Selling Your Flip: Staging Secrets and Marketing Must-Dos

There comes a moment in every flip when the hammering stops, the dust settles, and the work of selling begins. But there's a difference between selling your flip in 90 days and a 30-day sale. And this time difference could be what separates a profitable flip from one that just breaks even.

Profit margins on house flips declined in 2025 to 25.1% ROI before expenses, according to ATTOM Data Solutions.

With the average flip now taking 164 days, every extra week your investment property spends on the market chips away at already thin margins. Carrying costs—mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities—reduce your profits. The point is, beyond buying low and making smart renovations, flipping a house profitably depends on your ability to sell fast and market your property to buyers willing to pay top dollar.

The house flipping tips we discuss in this guide could help you maximize your return and minimize your risk when selling.

We'll break down essential strategies for selling flipped homes from how to stage your flip to vital real estate photography and property marketing tips. Whether you're selling your first flip or your fiftieth, these house flipping tips could help you garner more eyeballs for your listing and sell on time.

Step 1: Stage your flip

According to the NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Staging survey, 49% of Realtors say staging a home helps reduce time on the market. 29% of listing agents also reported that it resulted in sale price increases of between 1-10%.

Moreover, 83% of buyer's agents say real estate staging helps buyers visualize a property as their future home. This means it increases perceived value and could help speed up the sale.

Let's look at an example.

Consider two identical flips in the same neighborhood: Property A is listed unstaged, while Property B is professionally staged.

As the numbers show, Property B's $3,500 investment in staging resulted in a significantly faster sale at a higher price. By selling 35 days sooner and for 4% more, the seller netted over $16,000 more in profit compared to the unstaged property.

Practical implementation

First-time house flippers

Here are some tips for staging your property on a budget:

• Consider focusing your budget on the "money rooms"—living room, primary bedroom, and kitchen. According to a survey from the NAR's Profile of Home Staging report, 37% of buyer's agents said the living room is the most important room to stage, followed by 34% for the primary bedroom and 23% for the kitchen. These areas might help make the biggest impression on potential buyers.
• Consider renting furniture instead of buying. Rental costs typically range between $2,000-$4,000 for a 60-day period.
• You may want to use neutral colors and minimal decor to appeal to the widest pool of buyers.

Focusing on these strategies could help you stage your property more effectively while staying within your budget.

Cost-conscious/DIY flippers

You could use virtual staging software, which costs about $25-$75 per room, for your listing photos. However, in-person showings will reveal empty rooms, which might disappoint potential buyers. A hybrid approach could be a smart solution.

• Consider a hybrid staging approach: Virtually stage all rooms for online listings, but physically stage the most important room—usually the living room. You can use borrowed or rented furniture for this.
• Set realistic expectations: This method gives online browsers visual appeal while ensuring your most important space doesn't disappoint in-person viewers.

High-volume flippers

Consider building relationships with staging companies for bulk discounts. Keeping a warehouse of furniture and staging inventory that can be rotated between properties, could help reduce per-flip staging costs.

Once your property is staged, it's time to capture those stunning visuals that could get buyers through the door.

Step 2: Capture attention with professional real estate photography

With 96% of home buyers browsing online, your listing photos and videos might be your most critical marketing assets. Professional photos could help a property sell up to 32% faster.

Practical implementation

Here are two ways to potentially create high-impact property visuals.

1. Invest in professional real estate photography

Professional photography packages typically range from $300-$600 for single-family homes.

Here's what you may receive:

• Twilight exterior shots that showcase your property's curb appeal.
• HDR interior photography, shot with good lighting and capturing accurate details.
• Drone footage for properties with acreage, waterfront access, or unique architectural features.
• 25-40 edited photos.

2. DIY listing videos

A 3-5 minute video walkthrough might help increase engagement on your property listings. The NAR suggests that listings with video receive 403% more inquiries.

Here’s how you can create walkthrough videos without needing expensive equipment or services:

• Use your smartphone in landscape mode and keep movements steady and slow.
• Shoot between 10AM - 2PM when natural light is best.
• Keep videos concise—3-5 minutes highlights key features while maintaining viewer attention.
• Upload the video to YouTube and embed it in your listing to reach more potential buyers.

Video walkthroughs could help showcase renovations and guide viewers from room to room—providing a perspective that static photos alone may not capture. Pair this with a thoughtful property marketing plan to increase your chances of connecting with qualified buyers.

Step 3: Market your flip like a pro

A solid home marketing strategy often uses a multi-channel approach to reach more potential buyers and garner more views even in slow markets. You want your listing to be visible on the MLS, dedicated real estate listing platforms, and on social media platforms.

Practical implementation

1. Craft an irresistible listing description

One of the most effective home selling strategies is to lead with the story of the transformation—buyers love a good before-and-after story. Open with the most striking feature.

For example: "Completely reimagined 1920s bungalow with chef's kitchen and spa-like primary bath."

Then weave in key upgrades, warranties, and neighborhood highlights using emotion/benefits-driven language paired with real data.

For example: "Bright, open kitchen perfect for entertaining features quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances within 400 sq ft of living space."

Keep your descriptions around 250 words, front-load the most important details, and make the copy scannable using bullet points and short paragraphs.

2. Leverage multi-channel marketing

Try to list your property everywhere potential home buyers visit.

