Property Ladder - New show on TLC - Page 14

Bearcata · 09-03-2006, 03:32 PM

Again the scheduling of Property Ladder and the 2 half hour episodes of Flip That House perfectly support each other.

I am not going to knock Chandra's new career. To each his own. What does surprise me is at 40+ she only has $30,000 in life savings, and she wants to use it to finance her new career in flipping houses so she can have the finances to puusue a career in spiritual healing that will pay significantly lower that her job in the entertainment field. I do wish I had known what her previous job was like. What I don't understand is how people can go into flipping without doing there research as far as knowing the area and how much the houses are going for and have a clue as to what housing materials cost and how long it takes to redo a house. Seriously, beginning flippers need to just get homes that need new carpets, paint the walls, maybe new windows, update the bathrooms and kitchens and get out in a month don't get greedy.. Chandra made all the big mistakes and she did not listen to her contrator or Kristen and experienced flipper. I am pretty sure that Chandra lost money on this house. Why she did not try flipping on a small scale while she still had her previous job I don't know. It would have been a smart thing to do. What really bugged me was watching her sabotage herself by ordering custom cabinets and having nothing being done in the house for a week while waiting for the cabinets. Talk about wasting time and money.

Then to watch 2 episodes of Flip That House and watch 2 flippers who have the similiar budgets of $30,000 be able to do the flip and make the property look good. Both of this flippers had teams of people (experts) and they listened to them. Also they both had experience in construction and could do some of the jobs themselves. The house in Watts was an amazing transformation and he did it for $23,000. Still I do agree with the real estate guy and the flipper should have splurged and had all the windows in the house redone. That was a duh moment. But this man knew his customer. I also like how he make contacts/created personal relationships with suppliers, such as the cabinet makers and he listened to what they had to say. As far as the condo in Phonix???, I hated the faux brick wall, I perfer drywall. I would rather she had spent the money on hardwood floors. My other objection were the black toilets and sinks in the bathrooms. I didn't like them at all. It looked so 80's, a nice bowl in the master bathroom for the sink and a white toilet would have a greater mass appeal. Still what I liked about these folks is that they treat it as a business. They do their research, they know their market, they have a budget and stick to it, and they have a good team of people that they listen to and they are not greedy and because of all that they are successfull at flipping.

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kidswatcher · 09-03-2006, 05:59 PM

Chandra was in way over her head. She didn't listen to Kirsten or Mike. Everytime Kirsten questioned her about the money she was spending, Chandra just gave her a look of *don't question my judgement* Those "custom cabinets" that she spent over $6000 for looked pretty basic to me. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the house talking to her and started listening to Kirsten. I don't blame Mike one bit for walking out and leaving her at Home Depot. The Home Depot employee who sold her those "custom cabinets" saw her coming! Did she even bother to do anything to the 1970's bathrooms? Where in the heck did she spend over $70,000?

Bearcata · 09-03-2006, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidswatcher

Chandra was in way over her head. She didn't listen to Kirsten or Mike. Everytime Kirsten questioned her about the money she was spending, Chandra just gave her a look of *don't question my judgement* Those "custom cabinets" that she spent over $6000 for looked pretty basic to me. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the house talking to her and started listening to Kirsten. I don't blame Mike one bit for walking out and leaving her at Home Depot. The Home Depot employee who sold her those "custom cabinets" saw her coming! Did she even bother to do anything to the 1970's bathrooms? Where in the heck did she spend over $70,000?

