THE BEST HOME FLIPS IN PHOENIX

When you think of the land of opportunity, is Phoenix, Arizona the first place that comes to mind? This desert city is entering yet another growth cycle, with one of the best job economies in the country, with the average salary 20 percent higher than the national average. At the same time, median home prices are below the national average—at least for now. 

Phoenix is poised for another real estate boom, which points to rising home values. Real estate company Tomo analyzed the top home flips in the United States and found that Phoenix is a standout in multiple categories. With major tech companies and new residents eager to call Phoenix home, this is an attractive time to update and list your property.

Keep on the sunny side

The Phoenix metro area draws people from across the nation. Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike put down roots in this growing city. Top employers in Phoenix include Banner Health, American Express, Amazon, and Walmart—all of which are in growth cycles of their own. With a projected job increase of 48.2 percent over the next ten years, job seekers will continue to flow to Phoenix.

Many newcomers are arriving from larger cities like San Francisco, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Austin. These ultra competitive real estate markets make home ownership impossible for most working people. In Phoenix, however, buying property is a real option. The top five flips identified by Tomo shared all the elements of perfect starter homes:

• Renovated interior

• Low maintenance landscaping

• Access to freeways and public schools

• New weather proofing and appliances

• Great value and a fair price

Tomo found that the most successful home flips in Phoenix, AZ made the most of the properties’ attractive qualities. All these homes were complete home renovations. The top flip increased its sale price by 233 percent. In total, all five flips generated an increase to sales price of $1.2 million, and were flipped in as little as five months.

Put your best foot forward

Managing a successful home flip can feel overwhelming. However, identifying your property’s potential may be key to closing at more than double your purchase price. Open floor plans, new HVAC and interior climate control options, new windows, and other features attract buyers who want the most value for their money. Curb appeal is second to common sense in this market, especially when it comes to the weather.

Phoenix is a desert lover’s dream, with gorgeous sunsets, great restaurants, and constant sunshine. However, the climate can be intense for people who aren’t familiar with the Southwest. Summer temperatures make indoor comfort non-negotiable. Smart flips take this into account. You don’t have to install a solar panel in the front yard—but it might pay off!

The most valuable flips included brand-new renovations and installations that can handle 100-degree summers, but still keep cozy during the mild winters. Here are the top 5 listings that made our Best Flip list:

#5 1757 East Chambers Street

When style and solid design intersect, it’s a beautiful thing. This flip captures the best of both with brand-new hardware, a new air conditioning system, a new water heater, new windows, and more. A new roof and new exterior stucco add energy-saving elements as well. Inside, classy grey cabinetry, a gourmet kitchen with a backsplash and stainless steel appliances, and custom tiling throughout the home make this comfortable 3-bedroom property feel luxurious and roomy. With only a five-month renovation, this flip increased its value from $155K to $377K—a change of 143 percent.

#4 1823 East Harvard Street

Love the architecture of bygone decades? This 1930s home is pure Old Hollywood glamour, with black and white accents that showcase its vintage features. Originally purchased in 2023, the property underwent an extensive and total renovation, selling eight months later for $616K. The home’s fully upgraded interior plays to the black-and-white theme, with white quartz countertops and white subway tiling in the showers. A new roof and stucco, new windows, new air conditioning system, and covered parking took this classic beauty into the modern age.

#3 514 East Charleston Avenue

This fully renovated manufactured home offers plenty of room to grow, both inside and out. Located in a quiet, well located North Phoenix neighborhood, this flip features a spacious split master floor plan and two-car garage. A new HVAC unit, dual pane windows, and a large fenced yard offer privacy and protection—not to mention abundant space for trailers, boats, and slab parking. New stainless steel appliances and a new roof are the cherry on top. This home sold in 2022 for $142K. Post-flip, its price tag was 146 percent higher, closing at $350K.

#2 208 West Wier Avenue

The price tag on this charming flip only sweetens the deal. This 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home is perfect as a first home or investment property. Purchased for $110K in 2023, this home sold only five months later for $300K. The house has been painted in classic Southwest colors in and out. It sits inside a spacious fenced yard. The interior is fully renovated, with new tile flooring, two new full baths, and an all-new kitchen with new cabinets and backsplash. New air conditioning, new ceiling fans, and new windows with sunscreens help summer-proof this adorable home.

