A Big Announcement!

And now what you've all been waiting to hear, the big announcement I've been talking about for weeks on Facebook....I'm going into the house flipping business!  After a lot of thought, research, and house viewings my mom and I have decided to try our hand at flipping houses on the side and we just purchased our first project house.  She is a diamond in the rough (not my mom, the house) but she has good bones and mom and I have big plans for her.  She's two bedroom, one bath, and 1,114 sq. ft. so not too big of a project for us but not too small of a house to be a huge issue to sell.  Of course I will detail her progress along the way right here on my blog so check back often or subscribe by email as my posts will be more frequent and I don't want you to miss anything along the way.

What better way to get started than by showing some before and after pictures, huh?  I have the before ready to go but unfortunately the after pictures will be posted along the way, not because I'm mean like that but because there is no "after" yet as I just closed on the home today.  We are just now getting our paws on it after a very long wait for a weed lien to be paid by HUD which delayed my closing date (and subsequent announcement, if you were wondering).

What is a weed lien?  No, the previous homeowners didn't owe a drug lord but that was my first thought!  Not really.  Okay, yes it was and I had to Google it because I didn't want to sound stupid to the Realtor.  Apparently when a homeowner doesn't mow their yard the city steps in and pays a contractor to do it and then puts a lien on the home until the homeowner pays them back along with any fees.  So now it's all paid up and I was able to close which means now we are in ready to do the dirty work!

Mom and I are going to do most of the work ourselves but roofers we are not, so there will be some contract labor that we will have to outsource along the way.  But I'd say we are going to be doing the bulk of the work ourselves so expect some photos in a few months showcasing our rippling arm muscles.  Ewww, okay maybe not.  But I will post lots of photos over the next few months on the progress of the house so hopefully that will be enough for you.

So lets get right into it while I show you the good, bad, and the ugly.  The dreaded BEFORES.

As far as the outside goes here's what I know needs to be done for sure.  Install a new roof, paint the house trim a contrasting color, remove the screened in front porch and metal awnings, and clean up the trees and bushes.

Some holes in the walls need patched, it desperately needs a new coat of paint, new ceiling fan/chandelier in dining room, chunkier crown molding, and carpeting ripped up.  There are hardwood floors underneath that we could see when we lifted the vent covers.  They look to be in pretty good shape so we are crossing our fingers they are!

This is the bedroom behind the front porch.  It needs holes patched, new paint (I'm all for art, but that creative expression on the walls has to go), new fixtures, crown molding, and carpet ripped up.  Again here's hoping for the wood flooring to be in good shape!

Bathroom pretty much needs gutted down to the studs.  We may be able to salvage the tub, we will see when we get into it.

This must have once been a second bedroom and then they installed stairs in here to go up to the second floor and turned it into an office.  Haven't decided what to do here yet.

Stairway in the office going up to the second floor.

Loving those 2X4 boards for the railing!  So rustic!

This pic is looking down the stairway.  To the right is the original stairway up to the second floor.  We are thinking we may be able to reconfigure things so we can re-utilize this original stairway, rip out the added stairway, and turn the office back into the bedroom but we will see.

 Ceiling and lighting is going to be replaced and we are unsure about flooring.

Closet is in the right corner

This is the room behind the tiny window at the front of the house.  We are going to finish it off and let the buyer decide what to do with it whether to turn it into a walk in closet (which is what I would do if I'm being honest) or something more functional like storage or turn it into an office, craft room, man cave, etc...

Another view of the unfinished room.

And here's what I call the secret stairs, or the original stairs that come up from the dining room.

This is the hallway coming out of the office.  To the immediate right is a closet, then the bathroom, and then straight forward is the first bedroom.  It needs whatever the heck those things are above the doorway removed immediately!  Plus paint, new door knobs, and carpet pulled.



Here's the secret stairway leading up from the dining room.  It hides behind a door.

The kitchen is so clean you can eat off the floor! Yeah, like the bathroom it will be gutted to the studs.

Stairway off the kitchen going into the basement.  I'm thinking about leaving up that wallpaper.  What do you guys think?

This is the basement if you can't tell.  We are going to leave it for last so depending on how long the main house takes to redo will determine how much time/effort/money will be spent down here.  At the very least it will be gutted and opened up.

I have to talk about how precious these squirrel lockers are.  I'm guessing they are lockers as they open like doors.  If I were a squirrel this is where I would store my nuts.  Perhaps the previous homeowners stored canned goods and water jugs here in case of a zombie apocalypse.  Who knows!?!  But they are precious.  I love squirrels.  I will save these or repurpose these little guys somehow.

And then the final picture is the basement stairs going back up to the kitchen (to the right) or out the back door.

So there you have it!  I know some of you may be thinking "what the heck, that's the ugliest house I've ever seen."  When I look at it I don't see what it looks like now, I see what it CAN look like.  I want to turn it into what it deserves to be and I think mom and I have just the right drive and determination to make that happen!