Why do I enjoy flipping houses? Especially the really scary, totally deteriorated zombie houses? You know the houses I mean. Those houses that have been deserted and left to nature for years on end. Where the floor is caving in, the walls are shredded and the roof has holes in it. Where it looks as though the former inhabitants just picked up and left during some sort of major disaster. Why are those my favorite houses to flip?
The easy answer is that there is more money to be made on those houses. They tend to sell for a lot less than houses that are in nicer condition, and even with the cost of completely rebuilding them, they will sell for a good price once they are finished. The possibility and potential for a decent profit is there.
The next answer is that it is more fun to redesign them. A house that just needs a new kitchen and some other small finishes is quick and easy to rehab. But it doesn't really allow me to flex my designing muscles. However, a good zombie house probably needs new layouts and undoubtedly requires new everything else as well. I get the opportunity to pick every detail, from the length of the wall, to the fixtures and finishes, to the location of the bathrooms and the size of the closets. I get to design the entire feel and flow of the house, and that is really fun.
However, there is one more reason why zombie house flipping is my favorite. Whenever I pass by a house that is deserted, I feel saddened. That house once was the home of a family in the neighborhood, sheltering them from the rest of the world. Once standing guard over its families, the house has been left in ruins. When we renovate it, we bring it back to life. We make the space usable once again and make it ready for a new family to enjoy. And we make the neighborhood better, one house at a time. Houses are meant to be lived it. When no one lives in them, they crumble and lose their purpose. We bring those zombie houses back from the dead, to improve their surroundings and provide a home once again. And that I think makes me the happiest of all. I love seeing what once was an eye sore and a blight become something beautiful and functional once again.
And so, while I enjoy all types of house rehabbing, the zombie house flips are definitely my favorite.
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