If you’ve ever seen shows like “Flip This House” or “Flip That House” and wondered if you could do the same thing that’s made to look so easy on TV, you may not be asking the right question. The question may be, “Should you?” Read on for answers.

You’ve seen them, right? The young couple in Southern California who buys a single family fixer-upper for (gasp!) $426,000, spends the next 12 weeks of their lives fixing it up, spending gobs of money on Italian marble and Travertine Tile, and re-sells the house to the very first family that calls.

Net profit after all expenses? A healthy $128,000. Heck, a chimp could do that, right?

So, Multiple Listings in one hand, calculator in the other, off you tramp to look at your neighborhood rehab projects. You spy a good looking one from the road, vacant and overgrown, needing mostly cosmetic repairs, and listed for $120,000. Wow, you think. Is this ever a diamond in the rough!

You make your offer, agreeing to pay the asking price because there were 3 other investors right behind you when you walked through the house, and you don’t want to miss your opportunity. The offer is accepted and you rejoice… at least until you begin the rehab job.