Cape Homes Blog

We Flipped This Condo for $28K: Here’s Where the Money Went

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:10:43 GMT

We Flipped This Condo for $28K:

Here’s Where the Money Went

Can you really renovate an entire condo for $28,000 ? That was the challenge with this flip. After purchasing the property for $256,000 , Scott and Kristyn had a clear goal: make smart improvements, move quickly and get the property back on the market in roughly 45 days with a target list price of $345,000 . That meant knowing where to spend and where not to spend. One of the biggest examples was a massive 9-foot sliding glass door. Instead of accepting a roughly $7,000 replacement quote, they found a creative $3,200 solution that saved about $3,800 . They also salvaged existing countertops where it made sense and used epoxy to give bathroom fixtures a fresh look without automatically replacing everything.

That’s the side of flipping houses that can get lost in the dramatic before-and-afters. A successful flip isn't necessarily about choosing the most expensive finishes; it's about making hundreds of decisions that keep the renovation moving while protecting the numbers. For this project, $256,000 purchase + $28,000 renovation + a 45-day turnaround created the strategy behind getting the condo ready for a potential $345,000 retail list price . And sometimes the smartest decision on a flip isn't what you add. It's figuring out what you can save.

The Nastiest Flip Ever: What Had to Come Down Before This House Could Come Back

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 03:32:11 GMT

The Nastiest Flip Ever:

What Had to Come Down Before This House Could Come Back

Before you can create a beautiful open-concept kitchen, sometimes you have to tear apart almost everything standing in your way. This Virginia Beach hoarder house was cramped, chopped up and anything but functional, so demolition wasn’t just about ripping out old cabinets and flooring. Walls had to come down, the segmented layout had to be completely rethought, and every single roof joist needed to be replaced . Add broken glass, debris and years of accumulated mess, and this quickly became one of those flips where the “before” was every bit as crazy as it looked on camera.

But demolition is also where the fun starts. Opening the layout created room for a large, flowing kitchen with an open peninsula and sightlines that completely changed how the home would live. And even surrounded by construction chaos, the design debates had already begun including whether the existing brick should be whitewashed or painted solid . That’s the part of flipping you don't always see in a finished reveal: every beautiful “after” starts with a lot of dust, a few debates and some very big decisions about what stays, what goes and what this house has the potential to become.

From Hoarder House to Waterfront Oasis: Inside a $175,000 Virginia Beach Transformation

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 22:43:00 GMT

From Hoarder House to Waterfront Oasis:

Inside a $175,000 Virginia Beach Transformation

What do you do with a Virginia Beach house that looks like it may be too far gone to save?

You see what everyone else can’t.

This project started as a true hoarder house, with an overgrown yard hiding the waterfront view and a renovation list that went far beyond new flooring and fresh paint. Scott and Kristyn took on a massive $175,000 top-to-bottom transformation , rebuilding the roof and rafters, relocating the electrical panel, clearing years of growth from the property, and essentially giving this home a second life.

But the details are what took it from simply “fixed” to a home someone would actually want to live in. Kristyn brought warmth back into the space with Alabaster White walls and an Evergreen Fog entry door , while thoughtful custom touches including a 6'5" shower head made the finished home feel anything but cookie-cutter. The biggest surprise may have been outside: once the overgrowth disappeared, so did the feeling that this was the same property they started with. Located in Virginia Beach’s sought-after Kings Grant school district , the finished home was positioned to list around $475,000–$500,000 .

It’s the kind of transformation that perfectly explains why we call it I’d Flip That .

What HGTV Doesn’t Show You About Flipping Houses

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 12:10:13 GMT

What HGTV Doesn’t Show You About Flipping Houses

On TV, you buy the house, swing a sledgehammer, pick out countertops and reveal a gorgeous kitchen.

In real life?

There might be termites behind that wall. Flipping houses can absolutely be fun, but the finished reveal is only a tiny part of the story. There’s demo, budgets, delays, weird discoveries, plans that change halfway through, and plenty of moments when we look at each other and wonder what we just got ourselves into. We’ve dealt with everything from unexpected repair costs to termite surprises, and we’ve learned that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just add it to the “Oh Sh*t Fund.” We’re a husband-and-wife team flipping houses together in Hampton Roads, and I’d Flip That is about showing the whole process the good decisions, the expensive ones, the before-and-afters, and everything that happens before the pretty reveal.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Flip a House in Hampton Roads?

Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:26:47 GMT

How Much Does It Really Cost to Flip a House in Hampton Roads?

Everyone wants to know how much money you can make flipping a house.

We’ve learned the better question is: how much is this thing actually going to cost us?

The purchase price is only the beginning.

Once we start a flip, there’s demo, materials, labor, repairs, upgrades, and usually at least one expense we didn’t see coming. On our Ocean View project, what sounds like a simple change, replacing a sliding glass door with a door and window ended up costing about $3,500 .

That’s why we believe every flip needs what we lovingly call the “Oh Sh*t Fund.”

You can plan, price and budget all you want, but old houses have a way of keeping a few secrets.

The goal isn’t to avoid every surprise; it’s to know your numbers well enough that a surprise doesn’t sink the flip .

We Bought a House Sight Unseen in Norfolk, VA…Here’s What Happened

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 11:52:09 GMT

We Bought a House Sight Unseen in Norfolk, VA…Here’s What Happened

Buying a house is stressful enough when you’ve actually walked through it.

We bought this one without ever stepping inside.

Sometimes flipping houses means taking a calculated risk, and our Ocean View flip was definitely one of those times. We bought this Norfolk property sight unseen, knowing there was potential but also knowing there could be plenty waiting for us once we got inside. And there was. Demo, unexpected repairs, changing plans, and those expenses that somehow never show themselves until the work begins became part of the story. But that’s also what we love about flipping: taking a property with problems and figuring out what it could be.

Would we buy another house sight unseen?

Ask us when this one is finished.

Cape Homes Blog

We Flipped This Condo for $28K: Here’s Where the Money Went

We Flipped This Condo for $28K:

﻿ Here’s Where the Money Went

The Nastiest Flip Ever: What Had to Come Down Before This House Could Come Back

The Nastiest Flip Ever:

﻿ What Had to Come Down Before This House Could Come Back

From Hoarder House to Waterfront Oasis: Inside a $175,000 Virginia Beach Transformation

From Hoarder House to Waterfront Oasis:

Inside a $175,000 Virginia Beach Transformation

What HGTV Doesn’t Show You About Flipping Houses

What HGTV Doesn’t Show You About Flipping Houses

How Much Does It Really Cost to Flip a House in Hampton Roads?

How Much Does It Really Cost to Flip a House in Hampton Roads?

We Bought a House Sight Unseen in Norfolk, VA…Here’s What Happened

We Bought a House Sight Unseen in Norfolk, VA…Here’s What Happened

Here’s Where the Money Went

What Had to Come Down Before This House Could Come Back