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Terek and Heather go their separate ways on a flip.
Tarek and Heather El Moussa have had decidedly mixed results with their flipping projects on their new show, “The Flipping El Moussas.” They’ve had one profitable flip, one money-losing flop, and one project that’s still on the market.
So it’s actually a bit of a nail-biter when, on the latest episode, Heather goes her own way and spearheads her first solo flip.
In “There’s a New Flipper in Town,” she takes on a 1970s contemporary in Anaheim with three bedrooms, two baths, and 1,968 square feet—all without Tarek’s help.
Granted, she does use Tarek’s money. His company bought the property for $860,000, and he budgets $200,000 for the renovation. But she is so confident that everything she’s learned from him so far will pull her through, she actually locks Tarek out of the house when he comes to check on her project!
So does her bravado pay off? Check out how Heather handles her first solo flip, and see what she (and we) learned this week.
An updated railing makes a huge difference Stair railing before
(HGTV)
One of the first things that greets you when you walk in the front door is the staircase, and Heather has big plans for it.
“You know that railing going up the stairs? Heather asks Tarek as she shows him her plans for the place. “It has to go. It’s so dated. I want to do a new railing, and it’s going to be about $3,500.”
Tarek believes that’s a win. He thinks Heather can give the living room a whole new look for $7,000, and the railing is a big part of that. He encourages her to go for it and is over the moon with the results.
Stair railing after
(HGTV)
Make the most out of that giant loft space at the top of the stairs Loft space at the top of the stairs
(HGTV)
You know how some houses have a spacious loft area at the top of the stairs, and they call it a “bonus room?” We’ve always wondered how that works. It’s really just a big, open space overlooking the living room—with very little privacy.
The previous owners made it into sort of a den area with built-in cabinets and shelving, but that’s not really the best use of space.
Heather has other plans for it. She’ll wall up the open space to the downstairs, add a closet and bath, and voila: It’s a primary suite!
None of the bedrooms in the house have their own bathrooms. So she remedies that in the loft space by adding a bedroom and bath, making a previously useless space highly valuable. The house can now be listed as having four bedrooms and three baths. Smart move, Heather!
The closed-off loft space is now a primary suite.
(HGTV)
Never let a bathroom door open to the toilet The first thing you see when you walk into this bathroom is the toilet.
(HGTV)
The downstairs bathroom definitely has some serious design problems, including one surprisingly common one: once you open the door and walk in, you could fall into the commode.
“I didn’t like the bathroom opening right to the toilet,” Heather says, explaining her plans for the space to Tarek. “We moved everything.”
Afterward, the door opens to the sink, and the toilet is behind a pocket door. It’s so much more elegant.
A more elegant and private bathroom
There’s nothing wrong with a red roof Renovated home with red-tile roof left intact
(HGTV)
“When you drive up, I just feel like it’s such an eyesore,” Heather complains to Tarek, commenting on the distinctive, red-tile roof that so many California homes have. “Can we just paint that? Or is that going to be a big problem?”
“No, we can’t just paint it,” their contractor Jeff explains later. First, it will need to be power-washed, then painted, and that process will cost about $7,000.
Yet it turns out there are some structural issues with the house that are forcing the project way over budget, so Heather opts not to paint the roof after all and save that extra cash.
When Tarek sees the red, red roof for the first time since the house was finished, he has some thoughts.
“Oh my gosh!” he exclaims. “The house looks really cute. Honestly, I’m just going to say it, I’m glad we didn’t paint the roof. I think it looks great.”
Gray is on its way out, warm is on its way in Warm-toned alcove
(HGTV)
While discussing the flooring, Heather’s designer Rejoy offers up a great option.
“I found this material that’s $2 per square foot that fits into the budget,” Rejoy says. “It’s got some warmth to it. It’s got some gray tones to it, too; but then you can also see some of the warm, golden tones. Because as you know, gray’s been smoking hot for awhile, but people are really wanting to see more warm tones.”
Is Heather’s first flip a flop?
Heather is a little nervous when the house is finally completed (several weeks ahead of schedule). But at last, she lets Tarek in to see the finished product. She knows she’s done a bang-up job—the house is gorgeous! But she’s gone over the original renovation budget by almost $20,000.
When he’s finally allowed inside, Tarek’s eyes pop.
“You just took on a four-bedroom, three-bath, almost 2,000-square-foot house in a high-end neighborhood in Orange County, completely by yourself, and you absolutely knocked this out of the park!” he declares happily. “You beat the deadline, you crushed the design, this house has the cool factor!”
To price the home for sale, Tarek adds the purchase price of $860,000 to the costs of renovation, holding, closing, and commission and comes up with a break-even price of $1.15 million. He believes they’ll easily have multiple offers if they list at $1.299 million.
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Watch: Exclusive: Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent Open Up About Their Own Struggles With Design
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But Heather has yet another surprise up her sleeve. She already has a buyer: the mother of the stylist who does her hair. Heather knows that if they sell to this person, they’ll be able to avoid extra marketing, holding, and staging-rental costs—plus she gets to keep the commission!
They end up selling the house to Heather’s buyer for $1.285 million, making a profit of $135,000. That’s the most they’ve made on a flip together so far.
Which begs the question: Might Heather be a better flipper than Tarek?
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This article was originally published by a www.realtor.com . Read the Original article here. .