Why You Shouldn’t Fix and Flip Houses Like They Do On HGTV
Not one.
Or two, three, four, five…
Since last December, it’s been six.
Six different reality TV production companies have contacted Manny and I over the last 7 months. Their agents find our videos on YouTube and say they want to do an interview and cast us in our own show.
We came close (sort of) in January. A successful production company with 5 programs on HGTV interviewed us in person, then again on Skype, and then asked us to sign a show development agreement. We were told they’d create a “sizzle reel” and present it to the executives at the network.
Two months later, crickets. No contact at all.
Apparently, HGTV already had shows in development with other house flippers in Phoenix and Milwaukee. So, we were out.
Through this process, Manny and I have learned a lot about what the networks are looking for in a house-flipping duo (and what they don’t want in a house-flipping duo).
The Stereotypical House Flipping Duo
Of course, they prefer the partners be related (cousins, brothers, husband and wife). And since I’m not going to marry Manny, we don't fit the mold.
TV networks also like it when one of the partners is very attractive, like looks good in a hot pink tank top and skin-tight yoga pants while painting a wall, attractive. So, needless to say, we don’t qualify. I mean I look terrible in a tank top!
However, we’ve come to the conclusion that THE biggest reason we’re not getting very far in these interviews is that Manny and I don’t actually do ANY of the work at our houses.
None.
Think about it…
How many reality shows have you seen where the fix and flip partners wield sledgehammers, cordless drills, saws, nail guns and paint brushes?
That’s right. All of them.
Don’t Be Like HGTV
One of the first questions we’re asked by these casting agents is “Do you do any of the work at the properties?”
The answer is always no.
Well, we occasionally help out with the demolition because it’s fun. But, besides that, we don’t do any work at our projects.
As I sit here writing this article, Manny and I have 7 projects underway, 6 of them in Milwaukee and 1 of them in Phoenix. We’ve built a scalable fix and flip business in two states using systems that don’t require us to be involved in the day-to-day operations.
It’s not physically possible to rehab that many houses at once and be the person responsible for laying tile or installing kitchen cabinets.
And it’s insane to believe it makes any sense for Manny or I to be the Realtor listing our finished properties for sale. By the end of 2017 we’ll have closed more than 30 deals. Neither of us wants to handle all the transactional paperwork involved in selling these homes.
Yuck.
Our Goal for You
While doing all the work may make for great TV, it’s not good for our bottom line.
You see if you’re going to make your business fixing and flipping houses, then you need to work ON the business, not in it.
It may seem creative, fun, and even sexy, to renovate houses by yourself. But that’s a hobby, not a business. Our goal for you, and all of our students, is to build an operation that runs on its own without you having to roll paint or hang window blinds.
That means building a fix and flip team with Realtors, contractors, inspectors and designers that can do the work for you.
Check this video to learn how to put your own fix and flip team together.
With this approach, you can put away the sledgehammer and retire the nail gun.
Best of all, there will be no need for any yoga pants. Not many people look good in them anyway.
