Real estate “flipping,” or buying a property cheaply, renovating it to add value, and quickly reselling it at or near market value for a profit, is on the rise. With the growing popularity of hit television shows like “Property Ladder” on TLC, Discovery’s “Flip That House,” and “Flip This House” on A&E, it’s no secret that people are eager to learn more about the flipping investment strategy. If you want to get in the game, or you’re already in it and want expert advice and tips to become more successful, the newly published, first edition of Flipping Houses For Dummies (written by yours truly and Joe Kraynak), can be your guide.

My no-nonsense book gives you the start-to-finish scoop on buying, renovating, and selling property, with plenty of time- and money-saving tips, strategies, and warnings to keep you on budget and on schedule. Flipping Houses For Dummies will show you how to:

• Find properties to flip
• Project your profits
• Secure financing
• Draw in buyers
• Work with contractors, agents, and other real estate professionals
• Steer clear of legal gray areas, including cash back at closing schemes

Flipping Houses For Dummies will also make you aware of savvy strategies for negotiating deals, modernizing for maximum profit, marketing flipped properties, avoiding common blunders, and staying afloat in a slow market. Also included is coverage on negotiating, property inspections, mortgages, taxes, and working with contractors, brokers, and real estate agents.

Like all ‘For Dummies’ books, mine concludes with a “Part of Tens,” including chapters titled “Ten Renovation Cost-Cutting Strategies,” like hiring students over the summer and buying overstocked or discontinued building materials, and “Ten Common House Flipping Blunders” such as failing to inspect the property before closing on it. The “Cheat Sheet” in the front of the book provides lists of signs of attractive fixer-upper and potential money pit, as well as check lists for home staging and cosmetics.

Flipping Houses For Dummies is available at bookstores all across the United States, and from Amazon.com.