This flipped house in Peoria, Arizona looks fresh at first glance. The details tell a different story. It’s a good checklist of the things flippers commonly miss, and the ones to look for if you’re buying a recently remodeled home.
Outside
- Backwards ventilation: the patio has vented soffits, but the house doesn’t. Roof ventilation overall is poor.
- Hidden foundation: landscape rock is piled high against the walls. When we cleared some away, we found a displaced, bowed section of foundation.
Inside
- Thermal scan findings: my thermal camera led me to a disconnected duct and missing insulation on vertical walls.
- Electrical: miswired three-way light switches.
- Doors: hardware that doesn’t latch and a brush seal that doesn’t seal.
- Kitchen: a sink overflow stuffed with debris, a backsplash that stops right where the splashing starts, and appliances that were noisy, loosely plugged in and missing an anti-tip bracket.
- Shower: no hot water, and standing water from a floor that doesn’t slope to the drain.
- Safety: new smoke detectors, but no carbon monoxide detector near the attached garage. Easy fix, big upside.
The attic
It was about 117°F up there with no soffit vents to pull in fresh air. I found dirty, undersized bath fans, an abandoned dryer vent, a “duct” made of tinfoil, and early signs of mold risk and ghosting from the heat and humidity. Flips rarely touch the attic, so this is where I always spend extra time.
What flippers commonly miss
- Attic ventilation and insulation
- Duct connections
- Shower slope and hot water supply
- Carbon monoxide detectors
- Anything hidden behind landscaping or new paint
If you’re buying a flip, read my write-up on the worst home flip I inspected in 2024 too.
Watch the full inspection
See every finding in the video above, or watch it on YouTube. Book your inspection online or call 623-399-0079.
Property Inspections Plus is a Gilbert, AZ home inspection company led by Certified Master Inspector Dan Pierce. We inspect homes across the East Valley, the Phoenix metro and the rest of Arizona. See all of our service areas.
