Flipped Homes Becoming Commonplace in North Torrance

By Keith Kyle

You don’t have to look far to see that investor owned “flipped” houses are a significant portion of the active home listings in North Torrance. Investors have long sought out homes in this area as many homes, most built post WWII in the late 1940’s and 1950’s, have not been updated in any significant way but are usually well built and structurally in good shape. Those factors, along with great schools and highly sought after neighborhoods, have made North Torrance a fairly ideal market with low inventory and prices on the rise since early 2013. Gone are the days of distressed sales and short sales, so the margins have grown much tighter but given the demand, expect to see an abundance of remodel and flipped property in 2015.  Below are just a few of the recent flips but there are certainly others and will be more coming to the market.   Contact us about any of these homes, to find out about upcoming remodels or to look for potential investment/”as is” opportunities.

For Sale at $594 - 400sq feet added
For Sale at $594,ooo – 400 sq feet added
Sold in 2012 for $270
Sold in 2012 for $270,000

3318 Artesia Blvd.

For Sale at $624,000 550 sq ft added
For Sale at $624,000 550 sq ft added
Sold in 2014 for $472,000
Sold in 2014 for $472,000

4171 W 172nd Street

For sale at $699,000 1000 sq ft added
For sale at $699,000 1000 sq ft added
Sold in 2012 for $250,000
Sold in 2012 for $250,000

4348 W 179th Street

Sold 12/14 for $596K
Sold 12/14 for $596K
Sold July 2014 for $456,000
Sold July 2014 for $456,000

4312 W 178th Street

Current homes for sale in North Torrance

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Be Wary of Low Quality Home Flips

With the South Bay housing market in a frenzy and so many “flipped” homes for sale, buyers need to be very cautious rushing into the purchase of a home based on the beautiful cosmetic updates.  Flipped homes are often originally bank owned or distressed sales in very poor condition and it is usually purchased by investors looking to do the least amount of work to get the greatest return.  Updates are often primarily cosmetic and it is absolutely in the buyers best interest to have a home inspection.    The picture below was a recent home that I saw and in my eyes if they can’t even properly paint the outside this is a pretty good indication that this was done quickly and cheaply.  Buyer beware!

Flipped Homes
This doesn’t mean that many flips were not done very well but heed the warning signs.