Buying a renovated home in Abilene: what to ask about any flip

Renovated homes can be a great way to get a move-in-ready house in an older neighborhood. They can also be a place where the shine hides the story. New paint and fresh countertops look the same whether the work behind them was careful or rushed. We flip houses ourselves, so we're biased, but we're also the first to say you should ask questions of anyone selling you a renovated home, including us.

Start with the big systems

The things that cost the most to fix later are the ones you can't see on a tour. Ask about these:

• The roof: was it replaced or only repaired, and how much of it?
• The windows: are they new, and are all of them new, or only some?
• Heating: is the furnace new, or was the old one kept and cleaned up?
• Electrical: was the wiring actually upgraded, or only the fixtures and outlet covers?

On our own projects, these are the things we address. Grand Avenue got a new roof, windows, furnace and an electrical upgrade. High Meadows got a new roof, an electrical upgrade and windows. A seller who can tell you plainly what was done is usually a seller who knows the house.

Ask what was updated and what was kept

Neither answer is bad. A house that kept its original wood floors and had them finished well can be a better house than one that swapped them for something thin. The point is to know which is which. A flip described as fully renovated without any detail about what that covers deserves a follow-up question.

It helps to know what a good renovation tends to look like. The updates serve the way a family lives: an open living and dining space, a kitchen with room to work, bathrooms that feel fresh. The care shows up in places you wouldn't photograph, like the roof and the electrical panel. And the charm is maintained, so the house still feels like it belongs in its neighborhood instead of looking like it could be anywhere.

Ask about the house's history, too. Did it have additions? Were they handled properly, or covered over? We've torn down additions that had been stacked onto a house over many years, and we know firsthand that what sits behind a wall isn't always what you'd expect.

Look closely when you tour

Bring a notebook, or use your phone, and look past the staging. Open the cabinet doors and drawers. Run the faucets. Check how the doors close, and whether the windows open and latch. Look at the ceilings in the corners for stains. Walk the yard and see which way the ground slopes.

Notice the details, too. Are the finish choices consistent, like tile, hardware and paint, or does each room seem to have been done by a different person on a different day? Consistency often points to a plan. And ask who was responsible for the work and whether the seller will talk about it openly. Openness is a good sign.

An independent home inspection is also worth considering on any house you buy, new or renovated. An inspector works for you, and a good seller won't mind. Treat the report as a conversation starter rather than a verdict: ask what each finding means, what it would take to address, and whether the seller already knew about it.

How to tell us you're looking

If you're interested in purchasing a JGN home, the simplest thing is to get in touch and let us know what you're after. We'll follow up. We don't have a list of available homes to publish here, and we won't pretend otherwise. What we have changes as we buy and finish houses, so the best way to find out what's coming up is to talk to us. We also keep a list of rental homes, available on request.

You can follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or read our blog, to see what we're working on. And if there's an older home you've been eyeing that you'd love for us to buy and renovate so you can purchase it from us once it's updated, tell us about it. We're open to working with homes that have great promise and potential.

Call us at (325) 261-3855 or email nikigrant89@gmail.com. Tell us what you're looking for, and we'll go from there.