Flipping Houses In Iowa

How To Flip Houses In Iowa

November 22, 2023

Produced by:
Richard Stevens

Richard Stevens is an active real estate investor with over 8 years of industry experience. He specializes in researching topics that appeal to real estate investors and building calculators that can help property investors understand the expected costs and returns when executing real estate deals.

If there is one word to characterize the Iowa real estate market, it would have to be affordability. The Hawkeye State is home to some of the cheapest houses in America, and the recent drop in interest rates has made homes even more affordable. Now let’s take a closer look at how to flip houses in Iowa. 

Iowa House Flipping Stats

Median Purchase Price

$127,580

Median Resale Price

$202,740

Average Revenue

$75,160

Price Per Square Foot

$128

Iowa Population Size

3,155,070

Median Household Income

$58,580

High School Graduation

92,0%

Travel Time To Work

19.1 Mins

Best Cities for Flipping Houses In Iowa

  1. Des Moines
  2. Cedar Rapids
  3. Davenport
  4. Sioux City
  5. Iowa City

Safest Areas In Iowa

  1. Sioux Center – Safety Rating: A+
  2. Asbury  – Safety Rating: A+
  3. Norwalk – Safety Rating: A+
  4. Decorah – Safety Rating: A+
  5. Eldridge – Safety Rating: A+

Please note – All the statistics in this article are based on 2020 data. You can view the data sources at the bottom of the article.

The Basics Of Flipping Houses In Iowa

  • Find a property in Georgia that is undervalued
  • Source funding from a reputable hard money lender in Iowa
  • Buy the property for a price that makes it possible to generate profit when it is resold
  • Complete renovations that will increase the after repair value
  • Find buyers for the property and sell it for a healthy profit margin

How To Find Houses To Flip In Iowa

1. Use FlipScout By New Silver

FlipScout is a free tool that helps you find most profitable real estate investments using data and intelligence. Find a property to flip or rent out anywhere in the country.

2. Leverage The Power of Wholesalers

Finding a good wholesaler can be very rewarding for a property flipper. Wholesalers tend to have access to all the most relevant property databases, and they often have unique personal networks. By using a wholesaler, you effectively gain inside access to their knowledge of properties in Iowa.

3. Attend Bank Auctions

Bank auctions often present opportunities to purchase properties below their market value. This is mainly because banks hold these auctions in order to sell the properties as fast as possible. If you attend bank auctions with a clearly defined strategy, you can potentially walk away with a new property that fits in perfectly with your investment portfolio.

4. Use Direct Mail To Find Off-Market Properties

Although it is considered an old school technique, direct mail can still yield positive results for house flippers. Direct mail has been shown to have a higher response rate than email, and numerous studies have shown that people actually enjoy checking their mailboxes. More importantly, you might be surprised by how many people have considered selling their homes. Your letter could be the trigger that they have been waiting for.

5. Sign Up To The Multiple Listing Service (MLS)

Even though MLS listings can be competitive, it is still a good avenue for finding properties to flip. The MLS is literally a database created by real estate agents, and it is filled with property details and statistics that can help aid your research process. There is a fee involved, but one deal is all you need to comfortably cover the costs.

6. Find Foreclosures

When properties fall into foreclosure, the primary goal of the loan originator is to recoup any potential losses. This is good news for house flippers, because properties in foreclosure often sell for less than their market value. If you are able to locate foreclosure opportunities in Iowa, there’s a good chance you will be able to purchase a property for less than its market value. This is why foreclosure can serve as a great platform for a potential flip.

Iowa Housing Market Analysis

House Flippers In Iowa Are Selecting Mid Range Houses In High Value Areas: There is a notable  gap between the median home value in Iowa ($158,156) and the median resale price for house flips in Iowa ($202,740). This suggests that investors are generally focusing on mid range houses in desirable areas.

With that being said, in order to generate a profit, it’s clear that house flippers are applying a variation of the 70% rule. In other words, there is a decent gulf between the price being paid for the property initially ($127,580) and the final resale price ($202,740). This translates to an average revenue of $75,160 per flip. 

To achieve results like these, selecting the right property is key. Experienced flippers know how to transform the after repair value of a home, by focusing on renovations that are known to increase resale value. Perhaps more importantly, house flippers are also choosing good areas, knowing full well that the area has a fundamental influence on the final sale price. 

Home Values Have Appreciated By 3.3%:According to Zillow, home values in Iowa appreciated by 3.3% over the last year. Moreover, property prices have been steadily increasing since late 2012.

Despite taking a small dip when covid-19 first arrived in the US, the Iowa real estate market has responded well since then. Historically low interest rates have increased demand for homes, while the supply of houses hasn’t increased proportionally. This is a recipe for continued home appreciation, at least in the short term.

Homes In Iowa Are Very Affordable: The median home value in Iowa is approximately $158,156, whereas the median home value in the US is $266,222. That’s more than $100k less than most states. This is good news for first time home buyers and first time flippers. It reduces the risk involved when flipping houses, and it reduces the capital needed for new homeowners to take their first steps in real estate investment.

The Market Is Still Hot, Despite Coronavirus: The Iowa real estate market was in a very healthy place prior to the arrival of Covid-19. Despite all the economic challenges that have been introduced by coronavirus, real estate agents are still reporting high activity levels. 

This may be attributed to the cost of homes in Iowa, and the record low interest rates on home loans in the US. In other words, right now is a particularly good time for buyers. They can score good value homes, retailing at discounted prices, with an extremely low interest rate. This is a good recipe for a hot real estate market.

Apply For An Investment Property Loan

If you’re ready to start your house flipping journey, New Silver Lending can provide the capital you need to fund your first flip. We offer ultra fast hard money loans with competitive interest rates and quick closing times. The entire application can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

Next Steps

If you’re committed to flipping houses in Iowa, the next step is to invest time and energy into finding the best possible property. We have outlined a number of methods in this post, and all of them can potentially bear fruit. 

Once you have identified a property, using a reputable Hard Money lender like New Silver can help accelerate the house flipping process. Our company is built on speed, efficiency and user-friendly technology. The online application can be completed in less than 10 minutes, and we offer instant proof of funds letters to all of our clients.

Property Flipping Resources

Hard Money Loan Calculator: Analyze the costs of your next flip in detail with our hard money calculator.

ARV Calculator: Workout the After Repair Value of the property that you are hoping to flip.

Resources Used In This Post

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