Flipping without the Flop

Visit geico.careers today to learn more about career opportunities at GEICO!

This Dallas associate may not be on HGTV (yet), but she does have the guts to take on a fixer upper. After watching quite a few episodes of “Fixer Upper,” a popular television show on HGTV, claims trainer Nicole Gordon and her spouse were ready to take on a project of their own.

Gordon purchased a 30 year-old 1,090 square foot foreclosed home in Shreveport, Louisiana. When she walked in and saw stained tile flooring, dirty carpets, a run-down kitchen and a grimy bathtub, her first thought was, “I think I found more than I bargained for,” explained Gordon. “If I could have my own HGTV show, I’d call it ‘OMG! What is that?!’ Because that’s what I said to myself when I first walked into the house.”

What she also saw, however, was the potential of the home. She drafted her project plan and loaded up her pickup truck with home improvement supplies. Each weekend, Gordon drives three hours to Louisiana to work on the home. She’s made lots of progress since she purchased it, painting the kitchen cabinets and replacing the damaged carpet with new hardwood. Gordon says fixing old, improper repairs is one of many challenges when flipping a home. For example, she explained, “The previous contractors welded fabric to a pipe to avoid a leak.”

Although this is her first flip and she still has quite a bit of work to do, Gordon already has her eye on another property. She currently owns two land parcels in Arkansas and another in Lone Oak, Texas. “I have the bug for this. I love the creativity behind it. My jaw hit the floor when I first saw the home because of how much dirt and trash was in it, but now it’s bright, vivid and lively. You can see a family living there, which is the piece I love the most.”

by Lee Jones

Visit geico.careers today to learn more about career opportunities at GEICO!