#1 2506 East Allan Street

While it may look humble from the sidewalk, this fully renovated home is incredibly classy inside. Its open living room is filled with natural light. The key word for this home is new, with brand-new floors, fresh paint, recessed lighting, ceiling fans, kitchen, bathrooms, and more. Best of all, the backyard showcases stunning mountain views of South Mountain. This home sold in 2023 for $90K, but after its flip, more than doubled its purchase price. Only six months later, it sold at $300K-233 percent above its initial purchase price.

Are you contemplating a total renovation? Want to make the most of Phoenix’s booming economy and overall growth trends? Now might be the time to flip. New buyers in Phoenix are looking for fully renovated homes with summer-smart upgrades that are built to last. 

Research the best neighborhoods in Pheonix for flipping to make the most of your investment. Want to see what not to do when flipping a home, check out Tomo’s House Flipping Flops. Or, want to get into the flipping market and not sure how, learn more with Tomo’s tips in House Flipping 101.

ACEVEDO DESIGNED ACEVEDO BUILT

A few weeks ago, Jose posted a photo of our newly finished product, the pergola! Acevedo designed and Acevedo build, the deck and the pergola are the newest additions to the FInding Arizona Home and we are one step closer to the wedding date and the backyard looking fabulous! I wanted to take this time to highlight the amazing team behind Pair of Aces. My amazing father in law and his business partner work so hard to deliver quality results and treat every project like it is apart of their home.

Our deck was the first project the Aces worked on. This gigantic 16x18ft deck was put up in 3 days and elevated the space in so many ways. We went from a 2x4ft plastic deck to a massive idahoan wood dance floor. I came home from work one day and had the pleasure of screwing in the last screw! Speaking of dance floor: it has been brought to my attention by a close friend, and professional that if you are attending the Finding AZ Wedding DO NOT wear skinny heels. Block heels, wedges and flats are preferred, not only for the deck, but the grass ceremony and gravel dinner. I am sure at one point all shoes will be off, but just a side note.

More recently, the pergola was designed and installed. I loved watched Jose use Sketchup to bring his design to life. I joked that the model in the photo looked just like him! Right?

After printing out measurements to the team, the Pair of Aces were off to work cementing in footings and getting all the wood we need to sand and stain. We wanted to work smarter so we sanded and sealed each piece of lumber prior to it going up. This meant late nights and sore muscles, but now that it is all up we are so glad we took the tame to protect the wood.

Each hour casts a different shadow on the pergola creating the most breathtaking shadows. Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in our library gazing out the sliding glass doors in awe of the hand crafted masterpiece. From the block wall, to the deck to the pergola all I want to do is hangout outside in the yard and admire. BUT of course in the pool, because we have officially hit triple digit teens in AZ!

Time to book your travel plans and pack your bathing suit. I fixed up the guest room for some amazing people staying with us in July, and of course, will shared the details on the blog here! No, it’s not a real Air BnB but it feels like paradise to us everyday.

XoXo

Britt

BUILD A WALL

Britt the Builder here! I earned the right to call myself this! I finally finished my wall! What started from a pinterest inspo, like most, turned into an amazing, one of a kind, art wall installation. We are in the thick of Finding AZ Engagement and we are putting some serious work in our backyard for the big day. One of the biggest projects I was excited to take on was a feature wall. Repurposed. Herringbone. DIY. These are all big buzz words I was ready to take head on and now that it’s over I can share, my blood, sweat and tears.

THIS is the exact screen shot I took scrolling through the gram one night! If you’re not following Young House Love you need to. Great book, podcast, page & people!

I had 2 major focuses for this project: The Budget and a Custom Design. First, I wanted to use all 100% repurposed wood! I started breaking apart pallets back in February using ones from work with our weekly shipments, then I would cruise the backside of Lowes for minis I could fit in my car. Towards the end of the March I found a craigslist post for a junkyard giving away pallets, but by the final weekend in April, I was pulling old fence posts from our pool pump station. Crowbarring wood from pallets may look easy. I YouTubed how to do it and the Salvage Sister didn’t even break a sweat. Let me tell you this is where most of the blood, sweat and tears came from. I used over 150 pieces of raw pallet boards.

Next, came the custom cuts. Using a Ryobi Hand Saw for the first time was an experience. Mostly because I am left handed. I mean, if you are right handed try using ANY power tool backwards! It is like relearning muscle memory. I sliced each board 3 inches wide (not knowing about standard / mill sizes) and then 30 inches long. After my first 7 boards my arms were tired. I have never worked out like this before. This process took the longest. From setting up and clamping each board, to measuring twice and cutting once. Once I ran out of boards and thought to purchase some at a local home improvement store. I was taken back because each 1 x 3 measure 1 x 2.5! So back to custom cutting! What felt like years late, I was ready to start nailing.

