House flipping comes with its fair share of criticism, especially because flipping tends to inflate home prices and make it more difficult to obtain homes. It just seems wrong all around. On top of that, it is not unheard of for flippers to mask major house issues in a cosmetic way. Then, somebody buys the house, only to uncover expensive horrors down the road. A New Jersey home inspector really dislikes house flippers, and he’s letting his opinion be known on TikTok.
Kuhn Family Home Inspection (@kuhnfamilyhomeinspection) operates in New Jersey and makes videos concerning hidden home issues. In their most recent TikTok, they share why “flipped renovations are trash.” The owner of Kuhn states that all flippers are “criminals” who “legitimately ruin lives.” Why? He says that because they allow people to buy homes that they flipped that have major issues. These major issues are not always seen clearly without a home inspection.
As he walks around a flipped house, he points out several things that seem wrong right off the bat. He comments on the painting and how it was done sloppily, as if a “five-year-old did it.” He points to the baseboard heat and said it wasn’t cut correctly, which could lead to future issues. But the worst part happens when he peels back a piece of wallpaper in the bedroom. You can see an enormous amount of mold. He says, “There’s mold problems in every single one of them” and it’s clear this isn’t his first rodeo with a flipped house. He calls what they do “embarrassing” and tells them to “get a different hobby.”
Unfortunately, it’s no news that home flippers cut corners. Buyers tend to fall into a financial trap when they see what appear to be beautiful cosmetic fixes, only for them to be hiding real problems under the surface. These problems could cost tens of thousands of dollars to fix. When a flipper cuts corners on major projects, the homebuyer becomes the real victim.
Though a lot of home flippers are independent people and small businesses, corporations are to blame as well. As one commenter states, “CORPORATIONS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO BUY HOUSES. More than 1/3 of home sales in the US this year were to investors.” Another person pointed out that an inspector ended up saving her a ton of money in the long run. She shared, “I fell in love with a house, perfect space/price. Hired an inspector. Saved me like $75k between new roof, garage, termites, insulation, plumbing and electric. Best $500 ever spent.”
It’s reasonable to never skip the home inspection, no matter how pretty or new a house looks on the surface. These are great things to remember, especially with how expensive houses can be these days. And that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
