One woman has described her terrifying flip home buying experience that will completely change the way you look at these picture perfect HGTV style home renovations.
Kaitlin Mattes, 38, of Massachusetts, and her family got more than they bargained for when they were forced to move from New York to Cape Cod during the recent housing crisis after only seeing their new home virtually.
The family of five bought an upside down home – meaning a buyer buys a property and refurbishes it to get it back on the market.
But while pictures of the house promised a quaint and elegantly restored property, the family soon found that the reality was a far cry from the glossy photos they had been shown.
Kaitlin Mattes, 38, of Massachusetts, has detailed her horrifying experience buying an upside-down house
In a TikTok series, she shared the troubles at her home — from water damage to plumbing issues
In a video, she explains that one of the toe kicks in her kitchen just fell off because mortar wasn’t used in her house
The mum has gone viral after documenting her “horrible home” in a seven-part series on her TikTok and Instagram, showing her 25,000+ followers every flaw in her home and telling viewers about the disastrous conditions she found herself in , embraced.
While sharing the areas of her home where she found serious problems — from water-damaged bathrooms to uneven tile — Kaitlin has managed to maintain a sense of humor, earning plaudits from viewers for her tongue-in-cheek insults that aimed at her home renovators, whom she refers to as “potato chips, beets and hazelnuts”.
In a video, she explains that one of the toe kicks in her kitchen – a piece of wood placed under a cupboard – fell off immediately due to a lack of mortar, before adding that the flippers pretended there was no mortar, and apparently decided not to use it anywhere.
Kaitlin also shows her sweeping up the excess bits of her tiled floor, which she notes are “coming up” because the fins have “forced” the tiles onto an “uneven floor.”
In another video, she shows a wall trimmed square to the end where the fins decided to place two squares at random, leading the mother-of-five to wonder why they hadn’t “measured” beforehand.
The mum has gone viral after documenting her “horrible home” in a seven-part series on her TikTok by showing her 25,000+ followers every flaw in her home
She vented that her bathroom vanity drawers were sealed
She also shows the square stone path leading to her front door, but the fins “missed a few” and she notes that they’re “uneven,” before adding that they “will definitely get up.”
In another video, Kaitlin discusses the “assholes” the flippers left in their stairs that their kids decided to fill with their toys and other random goodies.
Not only does the staircase have assholes where your kids leave their Legos, but there are also gaps in the banisters where your kids could slip out.
“Of course my skinny wormkids found where they forgot railings. Nice,” she says.
In one video, she shared that her garage door opener was installed next to her doorbell, adding that the fins left holes on her stairs
Not only does the staircase have assholes where your kids leave their Legos, but there are also gaps in the banisters where your kids could slip out
In an interview with BuzzFeed, she revealed that the family did in fact have a pre-purchase inspection, but their home-buying experience presented them with many challenges.
She explained that there was “no inventory and interest rates skyrocketed,” before adding that they had to come up with “triple” the amount they paid in New York.
And while she understood the house had been flipped and was well above the price it should have been listed for, Kaitlin explained that they had no choice since her husband “had already left NY and was living in MA full-time.” , while they stayed in NY with their three children, which made things even more difficult for them.
The mother-of-five said the fins used magnets as decoration and didn’t use screws on the outside
Regarding the inspection, Kaitlin explained that she and her husband made an offer, “requesting an inspection upon request and for information only.”
She added that they were “rejected” from many homes.
Regarding the inspection, Kaitlin explained that she and her husband made an offer, “requested an inspection upon request and for information only.”
She added that any inspection found could not be used in price negotiations, before adding that the areas “structural and electrical” seemed “okay” so they went ahead and moved in after only seeing it virtually .
And while she expected to walk into a house full of surprises, she found she wasn’t expecting “a dumpster full of surprises,” she told BuzzFeed.
The mother-of-five started using social media as an outlet to vent her frustrations, but never thought it would reach such a large audience.
While expecting to walk into a house full of surprises, she noted that she wasn’t expecting “a dumpster full of surprises,” she told BuzzFeed
Now she wants to “shed light” on the problem of those who practice “under the guise of contractors.”
Now she wants to “shed light” on the issue of those practicing “under the guise of contractors,” adding that fins “should meet higher quality standards,” she said.
She added: “I’m lucky to be able to fix these problems, but what about those who aren’t familiar with renovations?
“Who has the money these days to fix what should have been done right in the first place, especially when families are now being forced to pay top dollar for homes?”
Despite all of the seemingly endless problems, Kaitlin said she is “determined” to make the house work for herself and her family and will fix the issues to give her children a stable home.
Users were shocked to learn of Kaitlin’s domestic troubles, and viewers called for a boycott of Home Flipping
Users were shocked to learn of Kaitlin’s domestic troubles, and viewers called for a boycott of Home Flipping.
One user said, “Turning houses should be borderline illegal.”
Another added: “Lesson: don’t buy an upside down house unless it’s been flipped by a TV show pinball machine.”
“My house was flipped too. Not a single window in this location opens or keeps the heat out,” commented one user.
“Everyone thinks they can flip a house now,” said another user.