Baby on Board – Christina’s Tips for Flipping with a Newborn

As you probably know, just a little over a month ago, Tarek and I welcomed the newest member of our family into the world. For most of the time I was pregnant with Brayden, my work life really didn’t change that much, and it hasn’t changed a lot since his birth, either. That’s the beauty of flipping houses – you can really find a great work-life balance without sacrificing your time with your family. That said, running a real estate business with two kids is definitely going to have its challenges, but it’s definitely not impossible. Here are a few tips I use to keep flipping with a newborn baby on board.

Remember to Take Care of Yourself

First of all, as a new parent, you’re going to be running on limited sleep. Tarek and I take turns getting up when Brayden wakes up in the middle of the night, but we definitely both could use a little more shut-eye. That’s why we split tasks up as much as possible and pay attention to how we’re both feeling.

If I’m just way too rundown to go hunting for leads, I’ll work from home looking at the MLS and calling our real estate contacts. As Tarek and I have both said, flipping houses is all about building relationships. When you have a new baby in the house, you need to make sure that you’re taking care of yourself so that you can take care of your family, and that might mean slowing down a little bit and doing more delegating.

Also, one of the best things about the real estate business is that you can really make your own schedule. With a newborn, that means you can schedule your own naptime when your baby goes down for a nap, too. It’s a great way to catch up on some of the sleep you’re losing at night, and it’ll help you feel more energized when you meet with contractors and buyers or when you’re looking for new leads on flips.

Plan Ahead on Everything

Now, sometimes a lead will be just too good to pass up, but Tarek will be busy with another one of our flips. That means I have to be ready to pack Brayden up and head out the door with him in tow. To make this easier, I try to plan ahead as much as possible on everything I can think of. If I know that I’m going to go look at properties or check on one of our in-progress flips, then the night before I’ll get everything ready that I’m going to need to make sure that both Brayden and I are comfortable and ready for a whole day out of the house.

In addition to grabbing my list of properties to look at, materials to buy for in-progress flips, etc., I’ll also make sure that I have everything Brayden needs, including toys, diapers, pumped milk or formula, and anything else he could need.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate!

Finally, you might love the DIY aspect of some of the projects that come with flipping houses, but now is really not the time. Let your contractors take care of your rehabs, and let the rest of your team take care of as much of your real estate business as they can. Delegate as many tasks as possible to the rest of your team so that you can spend more quality time with your baby without feeling really frazzled and stressed. Good leaders know how to delegate, and right now your biggest priority should be your family. Fortunately, this business makes that a lot easier than almost any other job!