Do I Need To Be An interior Designer To Flip A House?

I was at an event recently and someone was asking me some questions about what I do for a living.  After I explained that I design flip houses, the next question they most wanted to know the answer to was if I am an interior designer or if I hire one for my house flipping business.

The short answer is no; I am not an interior designer.  And yes; you can flip a house without one.  However, consider this to be a cautionary statement.  House flipping is a risky business.  Make a wrong decision or two on the layout or design of a property and you might have to sell it for way less than you were planning to.  Or worse, you may not be able to sell it at all.  So, if you are considering trying to flip a house, this is your forewarning: if you have no experience with interior design and know nothing about the materials you would use on the floors, walls, and other surfaces, make sure to hire an interior designer.  You are risking your entire investment on something you know nothing about, so pay a little more and hire someone who knows. 

Now you ask, “But you aren’t an interior designer, so why don’t you hire one?”  That’s a good question.  First, I have been doing this for years and I have pretty good intuition about what will look and feel good in the space.  And believe it or not, my grandfather was an interior designer who designed for hotels, stadiums, and beautiful homes. I grew up in and around the spaces he assembled.  Maybe some of that rubbed off on me? Secondly, I have a background in map making, which weirdly enough translates beautifully into house layouts and design.  But no, I did not go to school to be an interior designer, although I researched and considered it.  At the time that I researched it, we were already making money on our flip houses and they were looking beautiful.  And with a bunch of little kids and a thriving business, it didn’t feel necessary for me to go get an official certification, nor did I have the time.  So, no, I am not an interior designer, but since I work for myself and I seem to have a good grasp of the field, I will just keep hiring myself to make the design choices for our renovations.

My main point is this: If you feel comfortable and knowledgeable when it comes to wall materials, flooring and tile, kitchen and bathroom layouts, colors and paints, etc., then go ahead and be the designer on your project.  Just remember that you will be choosing everything from paint colors, to floor tiles, to cabinet pulls, to toilet paper holders, and everything in between.  But if you aren’t well informed or experienced, you run the risk of losing a lot of money on a bad flip.  And I have seen lots of those for sale.  My advice: don’t lose your shirt on a flip done poorly.  Hire an interior designer and sell your flipped house.