Does the Housing Market Affect House Flipping Success?

very news story published these days related to the real estate and housing market seems to predict doom and gloom. Property prices diving, out of this world foreclosure rates, mortgage meltdowns, and stagnating market articles dominate the headlines. As a real estate entrepreneur, shouldn’t this information keep you awake at night? Shouldn’t it make you rethink getting into house flipping in the first place? Shouldn’t it cause some serious concerns?

The short answer, to put it plainly, is not really. The housing market should have little to do with your achievement as a house flipper. Your success as a flipper depends on many things: buying undervalued homes; making correct improvements; keeping costs low; making your property the best in its neighborhood; but it does not depend on the market itself.

Why then, are all the house flippers saying the sky is falling and the business is doomed? Because they aren’t in this business with the right mindset. They are speculators, hoping to buy a property and let the market itself increase the value. When the market stops going up, these individuals unexpectedly see their profit dry up (or turn into huge debt) and they think the flipping business is finished. When the market stops increasing for flippers, it can be a bonus, as the price for buying properties stops going up, which means really great home become more affordable, which means the market for the less desirable homes becomes saturated, and all of a sudden you have your pick of the litter. Your opportunities for success can actually go up in a stagnant or declining housing market.

If you are beginning in this business your perspective should be one of creating equity. See your property flip as an opportunity to take something that is not worth much, add something to it, and provide it to someone who will pay top dollar. It shouldn’t matter that the market itself is not appreciating in value, because you are creating value and equity completely separate and apart from the market!

Remember this any time a naysayer tells you your real estate dreams are far-fetched. You don’t need market increases to flourish. All market increases do is boost your profit margins. All you really need is the right property in the right neighborhood that needs the right fixes. Find those three things and it doesn’t matter what the market does, you can be successful.