It’s pretty standard in the modern real estate market to ‘flip’ or renovate a house for a higher selling price. Some sellers flip an older home to reflect more modern style trends. Others flip a home to showcase style potential. No matter the reason, selling a flipped home versus a brand new home can be particularly challenging, as many buyers equate house flipping with cheap, quick fixes that don’t address the home’s overall issues. Real estate agents can market a flipped home to their advantage using professional strategies to sell it faster.

Know the House’s Market

As a real estate agent, you should be highly familiar with the real estate market in your local area. However, consider the market in your flipped houses’s specific neighborhood, part of town, or niche. How are other homes on the block selling? What does your clients’ home have to offer that other similarly priced homes do not? You’ll need to compare the renovations and how they affect its position on the market. When you understand the real estate market of the specific area your client’s home is in, you can set competitive pricing, know what to advertise, and sell the house much faster.

Cater to Current Housing Trends

Flipped houses are familiar to real estate investors and home sellers looking to boost their home’s value. However, not all home renovations are desired, and not all will increase the property value significantly. Many current home trends value open, flexible spaces, modular designs, neutral color palettes, and eco-friendly sustainability. Do the renovations of the homes contribute to any of these trends? Learn how to spin a listing to cater to these trends best (without lying). You can increase the chances of selling a home if you know what features people are currently loving in them.

Establish Good Marketing Tactics

Successful real estate agents are familiar with creating a decent listing and marketing a property online. However, you will want to boost your flipped home’s benefits even more to make a good profit. Ensure your client’s home has a beautifully written online listing with plenty of photos, including before and after pictures and a 3D tour. The more accessible and informational a listing is, the more interested buyers will be. Vague listings or low-quality images can turn many people away. Use social media and real estate websites to promote open houses or scheduled tours. Sometimes, people remember a property based on ‘before’ the flip. You’ll want to use your marketing skills to show that it isn’t the same property as before.

Hire Photographers

In the age of smartphones, it can be tempting to snap a few high-quality photos yourself for the listing. However, professional photography can capture the charm and spirit of any home. Experienced photographers know how to capture the proper lighting, angles, and frames to sell a house. By going above and beyond for your real estate listing, more buyers will flock to your client’s recently renovated home—especially when you capture those renovations on film!

Set Competitive Pricing

While renovations can boost a property’s value, as a real estate agent, you should know that outpricing your potential buyers will scare them off. Set a price that will get people interested and making offers. Consider all serious offers regardless of price. If you aren’t getting many offers, there’s a good chance you’ve set your price too high. If your clients insist on a specific price, learn how to negotiate a price change while respecting their wishes.

Be Transparent With Your Clients

Selling a house well is all about transparency. Don’t lie to buyers or sellers. Be honest about what renovations have been done. If flooring isn’t genuine hardwood, let them know. There’s nothing wrong with using cost-effective practices in home flipping as long as there’s transparency. Many buyers love cost-effective features, as they can make homeownership more accessible.

Partner With Contractors

A construction team or contractor can help provide expertise on house flipping and inspect house flipping work for safety, legal, or structural issues. Additionally, partnering with a contractor can help navigate buyers through the house flipping process and answer any technical questions they may have that might be beyond your expertise as a real estate agent.

Any contractor you hire or partner up with should be experienced, reputable, and licensed to do the work. Not all states require a general contractor license, but licensed professionals have extensive training for the job. To verify a contractor’s license, you’ll need to understand licensing requirements; they vary by state, so here are some examples.

South Carolina

South Carolina has a few general contracting licenses depending on the type and cost of the work you will do. You must take a state contracting exam and a business law exam. Understanding how to get a general contractor license in SC involves exam preparation and study courses, submitting financial documentation, and providing proof of two years of relevant work experience within the past five years.

Florida

Floridians are required to be licensed for general contractor work. Like South Carolina, they must take a business and finance exam in addition to the state contractor exam. Licensing must be renewed every two years, as well. Be sure that your general contractor is not only licensed but with an unexpired one.

California

In California, general contractors must be licensed and provide proof of at least four years of relevant work experience in the construction field. They must also study for and pass a two-part state contractor exam, pay licensing fees, and submit appropriate documentation. If you hire a general contractor here, they should have followed these procedures.

Conclusion

When renovated well, flipped homes offer many benefits to home buyers. However, some homebuyers are still deciding whether to purchase a recently renovated home due to quick flip trends. Transparency, marketing, and partnering with professionals can increase the chances of selling a flipped home as a real estate agent. Knowing the specific market the house is in also provides insight into setting a competitive price.