regulations and laws.  -!

Please keep in mind; the above information is just a guide. If you have any legal questions about mortgage origination laws in your state,please consult a licensed mortgage broker/banker (in your state) or an attorney. Always be prepared!

Knowing this info before hand is the difference between a smooth transaction and a complete nightmare! Good Luck!