Work on the exterior of the home on South Main Street .
harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment , is also something to consider .
“ We want to create an open flow to the home , which oftentimes means we have to tear down walls ,” he said . “ That takes some work . We also usually have to add a master bathroom to these older homes , which are big selling points for buyers .”
Van Wyk and Vanderlinden start with planning the layout of each home , followed by the dirty work – gutting . Once everything is gutted , the pair reframe and reinsulate the walls , followed by texturing and painting , along with sanding hardwood floors if they ' re salvageable or adding carpet . From there , everything starts to come together – from choosing kitchen cabinet knobs to installing faucet fixtures in the bathroom .
But sometimes the unexpected can happen , even on the homestretch . Van Wyk says it ’ s essential to include 25 percent of “ overrun ” in the renovation budget , which requires a lot of homework .
“ You always have to plan for things to possibly come up that you weren ’ t expecting , that you really can ’ t ignore ,” Van Wyk says . “ For example , sometimes we ’ ll take walls out of these old houses , and there won ’ t be any insulation in them , so we ’ ll need to figure out how to fix it . Those are things you can ’ t ignore .”
Van Wyk recommends completing renovations by spring .
“ People have cabin fever in the spring ,” he said . “ They ’ re ready to get out of the house . They want to buy . We always tried to time it to be done the first of April . That ’ s your hottest market .”
Texturing walls on the inside of the home on South Main Street .
And the secret to flipping houses is a fairly simple concept : Think before you buy , and don ’ t skip out on the little things .
“ Something I learned early in my real estate career was you always think about your sell before you buy . We need to make sure we have something that will sell easily so we can make a little money . That ’ s what we think about before buying a house
26 Southern Iowa Living