Let's see, french doors in the dining room, 1 weeks idle time due to waiting for custom cabinets, almost $7000 in custom kitchen cabinents. That did not include the install, the counters, the applicances, the fixtures, the wall in the family room. Personally I like at least one large room in the house perferably the family room. Since time is money I am sure there were 1 or 2 extra mortgage payments and that would be $5000 - $10,000. Brand new windows. Landscaping, did they paint the house again??? Plus renting furniture for the open house. I hear that can be very costly since it is for the short term only. She wanted to be done in 4 weeks and think that was doubled or tripled than off course by the end of the show it had sat on the market for at least 12 wks and thats another $15,000 in morgage payments. Don't forget in addition to materials she also has to pay for labor, and labor is more expensive than materials. Still I would love to see a breakdown of everything. This was a good house for a first time flip. There was not any structural damage or pests. The foundation looked good, and the roof didn't need to be replaced. The house basically, needed a paint job insied and out. Clean up the landsaping add some color and make sure the bathrooms and kitchen were updated, and it looks as if she did nothing in the bathrooms. It had some nice historical tile that added character to the house but maybe new toilets and sinks and updated light fixtures just to freshing it up. The kitchen should have taken up the largest portion of the budget as 'kitchens do sell houses' but she over spent. I do like how she redesigned it. But this was not the house or neighbourhood to put in top end appliances and cabinents and fixtures. That Tuscan Brown faucet she put in could run up to $500 to $700. You can get something equally nice at Home Depot or Lowes without ruining your budget.

MamaC · 09-04-2006, 02:28 AM

At the end of the show there were a few updates written. First was that she lowered the price by 100G, down to $695,000....which was more in line with what the realtors said.

The next "paragraph" was that it was still on the market.....and stated that she will be lucky if she breaks even on this flip. She had not sold the house and was still forking out $5000 a month in mortgage payments. (Did she pay off the 20G on her credit card when she refied or does she still have that debt outstanding?)

What cracked me up was the last tidbit that said that she was looking for another house to "listen" too!

Bearcata, I don't think she ever did repaint the exterior....it still looked pretty weird at the end of the show. And like you, I love comparing this show to Flip That House and seeing how experienced flippers know what to do and not do to make a sale. They kept to their budgets, kept to their timeline, and didn't do overkill. I wasn't crazy about the brick either; I think it closed in the room and it definitely had to have taken a lot of time to do that to the wall.

Bearcata · 09-04-2006, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MamaC

Bearcata, I don't think she ever did repaint the exterior....it still looked pretty weird at the end of the show. And like you, I love comparing this show to Flip That House and seeing how experienced flippers know what to do and not do to make a sale. They kept to their budgets, kept to their timeline, and didn't do overkill. I wasn't crazy about the brick either; I think it closed in the room and it definitely had to have taken a lot of time to do that to the wall.

Yeah, the house color looked better when they toned down the yellow by adding brown accents to the grillwork in the concrete and some coral on the accent stone pieces around the round window near the front door.

Did you like those black toilets in that condo?? To me they just reeked of a disco era bachelor pad. I do not like color in the big pieces in a bathroom. The toilet, sink and bath are such big pieces I think it is better to keep them white and add color through paint, accessories, tile or God forbid wallpaper.

MamaC · 09-04-2006, 08:33 PM

Yes! I hated the whole black theme in the master bath! Yuck!

Bearcata · 09-10-2006, 09:51 AM

I used to be a big Trading Spaces fan but Vern left and the show jumped the shark a long time ago. My other pet peeve is the lack of any kind of good shows to watch. I am really happy that TLC put Property Ladder and Flip That House on their Saturday lineup and not waste primetime on Trading Spaces anymore.

Again Property Ladder and especially the first episode of FTH complement each other very well. On PL you have the couple that fights all the time and nothing gets accomplished and then on FTH you have a couple that has its strenghts and they listen to each and accomplish what needs to be done. What I found very interesting in both shows it that both properties had severe damage, on PL, from a hurrican, and on FLH, from a busted water pipe. Both houses had great views, one of a lack and the other a beach area. Both houses had a budget of $50,000. What different outcomes. Its like watching a what not to do and what to do show.

