Top 5 Mistakes New Flippers Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Val Frania (: 00:02

Hello, hello, hello. Glad to have you back this week. You're listening to the Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast, helping new furniture flippers, build confidence, skills, and profit all in honoring Christ in our efforts. I'm your host, Val Frania furniture artist, flipping coach and mentor. Whether you're brand new or ready to grow, you're in the right place. So welcome back. I'm glad you're here for another episode because today we're getting real. We're gonna talk about something that's super important for anyone that's new to this game. Avoiding the biggest mistakes that can wreck your confidence, waste your money, and make you think flipping isn't for you. Nothing makes me more sad in this business than to hear of someone who has just quit due to discouragement. Whether it has to do with the redesign or the marketing or everything in between. Sometimes they quit 'cause they lack confidence or they've been, you know, upset over something that happened and there was no one there to help them through it.

Val Frania (: 01:12

Yes, there is a lot to learn, but honestly, it's worth the effort. Just plan to take baby steps and learn to do things the right way, right from the start. So trust me, I've made these mistakes and now I'm gonna share with you so you can avoid them. I've seen hundreds of others do them too. So the good news, you don't have to. The first mistake, skipping prep. This is the number one reason that beginners get bad results. Oh, so many times I have seen people just so upset over something that happened, causing them to have to redo their whole project. Usually it's because they did not follow proper prep. You can't just wipe down a piece and start painting. Contrary to what some people are still telling you out there. Prep is... Prep is what makes a finish last.

Val Frania (: 02:17

Let's say you bought an antique that's a hundred years old. You would love for the antique to last another a hundred years, wouldn't you? You'd love to be able to have that person or you personally hand it down to future generations. Well, let's do it right. So that piece will last another a hundred years. That's what separates the amateurs from the pros. You know what we call the amateurs? The people that they'll flip something for $50 in profit and the person buys it and the paint starts peeling. We call them paint slappers. Don't be a paint slapper. I have a cute little dresser in my dining room area that I use for kitchen odds and ends that I painted white Back when I first started, we're talking years and years ago. I knew nothing about prep, so I just cleaned it and painted and then I waxed it. I don't really wax anymore. I do that occasionally, but for the most part, if I need to seal something, I'll use poly.

Val Frania (: 03:13

It's made of pine. So after a couple years, all the tannins from the knots, just bled right through the paint. It was so disappointing because I thought it was a great redesign. Funny how your opinion changes over the years. Once you learn more. I'll eventually repaint that dresser and I will definitely prep it this time. So do this instead. Clean thoroughly with a cleaner. That includes a degreaser element. If you lack funds, you know, you could do something simple, like just regular cleaner. I use Krud Kutter. Some people use simple green, there, there's lots of them out there. Just read the ingredients and make sure that it's a good, powerful cleaner. 'cause you don't know what's on that piece.

Val Frania (: 04:09

Then you scuff sand to help the paint stick. Now what does that mean? You just take a piece of sandpaper. I like the flexible sanding sponges and I use those just to rough up the surface because you wanna take that shine off the prior whatever they use to seal it with. You wanna scuff sand that to get rid of the shine so your paint will stick. If needed, use a good primer. Either use a water-based primer with a shellac base or an oil-based primer. We use an oil-based primer. My husband, I call him "DH" Dear Hubby. He sprays most of our primer and he will try and do several pieces at one time. He uses a metal sprayer, so it's really easy to clean. Prep isn't fun, but it's cheaper than repainting. I do have a friend as a member of, Furniture Flipping Blueprint.

Val Frania (: 05:05

She's been a member since the start. Her name is Lucrecia, "Hi, Lucretia," and she loves to do the prepping. She's the only one I've ever met that loves the prep. So be prepared. Do it right. It's worth the effort. Okay. Mistake number two, using the wrong paint or sealer. Grabbing whatever's in the garage might seem frugal, but it really can ruin a flip. So do this instead. Use a durable furniture specific paint and choose a sealer based on the finish matte, satin, gloss, and how much use the piece will get. Like if you've got a, coffee table or end table or a dresser, those get a lot of use. So I would use, uh, a sealer at least on those parts depending on what kind of paint you're using. We'll get into that more in the future. If you're not sure which products to use, check out my free guide.

Val Frania (: 06:00

I'll list it at the end or, and you can message me on Facebook. I'm real quick to answer questions. I love sharing my favorite products. Okay, mistake number three under pricing your work. So many beginners say, "No one will pay that," and then they sell their work for way less than what's worth. I have a local flipper friend who very much under or, devalues her work. I convinced her to raise her price on a piece, but since it didn't sell right away, she went back to her old pricing, which in my opinion was half of what her work is worth. It's beautiful. It still hasn't sold weeks later. She could have, she could fetch top dollar if she finds the right person. There's a lot of fear surrounding pricing. I get it, but you're a furniture artist and you should be paid for your work.

Val Frania (: 06:57

After all those looking at your furniture, have not a clue on how to do what you do, right? You're a furniture artist too often, especially when the market is tenuous, flippers will resort to low prices thinking that'll help it sell. But you know what? That draws the discount crowd, the garage salers, I also will get more low baller, low-ball offers. Those are so discouraging. Do you really wanna work for peanuts? I'd rather sell one piece for a $400 profit, then four pieces at a hundred dollars profit. Doesn't that make sense? Think about it. Spend two to four hours on one piece and perhaps wait a bit to sell it or spend eight to 16 hours on four pieces and make the same profit of one piece. Sure, you may wait a bit to find the right buyer for a more expensive piece, but that doesn't always play out either.

