36 Showings in 3 Weeks & Grandma Still Tanked the Deal

In this episode, I'm breaking down another Deal Analysis — one of my favorite formats on this show because it's not guru talk, it's real numbers from a real deal we just closed. This one turned into a wild ride: a rough Arvada property that wasn't ready for the market, a textbook acquisitions process, a tight rehab budget, and a sales process that had 36 showings in three weeks before a buyer's grandma tanked the first contract three days in.

I walk through exactly how we found the deal through our cold calling program, the numbers behind the rehab, what it's like managing a project alongside real estate students from the EPIC school, and the pricing lessons we learned the hard way when the deal almost didn't close.

If you want to see what a real "bread and butter" flip looks like from acquisition to close — including the mistakes — this episode is for you.

🎓 Quick shoutout on this one: this deal doubled as a project for students in the EPIC Campus real estate track, an entrepreneurship program we've supported through Littleton Public Schools for three years now. First semester, students come into our co-working space at the Broadway Collective and learn the fundamentals of real estate investing. Second semester, they get to work a live flip as their class project — which is exactly what happened here. The students walked this property, sat in on a full presentation covering deal analysis, project management, and design, and one of them even talked us into a gold toilet for the primary suite.

Learn more about the program here: https://www.littletonpublicschools.net/o/epiccampus

Property: 8506 Union Circle, Arvada, CO 80005

🔗 See the full listing on Redfin: https://www.redfin.com/CO/Arvada/8506-Union-Cir-80005/home/34337037

📸 Before & After Photos

🔗https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1u28IejhRToqfjXADeLzDdbsMB_kPHPPs?usp=sharing

Episode Highlights:

0:00 – Introduction and Overview

1:13 – Deal Analysis: The Property Background

4:59 – Acquisition Process and Cold Calling Campaign

9:58 – Rehab Strategy and Design Choices

17:34 – Sales Strategy and Market Response

20:40 – Financial Metrics and Profit Analysis

30:06 – Conclusion and Future Opportunities

🚨 We're Hiring a Real Estate Agent 🚨

I'm looking for one more agent to join our team — someone who's a beast on the MLS, great at writing offers, and skilled at building relationships with other agents. If that's you, email me at info@elevationinvest.com or text 720-545-0490.

📘 Want Our New Investor Ebook? Be on the list to get our latest investor ebook. DM "EBOOK" or email: info@elevationinvest.com

Thank you for tuning in to Raising the Flipping Bar. If you found value in this episode, don't forget to leave a review and share it with someone who's serious about real estate investing.

Until next time — keep raising the bar, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

Connect with Derek Marlin and ELEVATION Investment Properties!

Derek on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/derekmarlin
ELEVATION’s website: https://elevationinvest.com/
ELEVATION on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevationinvestmentproperties
ELEVATION on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevationinvest/
ELEVATION on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elevationinvestmentproperties

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