On PL what really surprised me was that the first time flipper was a real estate agent. She knows the comps in the area and she was going for the high end in that area. What also surprised me was that there had been no home inspection. $300 is nothing in a budget that went from $50,000 to $90,000. Again why do you want your first flip to be overwhelming. Get a house with minimal damage, needs, paint, carpet, new bath fixtures new ktichen applicances and get out. Get out in 2 months and make a small $10,000 to $20,000 profit but don't get greedy. Again what was the big problem with the permits. When I had a deck build, the minute I signed the contract my builder went to get a permit. The sooner he got to work the sooner he got his money. Again I don't get that people don't do their homework, and don't listen to the experts. This girl had a good worker in her stepdad but her subcontractors where useless, is it because she was female, did she not get on there cases, I don't know but she needs to get some reliable workers. Also to rely on one person for all that work is not a good idea especially if she was not willing to help. I hope her stepdad has a electrical liscense and a plumping license. It was interesting to note on of the open house people say that the toilet was lose in one of the bathrooms. All the fighting with the husband was ridulous. He is a graphic designer OK, but I was interested enough in home design and possible flipping to take several interior design courses and drafting classes as the local community college and I know that there are standard measurements etc that you need to know and work with. Him coming in an giving ad hoc advice to his wife and her stepdad when he is not there on a daily basis and he does not have a background in construction design does not contribute anything to the process. What I totally did not understand was the hardwood floor fiasco. Why in the world did they just not get prefinished floors. Watching the sanding and staining process was painfull. Then at the end of the remodel to price the house at $397,000 I think it was when the high end in that community was just under $300,000. What where they thinking???? The only smart move they did was rent the house. That woman has close to $90,000 of building costs on her credit cards, and she wanted to be the next Donald Trump. I hope she learnt something from this fiasco.

Then to watch people who know what they are doing in FTH, is such a contrast. Similiar situation where the house had to be gutted due to the water and mold damage. What's the difference?? Jenniffer and Jon was it? said that they listen to their customer and give them what they want. Yes they remodled but did no major structural changes. Yes they added 3 sets of french doors, one in the kitchen and 2 in the living room to add to that indoor outdoor feeling of living in San Diego. They maximized the view. I liked how they added to the patio space outdoors. That backyard was fabulous. Enough grass to play in but not too much too mow, a great fence, a great big patio. I didn't like the tile counters in the master bathroom and the extra bathroom, but that is a personal choice. I also like how FTH is giving little tips though out the show. I like the one about constantly know what your budget is. It is a joy to watch professionals work. The second FTH, that was in Phoenix concerned me a bit, cause this was a first time flip for the owner and he was doing most of the work himself but he he took advice from his brother, who was a contractor and he did an excellent job. I do like how he changed his mind and fixed up the backyard. Since Phoenix is a desert I like how he limited the grassy area and had it only in the backyard and surroundeg by that mowing strip or what ever you call it. It was nice to note that he had a lot of trouble with the privacy wall and got basiclly ripped of twice before he found someone who did a decent job. I do wish that they showe more of the extension that he added to the kitchen, I really didn''t see a good before and after shot of that. The main difference between this show and PL is that the owner did not try to overimprove the house. I thought installing a garage was a big improvement and so was the back yard. The thing was he made a profit but he wasn't greedy about it. If he does 3 or 4 houses a yr like this he will be doing very well indeed.

kidswatcher · 09-10-2006, 02:16 PM

Property Ladder and Flip that House are the same show, but with different titles. What gives?

Bearcata · 09-10-2006, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kidswatcher

Property Ladder and Flip that House are the same show, but with different titles. What gives?

Property Ladder is about first time flippers with no experience. Most of FTH are of people who have been doing for a long time. The episode from Phoenix showing the first time flipper is very rare. I think different eperiences and different production companies although the same subject. The big diff is the one format shows what not to do while the other shows what to do.

mrnono · 09-12-2006, 05:16 PM

I found this link on moneycentral.msn.com in a story about Desperate home sellers, it's an auction for the Sacramento house.

