House flipping is a tradition recorded at least as far back as the 1920’s, and doubtless in action long before that. An early example of flippers assisting substantial upgrades in the character of a community, lifting lifestyles and property values, occurred throughout the 1920’s in California (and has been a repeating cycle there ever since). As the sunshine coast and the movie industry began taking off economically, investors bought, renovated and improved aging and dated properties. Nicer housing attracted even more business and upscale retail activity, in turn attracting even more wealth … and now the California coastline is a legendary lifestyle community.

“Rejuvenate” is a word often associated with flipping activity in a community. The dictionary definition is “to make something (or someone) feel younger, fresher and more lively”. Rejuvenate is an apt term, as flippers are frequently attracted to older properties in disrepair that can be freshened into show-places. Rehab and renovation extend the life of the property, make it pleasantly livable and attract stable home buyers and even more business to a community.

Properties in disrepair create neighborhood problems. Often they are an eyesore that can affect the sales of other nearby properties. Overgrown yards breed pests that spread across property lines; deteriorating tree limbs or entire trees can threaten next-door properties; problems in the house are often unhealthy for the residents. In fact, owners who are elderly, disabled or otherwise disadvantaged can find themselves trapped in a nearly un-sale-able house they can’t afford to repair. Flippers are often the answer to provide cash to owners who need it, and rehab the neighborhood problem house.

Vacant properties in any state of repair attract vagrants, drug dealers and other criminal mischief.Houses sitting unoccupied will continue to deteriorate, eventually becoming an issue the city administration must evaluate and perhaps condemn. Flippers can relieve the owner of the burden in exchange for cash, clear up the problems and install a new owner who is almost certainly a reliable caretaker and more financially solid.

Some complainers say that flippers displace marginal income citizens and increase living costs beyond the means of the young and the elderly. But the goal of a community is not to keep economies depressed at a lower level; it is to raise all boats, improving the lot of all residents by attracting better jobs and providing safer, more pleasant residences.

Professional flippers who act ethically and profitably will almost always leave properties much better than they found them. Neighborhoods are better off, and the next resident homeowners are solid citizens helping contribute to a higher tax base and more community retail business. Pro flippers can solve many problems and help move a community to a higher standard of living.