Flip or Flop

Tarek getting upset when the contractor tells him the galvanized pipes are clogged. First of all any Flip that you expect to get 400,000 or better should get new plumbing when there are cheap galvanized pipes used. How can he look upset really pisses me off when if he was a reputable builder he would change out all those pipes as a matter of practice. Also the electrical panels same thing when they encounter crap. Yet he always has to appear coming to the conclusion to replace kicking and screaming about his budget. And reputable. So if you want to educate people in renovations at least present a proper way to do it.

After sampling several over-produced 1 hour house flipping shows that are typically padded with made-up story lines, bad acting and more hype than help, I found this show to be a breath of fresh air! It gives a lot of useful insights into the industry for buyer and seller alike. I'm a California native who would love to "go home" except for the cost of living. If I ever win the lottery or inherit a fortune from a secret rich uncle, I'd be there in a minute. Until then it's interesting to be reminded just how much more of a house I can get by choosing location wisely.

The show also serves to show just how much money can be saved through sweat equity. Although I've never flipped a house, I have fixed up old cars for resale. That experience has shown me how a little knowledge and a lot of initiative can pay/save big money! I see them doing a lot of the labor themselves, which is the not-so-secret secret of their success. Oh, to be young again!

I do have a gripe with the half-hour format of the show, and others like it. There's just too much story to cram into barely over 20 minutes after commercials! This show really could use a full hour time slot.

In the same way video shot containing failed offers and lost auctions would be edited out of the show, the show would gravitate towards footage containing the more complex and challenging flips because that will naturally bring more interesting content. When flipping houses, complexity and challenges usually result in a higher cost of repair so that should mean the net profit should be lower than one of their uneventful and unaired typical flips.

But this is not what we see. Instead, in usual reality TV flipping drama, we have Ken and Barbie fretting about losing money only for the final minute to show they actually made $50-$100K. Every time. This simply cannot be true and here is why:

In a number of shows they have mentioned that they have a number of other flips in progress simultaneously. The ones we see usually take 4-8 weeks to complete and net around $50-$100K. Also in a number of shows they try to make it sound as if they are stretched thin, borrow money from relatives, and act as if one unprofitable flip will force them into poverty. The only way this could be true is if they either lose money on houses we do not see or make a minimal amount on a typical flip. At any rate, I want to see that. I want to see why a house failed to flip profitably! I think that would be extremely educational and be a far more interesting show than one where we already know the ending!

It's like watching an episode of Gilligan's Island where they have a chance on getting rescued. C'mon, even if the show was airing new you know they aren't getting rescued.

I'm not some airhead socialist condemning someone their right to earn their profit, but I do want to see the truth in now successful these flips really are so that the faux financial drama that is put into the show at least feels real. The show where they asked Barbie's father for a $15,000 loan and then cut to break as we sat on the edge of our seats waiting to find how what happened is a bit much.

The amount of nastiness and hatred toward Tarek and Christina on this site is astonishing. As to predictions that they show won't be on long, it's not only been on since 2013, Christina and Tarek now each have separate shows on top of Flip or Flop.

I guess we just live in a world where people need to focus their hostility on something. Let's see - I've read they always make money. So in other words, you've watched what - one show? They have lost money, they have gotten no offers by the time the show ends, they've had no one show up at an open house.

Also what makes any of you think these people do one flip at a time? They have as many as ten going at a time. Despite what you might think, they do know what they're doing.

I've read the prices they buy these flips for are exorbitant. This is southern California - of course the prices are ridiculous! And I've read that they do no sweat equity themselves. Again, you've only watched one episode. They certainly do.

On a show like this, the "surprises" etc. that are shown on a property - they certainly know about them before the cameras start rolling, otherwise, there would be no show. And yes, they go over budget - on the particular flips they show. Again, no drama without it. They have made a ton of money.

I happen to think Christina is a good designer. I love people saying she isn't one. Then how are the houses getting done? And how is she doing designing on a second show?

Not successful? Live in a tract home? Uh, no, they don't. They run a huge business, have a large home which has been shown, and they make a lot of money.

I had a friend on one of these shows - it went pretty well like you see on TV but full price was not paid for the products purchased. That's to the person who complained about them getting things cheaply. These home shows do.

Once they divorced, the hatred toward this couple doubled, intimating that Tarek should check the paternity of their second child. That is disgusting, especially considering she had to have in vitro fertilization.

I watch these shows to see the finished product - I like looking at something that looks great coming from nothing. I don't watch them so I can trash the people doing them and call them con artists. Look up their business on google, and you'll see they're hardly that. They're also hugely popular.

I enjoy watching this show but mainly because I live in Southern California where all these flips are being done so it appeals to me since it's close to home. I do agree with others that Christina's Valley Girl way of talking is incredibly annoying and I wish someone would encourage her to change it, if only for her daughter's sake. From what I can see on the show, she and Tarek are decent people, trying to earn a good living for their little girl and their relationship seems easy and comfortable. I'm glad that this couple get along rather than bicker and roll their eyes at each other on camera. They may seem fake to viewers but I think they're just being themselves and I like that they don't put on a big show. The formula is good in that respect. I don't like seeing them drive around in their status- symbol Escalade and I do get tired of how much make-up she wears. She's young and doesn't need it! Anyway, I think the renovations they make re very fun to watch but I doubt they're getting them done for the amounts they state, unless they receive deep discounts from the network or the sponsors. The most interesting thing about the show to me is seeing them fix up dilapidated houses in bad areas high in crime that sell for $400,000! That's the essence of SoCal! Most of the houses on this show are ridiculously overpriced and even renovated aren't worth half of what they sell for because the cities and neighborhoods are terrible places to live and usually only a few blocks away from gang lands.