You're about to discover the best materials for house flips. To illustrate this subject, you'll get an inside look at one of my recent deals. Not only will you learn what paint, flooring and other renovation materials I recommend (as well as where I buy them from), you'll also get numbers on costs too. Whether you are interested in doing your first house flip or are a seasoned professional, you'll learn more on how to save money and still create a beautiful look while maintaining high quality. Also, just below the video, is the the list of the exact materials that were used on this house flip.
Materials List
Paint
- Exterior Walls: Superpaint Exterior Acrylic Latex Flat Finish SW 9139 "Debonair" Color (Sherwin Williams)
- Exterior Trim: Superpaint Exterior Acrylic Latex Semi Gloss Finish SW white Color (Sherwin Williams)
- Interior Walls: ProMar 200 Zero VOC Interior Flat Finish SW 9085 "Touch of Sand" Color (Sherwin Williams)
- Interior Trim: ProMar 200 Zero VOC Interior Semi-Gloss Finish SW white Color (Sherwin Williams)
Flooring
- All Rooms: Eagle Creek Floors Oakdale Luxury Vinyl Plank - SKU: DV766C (Georgia Floors Direct)
Kitchen
- Countertops: Formica Ouro Ramano with Etchings Laminant Countertops (Lowes)
- Cabinets: Diamond Now Arcadia White Cabinets (Lowes)
- Cabinet Knobs: Brainerd Satin Nickel and Clear Round Cabinet Knob (Lowes)
- Sink: Kindred 21 Ga 7 in DB SS Sink - Model No FDS704NB (Lowes)
- Faucet: Moen Adler 1H BN T/S - Model No L82694EPSRN (Lowes)
- Backsplash Tile: Dune Glass & Stone Mosiac - Model No 20-618 (Lowes)
- Range: Frigidaire Smooth Top Electric White (Model No FFEF3018LW)
- Microwave: Frigidaire Range Hood White (Model No FFMV162LW)
- Dishwasher: Frigidaire Built-In White (Model No FFBD2412SW)
- Refrigerator: Frigidaire Freezer Top 18 cu ft White (Model No FFTR1821QW)
Baths
- Shower Surround Tile: Blairlock White Ceramic Wall Tile (Lowes)
- Tub: 5' Aloha White Bathtub - Model No 0000-478-640 (Home Depot)
- Vanity & Sink: SS White Euro 19" Combo - Model No CE29118-SS (Lowes)
- Faucet: Moen Caldwell 2H CH LAV - Model No WS84667 (Lowes)
- Mirror: 21" Oval Framed Mirror White Fog Free (Home Depot)
- Bath Fan: Broan 50cfm 4 Sone Bath Fan - Model No 688 (Lowes)
If you are renovating a house right now with the ultimate goal of flipping it for profit, I would like to share what materials I recommend using so that you can learn to save money while still ending up with beautiful results.I recently closed on a property that was in complete disarray and frankly quite disgusting. The place reeked of cat urine and the previous owner had even left behind a full cat litter box. I had to put a lot of work into the place but sometimes what starts off as a complete disaster, can result in a lot of money in your pocket if you renovate smart. I would like to share with you some of the best materials for house flips.
Best Materials for House Flips
1. Paint
Paint is an incredibly important material when flipping houses. It makes a huge impact when trying to sell, but you have to be careful when choosing the right paint. When choosing paint, the first step is to choose paint specific stores. Whether it’s Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Porter Paints or PPG; be sure the paint you are buying is from a paint specialty store.
The issue with your Lowe's or Home Depot paint is speed. There are often many people in line trying to match paint colors, which can be a very timely process and in the house flipping business, time is money. My contractors want to get in, get out, and that is why we choose Sherwin Williams.
Now this particular project was a 1200 square foot home that needed a complete repaint of both the exterior and interior, including the trim. The total cost of paint was $2400 which left of with some extra to use on our next project making the cost around $2,200 in paint alone.
I always use the exact same colors on the interior of every house I flip. It is “Touch of Sand” with a white trim. For the exterior I always use a white trim but I will slightly change the main exterior color depending on what color the neighbor’s houses are. Sometimes I actually get help from my wife because she is great with colors or I will take advice from my contractor as well.
2. Flooring
The second most important material decision is flooring. I am a huge fan of luxury vinyl plank flooring. I produced a video several years ago where I used laminate but that was before I was introduced to this magical flooring material. The kind I use snaps together which is different from the ones that glue together, but here's the key. If you purchase the right quality vinyl planking it is 100% waterproof. I put this flooring just about everywhere in the house; the living room, kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
For a smaller house there is a key detail to choosing the right flooring. If you have the same flooring throughout the entire house with no seams, it will make the house feel bigger. I use the luxury vinyl planks in all of my flips but I don’t purchase it at Lowe's or Home Depot. I get it from Lumber Liquidators, Georgia Floors Direct, or other flooring material specialty stores because they are not subject to some of the constraints that Home Depot and Lowe's have. The selection and materials is much better at a direct flooring organization like Lumber Liquidators because they’re national.
