Three Easy Flips for This Weekend

Val Frania (: 00:02

Greetings, my furniture flipping friend. You're listening to the Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast, helping new furniture flippers, build confidence, skills, and profit in a way that honors God. I'm your host, Val Frania furniture artist, flipping coach, and Christ follower. Whether you're brand new or ready to grow, you are in the right place. So welcome back. If you're listening, that means you're thinking about flipping furniture, but maybe you haven't started yet, or you're already have been flipping or have flipped one or two pieces and you're thinking, well, that was fun. Now what's next? Today, I'm gonna give you three easy furniture flips you can do this weekend. Even if you've never held a paintbrush in your life, it's gonna be fun. I promise. A former mentor once told me it's better to get going than to get it perfect. So think about that when you begin your project.

Val Frania (: 00:59

Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just enjoy it. These are low cost, low effort, and high reward projects that'll help build confidence and help you get going on that momentum. Sometimes it's hard to start something new, but once you get going, you think, what took me so long? I'm with you on that one. That's how my personality works. I tend to put things off that are brand new 'cause I wanna do it perfectly. But that's, that is not furniture flipping, furniture flipping is getting to it and enjoying it as you're doing it and learning as you go along. One step at a time. Doing it right, doing the right way, right from the beginning. So here's flip number one. I'm gonna give you three and I suggest you pick one of them so you can get yourself going and get that brush in that paint and turn something out beautiful that will get you going and excite you for the next project.

Val Frania (: 01:58

So flip number one, the single end table or nightstand, you'll find those everywhere, thrift stores, Facebook, marketplace, even curbside. So keep your eyes peeled. Why it's great for beginners? It's small and manageable, you know, no big drawers or heavy tops, just a simple piece. It's quick to prep and paint and it's, it's really easy to take photographs of when you list it on marketplace. So the pro tip here is pick one with clean lines and sturdy legs. What do I mean by clean lines? That the simpler the better, for your first project. No fancy engraving, no, uh, heavy drawers, or not multiple drawers. Just something simple and easy to manage. It's really easy and quick to prep. Something like that. And you really want to prep correctly, sand it lightly, paint it in a neutral or a trending color, and then seal it well. Okay, flip number two, to pick from a simple dining room chair, just one.

Val Frania (: 03:09

You could do a pair. Look for mismatched chairs or sets that people are getting rid of. Why it works. People love statement chairs or desks for their desks, or small spaces for vanities. I have one that I painted a couple years ago that I fell in love with and I use it to sit on when I'm doing my projects. People love statement chairs. They're not, you know, not big surfaces to paint, just spindles and seats can be painted distressed, stenciled, whatever style you want to try, but keep it simple. Now here's your pro tip. Look for a chair with a flat back or a simple design that's easily painted and all wood without upholstery. Here's a rhyme for you to help you remember as you scout out your first project pieces: "Spindles are a bit tricky to do very quickly." Or, "I love painting chairs mostly, but ones without upholstery."

Val Frania (: 04:04

Flip number three, a small dresser or maybe a three drawer chest. These are great for building your skills and they're really fun to do and you'll make a bit more profit on something like this, 'cause dressers usually sell pretty well. Why? This is a solid beginner flip drawers will give you some experience with alignment and hardware installation. There's lots of paintable surface, so that equals a good transformation. There's high demand for storage pieces in small homes. So start small. Here's your pro tip. Keep your first one simple. When buying a dresser for one of your first project pieces, make sure it's in good shape. It's solid. The drawers glide well. So don't overthink your redesign. Just keep it simple. Classic sells better than complicated. Okay, so where are you gonna find these pieces?

Val Frania (: 05:07

You don't need to spend fortune, just look for a good deal so you'll make a good profit. Don't spend a whole ton of money on your first piece. Look on Facebook marketplace. Go to thrift stores. Go on the days that they have sales. If there's a Habitat Restore, hopefully in your area, yard sales, or you could drive around. It's quite often that we see pieces of furniture along the road. We found a big long wood dresser in great shape for free, alongside of the road for my daughter to use as a buffet. We had my grandkids help us prep and she and I painted it white in just one day. It turned out beautifully.

Val Frania (: 05:58

Okay, so what to charge on your first piece or two if you're flipping on a budget. Here's a rough range. Simple end tables with one drawer. You can get between $77 and $97, chairs, $55 to $75 depending on the chair, the brand, that kind of thing. And small dressers, price them between $125, and $225, maybe even higher if they're a little bigger depending on their condition, if they're a good brand, what kind of finish you put on it. We'll go into pricing more in future episodes, but always factor in your time and materials and the value you're creating. If you're new, your time has less to do with the pricing, but will factor more into it as you become more experienced. So your weekend flip challenge. Okay, your mission should you choose to accept it, pick one of the projects, find the piece. And don't forget to take a before photo and then flip it with confidence.

Val Frania (: 06:57

Follow the correct steps first. You're going to clean it. If there's any repairs to be made, do it then. And then lightly scuff sand and then clean it again. And then you paint and seal it. Take photos of your newly designed furniture. Art, yes, it's art. You are now a furniture artist. Take some really nice photos for your listing, then list it on Facebook marketplace. Don't include the before picture in your listing. You want a very positive experience for the eyes. I'll guide you through this soon. I've got a lot of tips and strategies for beating the algorithm on marketplace. Even if it's not perfect, you've done something most people never try and don't have a clue. That puts you way ahead of everyone else that's looking for furniture. So quick mindset reminder. Don't let fear fail you. Stop you. We all fail. I failed myself to the pro status. It's okay to fail. You pick yourself up and you start over again. But don't worry about failing. Every flipper started somewhere and every flip teaches you something new. Even after all these years that I've been flipping, I'm continually, continually learning new things.

Val Frania (: 08:15

Go make your plan, go get your piece and enjoy flipping it. So thanks for listening to the Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast. If this episode got you excited to flip something this weekend, let me know. Tag me on social or send me a message. I love hearing about your wins and maybe I'll even talk to you about you on one of my podcasts. And if you haven't already, grab my free guide, the Beginner's Guide to Flipping for Profit at ValFrania.com/flip4profit. See you next week where I'll walk you through the top five mistakes new flippers make and how to avoid them. You won't want to miss it.

Val Frania (: 08:54

And remember, the last part of I Corinthians 10:31 reminds us that whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God, he's right there ready to bless your efforts. That includes learning a new skill or creating a beautiful piece of art for someone's home, even if it's yours. Have a great week and happy flipping.