Val Frania (: 07:55

I waited like what seemed like forever to sell a small, inexpensive white end table and everyone says, paint everything white 'cause it sells so fast. Well, this one didn't. And I've also experienced selling a big piece in just hours. So it just depends on how many people you get it in front of to find the right buyer. It really is all about finding the right buyer. And if I have my druthers, I'd rather target high-end buyers rather than those looking for a deal, right? I always look for a deal. I get it, I'm a garage saler, but that's not what you want for your furniture art, you don't want people looking for a garage sale priced item. There is money out there. You just have to get your piece in front of someone who value your work and appreciate the type of art that you're offering. Okay, I'm gonna get off my soapbox for now, but expect more later because this is a big deal to me.

Val Frania (: 08:54

Rather than resorting to panic pricing, do this instead. Factor in your time, supplies and transformation. Really understand the value of your work. You had to find your piece. You had to transport it, prep it, paint it, seal it, list it. Your time is valuable, your efforts are valuable, your skill is valuable. Research marketplace. Check out the retail stores. Find out what prices they're getting for similar pieces. Remember, you're offering custom hand finished piece, not a mass produced one from a big box store. Confidence and pricing really is a game changer. My rule of thumb, which may be different from what you've heard from others, is to price it according to its value. Since I've been at it for a while, I can turn out pieces way faster than a new flipper can. So my per hour amount would be different than someone who's just started out. That said, I don't recommend pricing based on your time.

Val Frania (: 09:53

Even though I can turn out a piece quickly. I give myself the latitude to play around with a piece and take my time. I enjoy the redesign process and you should too. So I price according to the value of the piece I consider the brand. How many different techniques I use, the cost of the products I use, you know, 'cause like if you're doing a transfer, that's a one-time use. So that could cause your price to go up. On the flip side, if you stencil, your stencils last forever, so you might not feel the need to add more to your price. A plain white pine wood dresser with no extras would not go for as much as an oak Drexel with dovetail corners, drawer liners, specialty finish, that took several steps and would be considered a pro-level design. Okay, that said, mistake number four: overcomplicating the design, trying to stencil distress decopage and blend all in your first flip.

Val Frania (: 10:50

That'll just lead to major frustration. So do this instead. Start simple clean lines, one color new hardware if needed. Save the fancy techniques for later when you're more confident and have some experience under your belt. Really the sky's the limit on the types of different techniques you can learn. Take your time. Go slow, step by step. Learn the process and do it correctly. Okay. Mistake number five: taking Facebook advice at face value. I've done a few blog posts on this. My blog is LoveMyDIYHome.com, and I have been scoping out some of the comments on Facebook and it's really frustrating to me to see some of the suggestions. One of my main one that just makes me so frustrated for beginners is someone will post their piece and it hasn't sold right away. And some of the first comments are, "Repaint it a different color." "Change the hardware."

Val Frania (: 11:53

I don't ever advocate changing anything. If it doesn't sell quickly; you're just redoing and wasting time. I have found that even some of the, what I think are the worst flips, the ugliest pieces they sell, there's somebody out there for every design. So don't let that be your first course of intervention and you're freaking out because it's not selling. That is bad advice. There are other things you can do. Okay, that's another soap box of mine. Sorry about that. You can go to furniture flipping, advice on my LoveMyDIYhome.com and read some of those things that I'm talking about. Anyway, do this instead. Follow someone who's done what you want to do. Someone who's flipped and sold hundreds of pieces, not just talked about it. Don't rely on Joe Schmoe's comments on Facebook.

Val Frania (: 12:57

That's what this podcast is for. Cutting through all the noise and then giving you the guidance that actually works. So let's quickly recap. Top five mistakes to avoid. One, skipping prep. Two, using the wrong products. Three underpricing, four overcomplicating your flip. Don't forget you're just starting out. Number five, listening to random Facebook advice. If you avoid just one of these mistakes in your next flip, you're already ahead of the curve. All right. I wanna challenge you. Think back to your last flip or your first upcoming one and ask yourself, am I skipping or planning to skip steps to save time? Am I under or devaluing my work? Am I letting bad advice hold me back. Choose confidence. Do it right. Even if it takes longer, you won't regret it, I promise.

Val Frania (: 14:01

Okay, that's, this is it for this episode of Flipping Furniture for Profit podcast. Thanks for spending this time with me today. I hope you leave inspired. I wanna see that you can have confidence when you create. Take action, step into your calling with paint on your hands and purpose in your heart. You know, people wonder how, how can this be a calling of God? Well, I believe everything we do in our life as believers, God has directed, at least hopefully that's how we landed on doing something - that we listened to God's still small voice that encouraged us toward a new venture. It's not just spiritual things that God speaks to you about. I really believe everything has to do with spiritual things actually. But one might not consider furniture flipping something that could be a calling of God. And I totally disagree with that.

Val Frania (: 14:58

It is. God has led me all along the way, whether it's been in my redesign or my marketing techniques, or even putting together my membership and or this, this podcast It's my desire to help other people. And if that's my desire, I believe that's from God. How can that not be the hand of God? How can it not be God's leading for a believer to reach out and help others? So look at this as a calling. And when you have a calling, you wanna do it right. You wanna do something that honors God. That's why I'm here. I'm here to be a blessing to others that want to start this kind of an adventure. Whether it's just plain old redesign or you're also gonna sell your works and you're going to do something to support your family or reach some goals. It's a calling of God. And let's do it right. Now don't forget, you can download my free flipping starter guide at ValFrania.com/flip4profit. Next week I'm gonna dive into some of the tools you actually need to flip furniture without going broke. You don't have to spend 500 bucks right off the bat and get all these fancy tools. So let's talk about that next week. I'll see you then. Have a great week.