3. Kitchen
Making sure you have a beautiful kitchen is extremely important when you are flipping houses. When I am flipping a house I actually do not use granite, in fact I go with the cheap laminate you can get from Lowe's or Home Depot. It looks great, is very inexpensive, and is very fast to purchase. Purchasing granite or even quartz can be a time consuming process, because it has to be ordered and measured out which drives me crazy. I want my guys to get in and get out.
Back splash
The next part of a kitchen rehab is the back splash. I am not totally convinced that the back splash is really going to give you the bang for your buck, but the flip I am using for this example is a vacation rental and my wife wanted it to be beautiful with a “Wow Factor”, so we put it in. The back splash we chose was around $10.00 a square foot so if you've got a pretty big back splash, it can be pretty expensive, so all of the savings you got from your laminate counter-tops, is thrown back in your back splash. But in the end, it does look really nice and produces a great “wow factor” for potential buyers or guests.
Cabinets
The next part of the kitchen remodel is the cabinets. I chose the low end cabinets you can get from Lowe's or Home Depot. A lot of times I would rather replace cabinets with this inexpensive option rather than trying to paint over old nasty cabinets because it just looks and feels new. This is a big deal when you are trying to flip a house because buyers love new. Especially the kind of buyers that purchase flips, which are usually first time home buyers. As you may have learned from a previous blog, builders are priced out of the starter home market so you as a house flipper, could be the only person that can bring the sense of new to a first time buyer.
Faucet
Next, there are some simple fixes that go a long way like your kitchen faucet. I let my contractors pick out whatever is easiest for them. The sinks I used on this recent flip are metal because it is a lot less expensive than the fancy white cast iron, which can take a lot of time to order because they are not typically kept in stock. I focus a lot on the speed of things because once again, time is money.
Appliances
As far as appliances go, I always order specifically from an appliance shop. I have a local contact that knows exactly what I want. I always choose the same products in every flip and within two days of ordering I can have it delivered to the property. I always choose inexpensive appliances but I always make sure they are always brand new.
4. Bathrooms
Just like with the kitchen, I always purchase all new fixtures for the bathroom. I even make sure to replace the toilet because it gives the bathroom that new feel. My crew is amazing at tile so I always go with all tile in the bathroom, sometimes all the way up to the ceiling. I think it makes a huge difference and basically everything needed for a bathroom remodel can be found at Lowe's or Home Depot right off the shelf. I like the brushed nickel look the best, but you can also go with aged bronze. Bronze works great, especially if you’re more into the mountains. We are at the beach so we go with the brushed nickel a lot.
All of the bathroom remodel items I purchased for this house flip came from my local Home Depot and Lowe's. You can probably find a great deal on some nicer quality materials at a specialty kitchen and bath store, but what is so nice about Lowe’s or Home Depot is that even their low end stuff is still good quality, but it’s at a reasonable price. You can also set up pro accounts or contract level accounts with the big box retailers like Lowe’s or Home Depot to save even more money.
Total Rehab Costs
- House Purchase: $100,000
- Labor costs: $19,000 for the entire project
- Material costs: $16,000 (That’s approximately $2400 in paint, $3000 in flooring, $600 in dumpster runs, and $10,000 for everything else.)
I actually still have a few more things I have to purchase such as appliances and landscaping, so I will have a total of $37,5000 worth of rehab costs in this deal. I paid $100,000 for the property with the seller paying my closing costs.
Vacation Rental vs House Flip
The reason I am doing this rehab as a long term vacation rental instead of a fix and flip is because of the property’s location. There is an unobstructed view of the inter-coastal, which is very rare in this area. Usually you have to pay a lot more money to find a house like this, but because it was in such disarray, I was able to get an amazing deal.
This property is also zoned as a commercial property so there's a lot of other land uses I could do with it down the road. I am in the deal at a total cost of $137,500 and I could flip it for probably $175,000 or even more depending on the buyer and what their use was going to be, but I'm going to hold onto this long term because you rarely find a view like this, so I plan on holding onto this for a very long time.
Those are the best materials for fix and flips so if you're renovating houses or looking to get into it, I hope you learn some great tips on the best materials to use. Below you find a list of the specific products I used for this particular house flipping project.
Chris Pacuilli says
I Would like to know where or when do you get the market values, do you hire an appraiser before you buy the property? It seems you have to have a starting point of value to see if it would be lucrative.
Phil Pustejovsky says
It’s a skill that I teach my Apprentices so that they are BETTER than appraisers at determining what a property will sell for on the market.
Nancy K Allen says
Thank you Phil! You are the best! I love your energy that you put out in your teaching!
