We’re Britain’s best ‘house flippers’ making thousands doing up nine homes in 12yrs – but there are VERY grim jobs to do
A DIY-loving couple have have flipped nine houses in just 12 years.
Sarah and Graham Alderton sometimes spend only months in a property before fixing it up and moving on to the next project.
They’ve completed each one with no financial help from friends or family – and done almost all the work themselves, The Times reports.
It means the serial renovators have made a tidy £472,461 – but they have had to get their hands dirty along the way.
Dental nurse Sarah, 40, and plumbing and heating engineer Graham, 34, bought their first doer-upper in 2011, a year after meeting.
It was repossessed one-bedroom property in Bordon, Hampshire, and cost them £106,000.
The pair spent four months and £18,000 bringing it up to scratch, learning what they didn’t already know from YouTube videos.
But soon after settling in, they realised the flat wasn’t “home” so sold it for £135,000 in 2013.
They put the £11,000 profit towards a deposit for their next project – a £131,000 250-year-old cottage in Wiltshire.
The grade II listed building turned out to be a lot of work, requiring them both to spend all their spare time on the revamp.
Sarah said: “You did one job and it turned into six.”
It also had no oven or hob, so the Aldertons cooked on a one-ring camping stove for a year.
At one point, half the downstairs ceiling caved in when an old unsupported fireplace hearth fell through the floor.
Once the property was finished, it sold for £187,500 which allowed the couple to buy a shabby Edwardian home in Ludgershall for £170,000.
This was in even worse condition than the last one, with a hole in the floor, dead bats and rats in the water tank and no boiler.
But once the restoration was complete, an architect nabbed the keys for £239,950.
After that, Sarah and Graham rattled through the houses – including an ex-council property which they flipped in just eight weeks.
“We were in a rhythm by this point,” Graham said.
“We got the keys at lunchtime, hired a van, then went in there and ripped everything out the same day — the woodwork, the doors, everything — threw it in the van and rushed to the tip to get rid of it.”
The low points seem to be persistent, but the highs far outweigh the lows.
Graham Alderton
To save money, Graham went to college to train as an electrician while Sarah became a domestic energy assessor so she could carry out her own checks.
But they still have to pay for architects, structural engineers and property inspectors, which can be expensive.
Their next homes saw them building an extension, knocking through internal walls, adding bedrooms and creating parking facilities – all “sure-fire” ways to boost house prices.
But they insist the two most important things to remember are not to assume you will make a profit and never buy above market value.
Their current home, Dolly Mixture Cottage in Burbage, is on the market for £750,000.
It was a derelict storage facility full of rats but it is now an idyllic detached three-bedroom family home with “character feel”.
Despite not yet selling, Sarah and Graham have already bought their 10th house.
Sarah, who quit her job to renovate full-time, said: “Instead of children, we have this.
“It’s lovely to be able to put a house back for a whole family to enjoy again for years.”
Graham added: “The low points seem to be persistent, but once you’ve finished, and you stand back and you can appreciate it, the highs far outweigh the lows.”
Sarah and Graham's nine houses
1. One-bedroom property in Bordon, Hampshire (2011)
Bought: £106,000
Sold: £135,000 in 2013
Spend: £18,000
Profit: £11,000
2. Two-bedroom cottage in Wiltshire (2013)
Bought: £131,000
Sold: £187,500 in 2014
Spend: £20,000
Profit: £35,500
3. Edwardian fixer-upper in Ludgershall, Wiltshire (2014)
Bought: £170,000
Sold: £239,950 in 2015
Spend: £25,000
Profit: £44,950
4. Ex-council house renovated in eight weeks (2015)
Bought: £175,000
Sold: £225,000 in 2015
Spend: £20,000
Profit: £30,000
5. Bungalow in Ludgershall, Wiltshire (2016)
Bought: £185,000
Sold: £272,000 in 2017
Spend: £25,000
Profit: £62,000
6. Three-bedroom ex-council house in Tidworth, Wiltshire (2017)
Bought: £158,000
Sold: £235,000 in 2018
Spend: £25,000
Profit: £52,000
7. Four-bedroom Dolly Mixture Cottage in Burbage, Wiltshire (2018)
Bought: £216,000
On sale: £750,000 in 2022
Spend: £200,000
Profit: TBC
8. Investment property in Devizes, Wiltshire (2019)
Bought: £235,000
Sold: £395,000
Spend: £75,000
Profit: £85,000
9. Two-bedroom bungalow in Manton, Wiltshire (2020)
Bought: £182,000
Sold: £430,000 in 2023
Spend: £85,000
Profit: £163,000
10. House in Amesbury, Wiltshire (2023)
Bought: Unknown
Sold: TBC
Spend: TBC
Profit: TBC