The worst episodes of Flip or Flop
Ranked by viewer rating, lows first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it.
- 01
Tarek and Christina are contacted by their friend and fellow investor, Pete. He's already purchased a home in Anaheim, California and wants to bring Tarek and Christina in on what should be a quick flip for a modest profit. But as renovation begins, Pete's budget estimate goes out the window and this is starting to look less and less like a good buy. Can the trio save their investment on this narrow margin flip?
- 02
Tarek and Christina check out a home with a tight profit margin in Whittier, California. The house is in good shape though, and it shouldn't take much time or money to transform this property. It's a risk, but as long as they stick to the schedule and budget they could turn a quick profit and move on to their next flip. Will it finally be smooth sailing on this project or will setbacks threaten Tarek and Christina's fast money flip?
- 03
Tarek and Christiana spot a curbside auction for a foreclosed 1920s Spanish-style house in Santa Ana, CA. It needs an overhaul but has charming original architecture that will add to its value.
- 04
Tarek and Christina win a great deal on a four-bedroom foreclosure with a pool in La Mirada, CA. But when they discover a bevy of unpermitted construction, they are forced to demo additions and decrease their square footage.
- 05
Tarek and Christina purchase a foreclosure in Anaheim Hills, only to find the house has been vandalized. They worry their entire budget will be spent fixing the damage instead of doing the upgrades that would attract buyers.
- 06
Tarek and Christina spot a family home in an upscale neighborhood in Cypress, CA. They tour the house to see if they want to make an offer and discover signs of water damage that can't be investigated until they own the house.
- 07
Tarek and Christina convince an investor to invest in a Garden Grove foreclosure, but soon realize the house is a money pit. With their investor breathing down their necks, this flip has them surfing the brink of disaster.
- 08
Tarek and Christina jump on a bank-owned, 1920s Craftsman bungalow in Whittier, CA, with a bonus permitted studio in the back. But their schedule gets delayed and profit margin gauged by lead paint and a broken water main.
- 09
Tarek and Christina decide to invest in a banked-owned hilltop home with a view. But they realize even after maxing out the credit cards, the only way to cover costs is for Tarek's mom to invest by taking out a home equity loan.
- 10
Tarek and Christina purchase a large family home in Fullerton, CA, that needs extensive rehab. They check out a newly renovated neighboring home with an identical floor plan and decide to replicate the house for their own flip.
- 11
Tarek and Christina buy a short sale for only half of what is owed on the house. But when they realize a back addition is unpermitted, the added costs may erase their profits and leave their planned facelift covered in red ink.
- 12
Tarek and Christina secure a promising five-bedroom house in Bellflower, CA. But while they're thrilled to find a newly renovated kitchen and dining room, their hopes are dashed when they discover toxic mold and termite damage.
- 13
Tarek and Christina spend more than they planned on a foreclosure in Yorba Linda, CA. During their walk-through, they find the house has a very awkward layout and an unpermitted loft conversion to make it a four-bedroom home.
- 14
Inland Empire Cosmetic Nightmare
Tarek and Christina take a leap of faith and bid on a large house in Ontario, California. Renovations appear to be only cosmetic during their walk-through, but after work begins they find rotted wood and extensive termite damage.
- 15
Bidding on a distant property without a preview.
- 16
Tarek and Christina get a lead on a listing in an upscale neighborhood of Whittier, California and although the entire home will need some serious updating from its original 1969 finishes, the renovation appears to be mostly cosmetic and comparable properties suggest great potential for profit. With all their money tied up in other flips, Tarek and Christina must secure a hard money loan to make an offer on the home; but that alone will cost them hundreds of dollars a day in interest and one never knows what budget-busting financial hazards could be lurking behind those popcorn-textured walls. Can their contractor renovate this big house in a small timeframe or will unforeseen problems leave the project a day late and a dollar short? Could this high-end home and its expensive loan leave Tarek and Christina singing the hard money blues?
- 17
Tarek and Christina come across a bank-owned listing which has been on the market for fewer than 24 hours and is only accepting offers until 5:00pm the very same day. It's a house with great potential and Tarek is ready to pounce, so they make an offer and the bank accepts. But as renovation rolls along to bring this home to its true potential, problems arise. As budgets crash through ceilings and deadlines continue to be pushed, could this latest flip turn out to be nothing but trouble, or will it prove it always had nothing but potential?
- 18
Tarek and Christina find a short sale home listed in Whittier, California that's rather small but the asking price of $275,000 looks enticing next to comparable properties in the area. With their own resources spread thinly across other flips, Tarek and Christina have only $300,000 to spend on the home and its renovation. Despite their rigid debt ceiling, they're convinced they can purchase and rehab the home within a strict budget. But as problems are discovered and the margins start getting tighter, Tarek and Christina hope they can turn a profit on this investment home that is too small to fail.
- 19
Tarek and Christina spot a home listing online that's set for an auction that afternoon and based on neighborhood comps, the dirty and dated house looks like a bargain. By outward appearances, all it needs is an inexpensive cosmetic rehab. But after an unusual auction and a bevy of surprise issues, this dirty, dated and undesired home has quickly become more work than Tarek and Christina ever imagined.
- 20
Tarek and Christina are contacted by a cash strapped flipper who needs to unload a project house. With no bathrooms, no kitchen and nothing but plywood floors, exposed framing and piles of rubble, Tarek starts adding up the dollars required just to rehab the house.
- 21
Tarek and Christina get a lead on a short sale listing in Anaheim Hills that has just fallen out of escrow. The large home shows promise and with a heftier-than-usual price tag, Tarek and Christina will need financial help.
- 22
Tarek and Christina come across an intriguing short sale listing in the desirable neighborhood of Torrance. The exterior is in good shape and the comparable properties indicate the house could be a good value; but once they tour the home it becomes immediately clear that a lot of work and a lot of money will be required to update this 1927 home. Convinced that there's a profit to be made here despite the numerous challenges, Tarek and Christina punch their dance card and purchase the property. Can Tarek and Christina navigate this renovation maze or will they live to regret taking this house out for a barnyard dance?
- 23
Christina receives an e-mail from an agent who has a listing in the South Bay neighborhood of Hawthorne. The dated house needs a lot of work and while it's situated on a busy street near an airport and a noisy elementary school, its attractive list price draws in Tarek and Christina. It's a challenge, but this total renovation is the kind of project they love to take on. That is until work begins and a multitude of hidden problems rise to the surface. Will Tarek and Christina's high hopes fall on deaf ears, or can they overcome this home's loud, louder, and loudest problems to turn a profit?
- 24
Tarek and Christina get a lead on a home in Anaheim, California that is being offered as a quick, all-cash sale with no inspections and no contingencies. This seems like a project that's right up their alley. But with a tenant still living in the property, Tarek and Christina can't see inside the home before deciding to make an offer and anything could be behind that front door. Will the unknown spell disaster or could a little tender loving care be all that's needed to reverse the woes of this neglected flip?
- 25
Tarek and Christina come across a short sale listing in a desirable, hilly neighborhood of La Mirada, California. Although its price as compared to recent sales in the area leaves a tighter profit margin than they would like, the 1990s home is newer than the investment properties they typically buy and shouldn't need as much renovation as a result. With Tarek and Christina's usual contractor tied up by their growing roster of flip properties, they turn to a new contractor who comes recommended by fellow flippers. Will this newer home and new contractor make for a straightforward flip or could surprise costs and small mistakes leave Tarek and Christina risking a flop on this hilltop hangup?