You could start with the essentials: the MLS, Zillow, Redfin, and Trulia. Then expand your reach by posting your listing on Facebook Marketplace and in some local real estate Facebook groups.

Consider using short video tours to capture attention on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. And lastly, you may want to try increasing foot traffic by hosting a well-advertised open house or an exclusive "first-look" event for people that have indicated interest.

3. Consider FSBO if you're an experienced flipper

The NAR recently reported that FSBO (For Sale By Owner) homes sold for around 18% less on average than agent-assisted sales. The average sold price for a FSBO listing was $360,000, compared to an average of $430,000 for homes sold by a Realtor.

For new flippers hoping to try the FSBO route, the point here is: you might lose much more money than you save in Realtor commissions by going it alone.

• For first-time flippers: You could partner with an investor-savvy real estate agent who understands and can work with your flip timeline. An aggressive agent who proactively hosts open houses, has a solid referral network, and strategically markets using different channels might be worth the commission.
• For experienced flippers: You could try to use flat-fee MLS services (estimated between $300-$500) to get full exposure on the MLS. You handle the rest, including showings, yourself.

4. Time your sale

Listing your home at the right time could increase your profits. According to Bankrate, October is historically the worst month to list a home, while May could be the best time to sell.

If you must list during the holidays or in late winter, consider sweetening the deal with incentives like closing cost credits or a one-year home warranty. You could also try 2-week test listings, where if no solid activity appears after 2 weeks, you pull the listing and re-list when market activity rebounds.

Timing your sale is one of the most impactful tips for selling flipped homes without unnecessary delays or price cuts.

Next is pricing. Marketing gets buyers to the door. But pricing keeps them around long enough to make an offer.

Step 4: Price for profit and speed

Zillow research found that homes that spend 2+ months on the market often sell for 5% less than their list price. For a $340,000 property, that's roughly $17,000 lost—on top of extra carrying costs.

This shows how important it is to get pricing right the first time. You could implement a solid marketing strategy and still have your listing sit for months on the market because of wrong pricing.

Practical implementation

Here’s a practical framework you could try to help price your flip to sell.

• Analyze comps: Your pricing should be grounded in actual data. You may want to start by analyzing comps:
  
  
  • Pull 6-10 recently sold (90 days or less) listings in your immediate neighborhood. These listings should closely match yours in square footage, features, bed/bath count, condition, and property type.
  • Calculate the average price of your comps (often calculated using price per square foot).
  • If your renovations are on par with your comps, you might price your property at or slightly less than this average price to drive immediate traffic.
• Test incentives: Rather than dropping your price at the first sign of resistance, you should probably test smart incentives. An incentive like closing cost credits often costs less than a 3-5% price reduction, and could help get a buyer closer to saying yes.
• 14-21 days: If after 14-21 days no offer comes in and your listing doesn't generate enough interest, that could be a signal that your price might be too high. You could pull the listing, adjust your pricing, and re-list afresh to avoid buyers classifying your property as a stale listing.
• 90 days: Your property is officially a stale listing. You could consider changing both your pricing and your Realtor.

Once you've gotten an offer, try not to get too lost in the moment that you open yourself up to legal liabilities.

Step 5: Protect yourself during and after the sale

Protecting your profits when selling a flipped house also means minimizing risk. A single legal mistake, such as not following disclosure laws, could create legal liabilities that might eat into your profits. Here is some information on how to protect yourself in the final phase of selling your flip.

Be transparent about repairs and known defects

Most states in the U.S. require home sellers to provide a written document disclosing all known material defects with their property before selling.

In states like California, disclosure laws could be more stringent. As a home flipper in California, or if you plan to sell a home within 18 months of purchase, you may now have to disclose all repairs completed, contractors hired, and permits obtained for the property.

Full disclosure could be your best defense against post-sale lawsuits. Being upfront about the home's past issues and completed repairs may help you win buyer trust and greatly reduce your liability.

Use strong contracts and consult a real estate attorney

It could be wise to have a qualified real estate attorney review your purchase agreement and other legal documents before you sign. This is especially critical for FSBO sellers who do not have an agent to guide them. A lawyer can help you with complex legal paperwork and ensure your interests are represented.

One of the important house-flipping tips for beginners is to meticulously keep a folder of documents related to each property. This could contain all contractor invoices, receipts for materials, permits, inspection records, and work orders. This paper trail may protect you if disputes arise months or even years after closing.

Conclusion

In house flipping, time is money. The faster you can complete deals while maintaining strong profit margins, the more deals you may be able to complete annually. Did you know you could secure up to 95% financing for your next fix-and-flip deal?

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How much does the average house flipper make per flip?

ATTOM Data Solutions reported that in Q2 2025, the average gross profit on fix and flips was $65,300 - representing a 25.1% return on investment before expenses.

Some house flippers aim for a net profit of 10-20% after considering renovation costs, carrying costs, and selling expenses. This means they might target approximately 30% or more in gross profits.

2. What is the 70% rule in house flipping?

The 70% rule is a quick formula to help ensure you don't overpay for a property. It proposes that when buying a fixer-upper, you probably shouldn't pay more than 70% of the property's After Repair Value (ARV) minus the estimated renovation expenses. This builds a 30% margin into the deal to help cover your holding costs, selling fees, and potentially secure your profit.

3. What adds the most value when flipping a house?

Kitchen remodels, bathroom remodels, and curb appeal renovations like replacing the garage door typically deliver the highest ROI.