In some cases the kitchens are still on good condition. In most cases though, you can actually do away with them because they simply suck. They were awfully planned and designed – if and if they were planned at all – and they will only cost you money. But take note that they can boost your rehab home profit if done right.

Here are two ideas you can use when rehabbing or creating an outdoor kitchen. The first one is making sure water and electrical lines are working. You cannot spend too much time, effort, or money repairing pipes and electrical cords. Plumbing is expensive and electrical lines require pros because of the danger involved. If they are a mess and repairing or installing them would be too much of a burden, Fred and family would have to do with the indoor kitchen.

The other idea for rehabbing outdoor kitchens is installing a new grill. What’s the use of an outdoor kitchen without barbecue? It can do without an expensive, two-door, stainless steel fridge but never without a decent stove and a grill.

And as a final reminder (so that makes them 3 ideas! Sorry, my bad) you can use an outdoor fire pit to complement your rehab homes. Although not a replacement for a grill, it can be used as a focal point of the outdoor kitchen during summer nights.

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Such was the inspiration for this entry on cleaning mossy roofs. A home rehab, in some cases, needs a little cleaning on its crowning glory. No need to replace those shingles. But moss is definitely not a turn on and thus, you should take it away from the picture. If you’re going to use a cleaning solution, use non-toxic oxygen bleach. Mix it with water and apply it on the roof. Leave it for 15-20 minutes and grab a brush. If some of it is left, repeat the procedure.

Remember why I recommended non-toxic oxygen bleach? One is yours truly is a bit “green” and this is an environmentally safe product. It won’t harm metal gutters. After the solution flows into to the gutter and onto the lawn, you won’t be damaging the greens as well. Now that’s a friendly cleaning solution.

But in some cases though, cleaning simply won’t do. That is why you, or at least your contractor, must be capable of patching some shingles. But to avoid this hassle, simple avoid such houses unless they are a real homerun deal overall.

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That is why you should strive to learn more about getting flipping property leads. Leads, as you know are the name and email address, and possibly phone number, of the people who visit your website. It basically is the “spark.” It is the start of a probable deal.

One way of getting leads online is by having a website, or at least a landing page. You know what a website is. A landing page, also known as a squeeze page, is where visitors land when they type your URL. It’s not a full blown website. Basically it is a webpage where visitors only have two choices: to leave their lead (name and email) or exit.

The purpose of the squeeze page is to basically milk the lead. When doing so, be sure to state clearly why you want their information. For instance, tell them that you buy houses and if they want to sell their property, all they need to do is to enter their name and email and you will contact them. Another technique used by those who are flipping properties is they offer something free, perhaps an eBook that has something to do with foreclosure or selling houses. If they want the eBook, they might have an issue with selling and you can take it from there.

And of, Forbes’ list of richest Americans is out. Bill Gates is No.1 again. No surprise yours truly is typing this on an MS Word.

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Let it be clear, in the spirit of full disclosure, that yours truly is not from Durham and does not sell properties there. But based on what Yahoo! says, the place might be a good farm for those who are fixing and flipping houses targeting retirees.

The site says that in Durham, “Homes are affordable, the area is dotted with golf courses and parkland, and the region is home to a renowned university medical center.” Well if all this sounds like retirement to you, then it’s something you might want to check out. Here at Rehab Real Estate, we also are fond of topics related to retirement – which many of us are looking forward to anyway.

And if the college town, you might fear, only appeals to students, that would depend on how you define students. Duke University has a senior learning program where most courses are held on campus. Yep, on campus. And now for the mini flipping home tip.

As an investor friend from New York said, if you’re going to invest money in your business, make sure your mind gets some of it. In short, invest in your education, be it in flipping homes, real estate investing, marketing, or whatever. Knowledge is something you can use over and over again and yield the same results.

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According to the news, households had a net worth of $53.5 trillion in the second quarter of the year, down by $1.5 trillion. Some experts said households would have to acquire 23% more of their current net worth – which is assets less debt – to be able to reach their pre-recession peak. Now I’m not saying it’s all possible through rehabbing houses.

In fact, in this particular post, I would like to downgrade the home rehab business into a tool. That’s right, imagine a set of pliers in your toolbox. You see, this real estate investing business is not for everyone. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. Know what rehabbing houses is?

It’s just a tool; somewhat a more complicated machine that’s not supposed to be driven by everyone. And if rehabbing houses were a car, it’d be a Cadillac (although admittedly a lot of Americans look up to European luxury cars more).

In the shortest sense of it all, this real estate investing business can take you far in life. It can help you recover that 23% your household needs to take your net worth back to its pre-recession peak. The driving, however, will have to depend on you. Doing rehab homes is one heck of profitable business that’s for people who can take action.

