Things to Remember: Finding Just the Right Piece of Furniture to Flip

•  If you are new to furniture flipping, start with some smaller less expensive pieces like plain end tables or desks to learn your craft. You can usually find these at garage sales or thrift shops. Watch for side of the road toss outs. Pay just a few dollars for them and practice cleaning, prepping and painting them. Aunt Bessie might pass something down or you might want to flip some of your own pieces in your home. Start out with the basics until you gain experience.

•  Once you gain confidence and learn what pieces are of good quality, you will find better pieces all over. Garage sales, consignment shops, estate sales, Craig's list, Good Will, etc. will be great places to frequent. Friends and family will start tagging you on Facebook and texting you addresses of pieces they've seen alongside the road or give you their own furniture they don't want any more.

•  Any pieces that seem old or of good quality should be researched before you begin. You may find that it is more valuable if it's just cleaned up. Some hold no value other than usability, and when that is the case, a redesign might be in order. If you plan to sell your piece, research your market to find out what colors and styles sell. Realize you are not your avatar - you may love bright orange, but pieces that are unusual colors will take a special person to love it.

•  You also need to consider the purchase price of the piece, cost of materials and time it will take to refinish it before planning a flip if it will be for sale. Spending $150 for a desk and $80 for materials will not bring much profit, especially if many hours are invested in its flip.

•  Of course, if you are planning to keep it for yourself or are refinishing it as a gift, the only person you need to please is yourself and the sky is the limit. Don't be afraid to experiment!