Author: Tirrell Spruill
Title: Home Flip Show
As Tirrell Spruill, seasoned author and Owner of Cashouthouse.com LLC, I’m about to share a tale that’s as wild as a ride through a tornado in a tin shack. Picture this: December 2022, I stumbled upon a property sprawled across 16 lush acres, a jungle of green and unkempt weeds. It was a fixer-upper’s dream, a diamond in the rough, sparkling with potential and dollar signs and I purchased it for $200,000. Up to that point, my flipping record was spotless – five years of unbroken success. I was surfing a tsunami of triumphs, utterly convinced I was invincible. Ah, the irony of life! You’ve heard the saying “pride comes before the fall”, right? Well, my friends, that’s exactly where my story takes a nosedive.
Enter my trusted contractor, a comrade of five years, skilled in all things siding, windows, and doors, yet – here’s the kicker – not a licensed general contractor. Everything was sunshine and rainbows until we hit the deck. Yes, the literal deck. What ensued was a comedy of errors. Our electrician, bless his soul, pulled the necessary permits, only to have an inspector eagle-eye our newly minted deck. The inspector, a man with the scrutiny of Sherlock Holmes and the unpredictability of a weather vane, turned our project into his personal puzzle.
This deck, oh this deck! It became our Achilles’ heel. The inspector’s requirements changed more frequently than a chameleon in a disco. We juggled contractors like a circus act, but none stuck. My wife Tonya Spruill, a real estate agent with connections galore, finally found us a GC who seemed like our knight in shining armor. But alas, even knights can vanish into thin air.
Fast forward to April, with our private lender getting antsy and the ARV (After Repair Value) of the property sitting pretty at $540,000. We were already $75,000 deep, with another $70,000 needed to finish. The pressure was mounting, the stress palpable. It was at this point my incredible wife, stepped in like a superhero. She worked her magic, conjuring an irresistible listing that attracted hordes of interested buyers. The problem? The house was still a work in progress.
Just when we thought all was lost, a cash offer landed on our laps, but from the most unexpected buyer. Picture this: a 6-foot-tall, mid-60s gentleman, dressed in overalls and driving an old Dodge. A pure-hearted country soul with dreams hinging on a city’s fickle decision. Click here for photo
Fast forward again (think SpongeBob’s “5 weeks later”), and we’re at the closing table, a scene straight out of a tearjerker movie. Our buyer, overcome with emotion, shared the heart-wrenching story of his father’s house, the home he was selling, and the memories it held. The room was awash with tears, a sea of empathy and shared sorrow.
And then, the icing on the cake – he invites us to celebrate with mountain oysters. Yes, you read that right. Mountain oysters. For some reason it never happened, but I’ll leave you with this cliffhanger: Google ‘mountain oysters’. You’re in for a surprise.
So, why call this the Home Flip Show? Because, my friends, in the world of property flipping, it’s not just about the bricks and mortar. It’s about the stories, the people, the unexpected twists and turns. And despite all the trials and tribulations, in the end, everything worked out. Just maybe not in the way we expected. Tried to make this stressful story funny. Let me know how I did. Thank you for reading.