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Take the case of Coca-Cola, this year’s No. 1 in the Top 100 Global Brands list by Interbrand. “They are ruthlessly consistent in the way they deliver their brand. They are a fantastic case study about how to do it properly,” Interbrand group CEO Jez Frampton said. And boy is he right. This applies to rehabbing houses.

What do you remember when you see a contour bottle, or even a woman with a body of that shape? What do you remember when you see a red soft drink can? That’s how strong the Coke brand is. This is true anywhere in the globe. I met this friend from the Philippines and I remember him saying when we saw a Latina with hourglass figure: “Now that’s a Coca-Cola” body.

Look at Coke’s campaign through the years and you’ll see a lot of changes in their marketing and branding strategies. You’ll also notice that some things actually never change. If we can harvest this powerful branding and implement it in our house rehabbing business, it would surely make an impact on your profits. It’ll also make sure you stay long enough in the business to make your own mark and leave a legacy. Can you imagine it? Your kids continuing with the brand you built. Now that’s something right?

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If mortgage is low in Austin, then it is an attractive place to be flipping homes. Whether wholesaling houses or rehabbing homes, the city shows promise; at least if we look at the monthly mortgage. According to an online report by U.S. News, the monthly mortgage in Austin, taking the home price median of $197,000 as an example, would be $782! Of course, that’s after making a down payment of around $39,400.

Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the low mortgage payments will actually convince home buyers to purchase homes in Austin. In fact, recent news shows that mortgage interest rates have failed to spur home demand. However, this very low monthly payments also mean that the median price is low. If the median price is low, then prices are relatively lower in most Austin properties. Undervalued properties =  profit opportunities. This is a chance for those who want to try flipping homes in Texas.

What do you know, people might just start buying homes in Austin once they start hearing about the unbelievably low. Here are the other nine cities in the list. The monthly mortgage contribution for these cities was computed using the same formula. Sarasota, Fla.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix, Ariz.; Columbia, S.C.; Boise, Idaho; Pittsburgh; Atlanta. Flipping homes in these cities seems pretty interesting.

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In real estate investing, pros call it an exit strategy but really it’s just a back-up plan. Sometimes Plan B. Basically, it’s something that you can effectively do to save the deal from being a total wreck. And when you’re in the fix and flip business, or even just in wholesaling houses, you should have one or two exit strategies.

If memory serves this old man right, there have been a few posts about this exit strategy here in this section. But the best way actually to avoid having to resort to a back-up plan is to simply make your main plan as foolproof as possible. Therefore, if you’re rehabbing houses, be sure to determine what your main intentions are. They are: to buy a property as low as possible, rehab it, and then resell it as high as possible.

Perhaps one of the better options should the house stay too long in the market is just to open it as a rental. Of course you should only use this if the market is a viable rental market. For instance, you can’t expect it to work as a rental in neighborhood where the norm is owning a property. But if you’re in an area where there are a number of apartments, you can stand out and offer the single family home as a rental. Hope this helps friends.

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This is one method of lead generation that is often overlooked by investors, especially those who lack courage to talk to other people. But when you are in the fix and flip business, or rehabbing in other words, you must explore all possible sources of deals. Landlords are actually some of them.

Picture this scenario. You’re driving around downtown and you spot a property that has all the signs of obvious neglect: overgrown lawn, chipping paint, dusty windows. But when looked closer, you saw that “for rent” sign erected on the yard. What you do is drive away, thinking it is for rent and not for sale. You’re driving the wrong way, Fred!

If you’re a landlord and you let the property rot like that, it only means that you don’t care much about it now. Perhaps you want to have if repaired and refurbished but you just don’t have the money. One thing is for sure: it’s giving you a headache because it’s vacant and rundown, and therefore is not cash flowing. This type of landlord – the tired and frustrated type – is actually a motivated seller.

So if you’re into the fix and flip business, call the landlord nevertheless. Tell him you’re a local investor who’s into rehabbing houses and ask him if he might be interested in selling the property. You won’t realize the power of “for rent” signs unless you try them! Happy investing.

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Here at Rehab Real Estate, as you may have noticed if you’re a follower, surveys about colleges always come out here. Although not directly related to real estate investing and flipping a house, it’s undeniably one of the strongest driving forces for investors – their children’s education that is. And recently, there was this feature on the World’s Most Beautiful College Campuses. And at the end, you’ll see some of your options when investing in these areas.

Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio topped the list. One of the mentors in the school described it as “a small place to think big thoughts.” Oxford University in Oxford, England was No. 2. The campus hosts the 1737-built Radcliffe Camera, which is considered the “most covetable university building in the world.” Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. completes the top 3.

What are your options when flipping a house near these college campuses? Well, one thing you can do is to rehab it and then rent it per room. That means putting two or more people in the same house, much like a boarding house. You can flip it to rehabbers. You can also rehab it on your own and sell it to private home owners. The important thing is that you consider the demands of the specific market you are in. “Moving” houses is easier is you’re simply providing what your buyer is looking for.

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