myebid.com/cgi-bin/auction/view?cmd=view&listingID=2113

09-03-2006, 03:32 PM	#131
Bearcata what a strong finger Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: the edge of the beltway Posts: 8,050	9/2/06 Again the scheduling of Property Ladder and the 2 half hour episodes of Flip That House perfectly support each other. I am not going to knock Chandra's new career. To each his own. What does surprise me is at 40+ she only has $30,000 in life savings, and she wants to use it to finance her new career in flipping houses so she can have the finances to puusue a career in spiritual healing that will pay significantly lower that her job in the entertainment field. I do wish I had known what her previous job was like. What I don't understand is how people can go into flipping without doing there research as far as knowing the area and how much the houses are going for and have a clue as to what housing materials cost and how long it takes to redo a house. Seriously, beginning flippers need to just get homes that need new carpets, paint the walls, maybe new windows, update the bathrooms and kitchens and get out in a month don't get greedy.. Chandra made all the big mistakes and she did not listen to her contrator or Kristen and experienced flipper. I am pretty sure that Chandra lost money on this house. Why she did not try flipping on a small scale while she still had her previous job I don't know. It would have been a smart thing to do. What really bugged me was watching her sabotage herself by ordering custom cabinets and having nothing being done in the house for a week while waiting for the cabinets. Talk about wasting time and money. Then to watch 2 episodes of Flip That House and watch 2 flippers who have the similiar budgets of $30,000 be able to do the flip and make the property look good. Both of this flippers had teams of people (experts) and they listened to them. Also they both had experience in construction and could do some of the jobs themselves. The house in Watts was an amazing transformation and he did it for $23,000. Still I do agree with the real estate guy and the flipper should have splurged and had all the windows in the house redone. That was a duh moment. But this man knew his customer. I also like how he make contacts/created personal relationships with suppliers, such as the cabinet makers and he listened to what they had to say. As far as the condo in Phonix???, I hated the faux brick wall, I perfer drywall. I would rather she had spent the money on hardwood floors. My other objection were the black toilets and sinks in the bathrooms. I didn't like them at all. It looked so 80's, a nice bowl in the master bathroom for the sink and a white toilet would have a greater mass appeal. Still what I liked about these folks is that they treat it as a business. They do their research, they know their market, they have a budget and stick to it, and they have a good team of people that they listen to and they are not greedy and because of all that they are successfull at flipping. __________________ "When life gives you lemons, squirt lemon juice in your enemy's eyes."

09-10-2006, 09:51 AM	#137
Bearcata what a strong finger Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: the edge of the beltway Posts: 8,050	9/9 - comments I used to be a big Trading Spaces fan but Vern left and the show jumped the shark a long time ago. My other pet peeve is the lack of any kind of good shows to watch. I am really happy that TLC put Property Ladder and Flip That House on their Saturday lineup and not waste primetime on Trading Spaces anymore. Again Property Ladder and especially the first episode of FTH complement each other very well. On PL you have the couple that fights all the time and nothing gets accomplished and then on FTH you have a couple that has its strenghts and they listen to each and accomplish what needs to be done. What I found very interesting in both shows it that both properties had severe damage, on PL, from a hurrican, and on FLH, from a busted water pipe. Both houses had great views, one of a lack and the other a beach area. Both houses had a budget of $50,000. What different outcomes. Its like watching a what not to do and what to do show. On PL what really surprised me was that the first time flipper was a real estate agent. She knows the comps in the area and she was going for the high end in that area. What also surprised me was that there had been no home inspection. $300 is nothing in a budget that went from $50,000 to $90,000. Again why do you want your first flip to be overwhelming. Get a house with minimal damage, needs, paint, carpet, new bath fixtures new ktichen applicances and get out. Get out in 2 months and make a small $10,000 to $20,000 profit but don't get greedy. Again what was the big problem with the permits. When I had a deck build, the minute I signed the contract my builder went to get a permit. The sooner he got to work the sooner he got his money. Again I don't get that people don't do their homework, and don't listen to the experts. This girl had a good worker in her stepdad but her subcontractors where useless, is it because she was female, did she not get on there cases, I don't know but she needs to get some reliable workers. Also to rely on one person for all that work is not a good idea especially if she was not willing to help. I hope her stepdad has a electrical liscense and a plumping license. It was interesting to note on of the open house people say that the toilet was lose in one of the bathrooms. All the fighting with the husband was ridulous. He is a graphic designer OK, but I was interested enough in home design and possible flipping to take several interior design courses and drafting classes as the local community college and I know that there are standard measurements etc that you need to know and work with. Him coming in an giving ad hoc advice to his wife and her stepdad when he is not there on a daily basis and he does not have a background in construction design does not contribute anything to the process. What I totally did not understand was the hardwood floor fiasco. Why in the world did they just not get prefinished floors. Watching the sanding and staining process was painfull. Then at the end of the remodel to price the house at $397,000 I think it was when the high end in that community was just under $300,000. What where they thinking???? The only smart move they did was rent the house. That woman has close to $90,000 of building costs on her credit cards, and she wanted to be the next Donald Trump. I hope she learnt something from this fiasco. Then to watch people who know what they are doing in FTH, is such a contrast. Similiar situation where the house had to be gutted due to the water and mold damage. What's the difference?? Jenniffer and Jon was it? said that they listen to their customer and give them what they want. Yes they remodled but did no major structural changes. Yes they added 3 sets of french doors, one in the kitchen and 2 in the living room to add to that indoor outdoor feeling of living in San Diego. They maximized the view. I liked how they added to the patio space outdoors. That backyard was fabulous. Enough grass to play in but not too much too mow, a great fence, a great big patio. I didn't like the tile counters in the master bathroom and the extra bathroom, but that is a personal choice. I also like how FTH is giving little tips though out the show. I like the one about constantly know what your budget is. It is a joy to watch professionals work. The second FTH, that was in Phoenix concerned me a bit, cause this was a first time flip for the owner and he was doing most of the work himself but he he took advice from his brother, who was a contractor and he did an excellent job. I do like how he changed his mind and fixed up the backyard. Since Phoenix is a desert I like how he limited the grassy area and had it only in the backyard and surroundeg by that mowing strip or what ever you call it. It was nice to note that he had a lot of trouble with the privacy wall and got basiclly ripped of twice before he found someone who did a decent job. I do wish that they showe more of the extension that he added to the kitchen, I really didn''t see a good before and after shot of that. The main difference between this show and PL is that the owner did not try to overimprove the house. I thought installing a garage was a big improvement and so was the back yard. The thing was he made a profit but he wasn't greedy about it. If he does 3 or 4 houses a yr like this he will be doing very well indeed. __________________ "When life gives you lemons, squirt lemon juice in your enemy's eyes."