Mercedes Mejia says
Hi, Phil
My question is I have a 6:40 score where to collections did I should be paying pretty soon $500, I also old around $3,000 of all the creditors that I’m also working on paying by March I should be done. I have a home at this time would an equity of 110.000 of equity I’m here from California. I only owed a 115.000 to pay it off. Do you think it will be a good idea for me to try to get a HELOC and invested in real estate or do you think I should just pay off my entire 115000 balance I still have before investing you real estate I have this doubt and would like to get your advice are you experienced.
Freedom Mentor says
Getting your credit cleaned up will be beneficial to you in the long run but this nor getting the balance on your existing loan paid off is needed before you can start investing in real estate. I recommend you continue educating yourself if real estate is your area of interest. Watch this video..
Larry Moore says
I enjoy your videos and find them very helpful. Question, you noted that you use vinyl planking throughout the whole house. Does each bathroom have the same style/color as the rest of the house??
Freedom Mentor says
One type of flooring throughout a home and bathroom creates a seamless look. 100% waterproof vinyl makes that possible.
Bakir Ebrahim says
Very good video with great information!
I am really getting inspired about flipping and wholesaling. I have been following a lot of your videos. I am considering of joining your apprentice program in about 3 months.
Is there any ways I can learn more about your apprentice program before filling out the forms?
Freedom Mentor says
There is no better way to find out about our program than by making application.
Have you watched this video?
Sonya says
I follow you and like the information that you share. This question is related to the title of your book I just noticed about a successful investor has a mentor. How do you go about finding a good mentor for investing? People that are advanced investors do not like to share as much info such as yourself.
Freedom Mentor says
Are you aware that we mentor many students throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico? You might consider making application to our Apprentice program.
Romaello D’Franco says
Hello Phil
Amazing and informative video.
Respect says
First off, I want to start by saying a gigantic thank you for your incredible mentoring so far and to ask if you would care to mentor someone in Europe. Poland to be precise. Thanks once again.
Freedom Mentor says
We do not mentor in Europe at this time.
katie says
Phil,
I wish I’ve known before.
So blessed to get to know you and the expertise you share with so many people.
Thank you so much for great info.
katie says
How to pay contractors?
Do you supply materials and pay hourly?
Thanks.
Freedom Mentor says
If you supply the materials this is one less place contractors can pad the amount they can make.
Clarence Newton says
Recognizing and owning failure keeps me humble and makes me really appreciate winning.
Warren R. Love says
Thanks, appreciate the specifics.
Linda Hackbardt says
I really appreciate your generosity and knowledge. The idea of becoming a real estate investor definitely has crossed my mind. Great info in your videos. Thanks again.
Eddie says
Great video with good information!
Alyssa Zapata says
Hi Phil,
I love your videos and find them very helpful!
Stan says
Hi Phil,
Your flooring and paint selections are great choices for the beach. I am in Denver. Would you suggest a different color scheme for the Denver market?
Rachelle Kosko says
Hi Phil, ✋🏻 you are amazing. I learn so much from your videos. You are a Blessing to me and many other people in the real estate business. I appreciate everything that you teach us. You are doing Gods work helping us stay informed and out of trouble with the years of experience that you have. Again a heartfelt ❤️thank you! ❤️
Harriet Wulukau says
What is the realistic time to acquire the property Rehab put it back on the market and sell ?
Freedom Mentor says
It depends on the extent of rehab, your real estate market and the availability of a crew. Consider, instead, wholesaling to an experienced investor-buyer.
Harriet Wulukau says
Your video is awesome you make it look so easy.
Renee La-Viscount says
Thank you so much. This was very helpful. I was extra overwhelmed about rehabbing, until I viewed this video. Kudos!
Sherrian says
Great video as usual. I will revert back to this video once I start flipping. Thanks and awesome work on the vacation home.
Deborah Ann Docimo says
Awesome Phil and Thank you for this treat! You are an excellent Mentor and I can see that you and your Wife have a tremendous flair for Interior/Exterior Design! Excellent budget with rich, classy results!! Thank you! It was very enjoyable!
Carlos Holwyn says
I gladly like to follow , due you have a book I can buy. and make a picture. from every project that I work on and save it Thank you for sharing good men God bless you .
Dealva Davis says
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Thanks Phil great little video. Youre very generous
to give away such detailed info…it seems you really do want people to succeed. I’m very appreciative. I have a couple of properties I want to rehab.
Sonia moody says
I am 61.. have no money for retirement,,would love to flip houses…where can I get financing with poor credit?
Phil Pustejovsky says
From the Seller of the property or a hard money lender. Take this course. It’s free and will teach you how to buy real estate creatively, even if you have bad credit: Creative Real Estate Investing and Flipping Houses
Herman Blash says
HI my name is Herman Blash I think the video is good information look forward to receiving more thank you.
Rich Lippiat/RAL & Associates LLC says
Thank You Phil, As a real estate agent information as to haw to guide my clients is very important. Your sharing this information will be past on to clients to help them make better decisions in a purchase of the home of there dreams. Thanks and have a Blessed Day
Jorge Fernandez says
I would like to suscribe and follow you but didn’t see link