I watched video after video of installing a herringbone wall and it looked so easy. Some were using peel and stick, others had pre-measured boards, but none using repurposed pallet wood and custom slices. But, they all had one thing in common. Start from the middle. I measured my exact center. T squared it off and then used my protractor to find that 45 degree angle. Once the first board was up, it was just plug, level, and play. I used a powerful nail gun with air compressor. The only type for the job because my electrical one didn’t have nearly enough power! A time lapse and a few jumps in the pool later, the easy part was done.

Thankfully, my father showed up unexpected and unannounced from San Diego that evening and little did he know I was putting him to work on the wall the very next day! Custom sizing and recutting the outer edges came next. We had to place the board in the right puzzle place then measure twice where to make the cut. Using our Ryobi MIter Saw get the perfect 45 degree angle and make the cut. Literally every board is custom cut, some even twice. This overall took 3 days to get all the pieces up!

After the wall was up, I took our Ryobi electric belt sander to the wall to smooth out any splinters and prep the wood for paint. I chose 3 colors based on our home shades, wedding pallet, and inspo from the photo. The cream was from the “Oops” section of Home Depot. If you don’t know about this section anytime a paint color is mixed and rejected or returned unopened it immediately goes on sale and is set in a clearance section right near the pain counter. This gallon was originally was $35 and I got it for $13.98. The perfect color match too! To simplify the paint project I primed the entire wall with this color to start. Two solid coats, then I could begin taping for the next color. “Rockspring Green,” from Glidden was the name of the next color. I taped off every 3rd board, following the design from the photo and began applying. After the green came “Almost Pink,” another Glidden color. I purchased quart amounts for these two colors and paid the same amount for each quart as I did for my gallon. I also trusted my hand and my paint brush to apply the pink free handedly. No tape, no more patience. The pink is not as pink as I would have liked, but too pink would have been too much!

Now we get to admire it, and when I step back and look at my work of art I cannot help but smile. I created it! From vision to conception. I feel like I can take on any project now. Would I create another custom herringbone wall? Yes! So if you’re in the market, hire me!

XoXo

Britt the Builder

PLANTING THE SEEDS

Time for an episode of This Old House with Brose. If you have been watching my weekend insta stories then you know we have been tackling a project every Saturday and Sunday. February, being a wet month, helped and hurt us in the home renno section. It helped because we were able to actually dig and get through the tough soil, but hurt because the rain soaked everything. But, overall, the month of February was dedicated to our front yard curb appeal Phase I: Winter Grass.

I'll be breaking down our step by step guide from hot mess to no stress when it comes to sprinklers, tilling, and seeding. All you need is an afternoon, a couple tools, and grit.

We purchased a tiller on Offer Up, which we highly recommend as homeowners on a budget. Why buy new when you can negotiate from someone who maybe only used what you need only one time? Grass seed, lawn food and a hand held spreader are reasonably priced and sprinkler heads are just a few bucks. We purchased one bag of rock and two bags of manure, but you can easily find for free on Craigslist and used our compost dirt from our own backyard to top top it all off!

After the materials were laid out we began the work. First, we removed all the weeds and pulled any current shrubs we wanted to move or remove.

PRO TIP: Any plants you don’t have a space for, replant in a large pot and save for later. It’s also great to have to mobility and flexibility of beautiful foliage.

Next, we mapped out the sprinkler system. We were fortunate to have purchased a home that already had it installed, but we had to replace the heads and make sure the pipes were level and had proper drainage. After hand digging around each head I added rocks and replaced with new heads. Jose began tilling the entire yard while I replanted our rose bushes for a more welcoming entryway.

PRO TIP: If you have a plant overgrown, like a succulent, dig out smaller plants and roots and replant indoor or outdoors. We turned one large agave into 6 smaller curb appeal plants lining the house.

Honestly, tools like the hand help spreader made seeding the grass effortless. We also did the research to get the proper seed that didn’t need to be aerated and also won’t just be bird feed. We purchased the Scotts Heat Tolerant Blue Mix Grass Seed. After spreading it we added grass food and manure. Then, we took our compost mixture from our backyard and spread all the throughout the mix.

Now we wait. Watering every 3 days in the winter and making sure the frost doesn’t kill us is our biggest struggle now, but we are literally just watching grass grow. Less than $100 and a weekend later we have the seeds planted for a beautiful front yard. Our next phase includes adding planters and pavers to really create that curb appeal. Stay tuned.

XoXo

Britt