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riends and home flippers Kristy Etheredge and Rebecca Franchione are sharing their experience with motherhood as a key factor in their success as real estate investors. The duo, who star on A&E's new series "The Mother Flip," attribute their savvy business skills to their social connections and authentic relationships within the Texas Hill Country community.
Etheredge and Franchione first became interested in house flipping while walking around their neighborhood together. They credit their ability to find great deals to their networking and genuine connections with locals, who often prefer to work with people they know. "We're always behind the scenes out talking to people, kayaking," says Etheredge. "We have so many people in the Hill Country that don’t necessarily want to list their house with someone unless they know them."
The pair has relied on their friendships and motherly instincts to guide their business decisions since it began snowballing after renovating a cabin in the woods for $425,000 and selling it a few months later for $715,000. They often shop at discount stores, utilize natural resources, and resell items left behind by previous owners to save money during renovations.
Franchione notes that their favorite piece of advice is to think of every Realtor.com listing as a dating website profile – the best pictures are the first, but you need to dig deeper to find the real gem. When it comes to homes to flip, Franchione insists on finding "hot messes" with potential for unique design features that will stand out to buyers.
The duo also champions doing renovations in phases and carefully vetting all contractors and bids to avoid overpaying. They learned this lesson the hard way when they were building their own home remodels. Etheredge acknowledges the challenges of being a mom operating in a male-dominated industry but says she and Franchione are up for the challenge of proving themselves.
"The Mother Flip" premieres Saturday, Aug. 16 at 12 p.m., on A&E's HomeMadeNation.