09-12-2006, 05:16 PM	#140
mrnono FORT Newbie Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 3	Property Ladder house up for auction I found this link on moneycentral.msn.com in a story about Desperate home sellers, it's an auction for the Sacramento house. myebid.com/cgi-bin/auction/view?cmd=view&listingID=2113

09-03-2006, 05:59 PM	#132
kidswatcher FORT Newbie Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 13	Chandra was in way over her head. She didn't listen to Kirsten or Mike. Everytime Kirsten questioned her about the money she was spending, Chandra just gave her a look of don't question my judgement Those "custom cabinets" that she spent over $6000 for looked pretty basic to me. Maybe she should have stopped listening to the house talking to her and started listening to Kirsten. I don't blame Mike one bit for walking out and leaving her at Home Depot. The Home Depot employee who sold her those "custom cabinets" saw her coming! Did she even bother to do anything to the 1970's bathrooms? Where in the heck did she spend over $70,000?

09-04-2006, 02:28 AM	#134
MamaC addicted Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NY Age: 54 Posts: 2,362	At the end of the show there were a few updates written. First was that she lowered the price by 100G, down to $695,000....which was more in line with what the realtors said. The next "paragraph" was that it was still on the market.....and stated that she will be lucky if she breaks even on this flip. She had not sold the house and was still forking out $5000 a month in mortgage payments. (Did she pay off the 20G on her credit card when she refied or does she still have that debt outstanding?) What cracked me up was the last tidbit that said that she was looking for another house to "listen" too! Bearcata, I don't think she ever did repaint the exterior....it still looked pretty weird at the end of the show. And like you, I love comparing this show to Flip That House and seeing how experienced flippers know what to do and not do to make a sale. They kept to their budgets, kept to their timeline, and didn't do overkill. I wasn't crazy about the brick either; I think it closed in the room and it definitely had to have taken a lot of time to do that to the wall.

09-04-2006, 08:33 PM	#136
MamaC addicted Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: NY Age: 54 Posts: 2,362	Yes! I hated the whole black theme in the master bath! Yuck!

09-10-2006, 02:16 PM	#138
kidswatcher FORT Newbie Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 13	Property Ladder and Flip that House are the same show, but with different titles. What gives?