Flipping a house for the first time can seem a little intimidating. However, if you follow these tips, it should be smooth sailing.

Know and Analyze the Local Estate Market

It’s important to know the neighborhoods you want to invest in like the back of your hand. You need to familiarize yourself with the sales prices for different types of homes, schools, neighborhoods and demographics. Real estate sites like Trulia and Zillow can give you some data on current home selling prices. And you get the rest of the information from other local realtors. Once you get this information together, go ahead and analyze it. By analyzing the data, you’ll know how much local buyers are willing to pay and you’ll know the types of properties that buyers are interested in buying. Knowing this information will allow you to avoid winding up with a home that sits on the market for a while versus one that flips quickly.

Get a Team

Building yourself with a skilled team is critical for a successful flip. You’ll need a team of general contractors, realtors, lenders, accountants and real estate attorneys. You get a team together through referrals and networking. Start to go to meetings of local real estate investment organizations, join some business networking groups and become a member of the chamber of commerce. Realtors can give you access to properties that are currently on the Multiple Listing Service. You should speak to as many realtors as you can. This includes both selling and buying agents. Having a team is essential for a profitable flip.

Find a Flippable Property

Once you’ve identified what types of homes sell best, focus on those ones. For example, if four-bedroom houses are selling well, rehabbing one of these is likely your best bet. In addition, you need to know who your likely buyers are. It may be empty nesters, seniors or singles. Know what their needs are. A family with young kids may need a four-bedroom home with two bathrooms.

Keep an open mind, too. Your leads may wind up coming from a variety of sources, such as friends, banks, realtors, family members or trustee sales. Another good source for flappable properties is foreclosures. Just keep in mind that you’ll probably need a cashier’s check or cash to pick up a foreclosure. You also may not be able to view the foreclose. So, you may have to deal with squatters or hidden liens on the title.

Structuring the Deal

Once you’ve established the value of the property, you then need to calculate the after repair value. This will tell you if it’s a good deal for you. When you inspect the property, work with a good general contractor and review the budget repair sheet. You need to know all the repair costs in order to determine the after repair value. Follow the 70 percent rule. Only take on projects when the after repair value is less than 70 percent of the final selling price. Once you make the sale, use an experienced real estate lawyer to write up the contract.

Manage the Rehab Process

Keep yourself in the loop and work closely with a general contractor. This will keep you on track with the renovations and within budget. Obtain estimates from contractors and keep track of their progress on your project. Make a written timeline and make sure everything goes according to plan in a timely manner. This will help avoid carrying costs.