This is the consensus from most home remodeling experts; You can make more money on a really cheap house that you turn into a nice house than a nice house that you turn into a premium house. All those expensive upgrades don’t offer nearly as much return on your investment as fixing a cracked foundation does. For most people, this means hiring workers, or having a lot of help.  The more people you get involved, the more coordination is required. You’ll have to keep very close tabs on plumbers, electricians and handymen — or hire a general contractor (which means a big increase in your budget).  Think local. If you’re remodeling a house in Massachusetts, use clapboard, not adobe bricks. The closer to home you stick for materials, the more experts you’ll be able to find to help you install them.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. First-time flippers may see dollar signs when they think about buying multiple properties, but problems can quickly turn into bankruptcy if you’re using one house’s equity to pay for another’s repairs. Plus, each home requires attention, and unless you’re quitting your day job — which the experts also don’t recommend for newbies — you will probably have plenty to do for one house without thinking about your next flip.  However long you think the renovation will take and whatever you estimate it will cost, just understand that it will probably be much costlier and more time-consuming.  Nearly every upgrade you skimp on will haunt you, remodelers warn. From cheap carpet to cheap electricians, quality of workmanship is something that flippers cannot fake in a softening market.