Mason Weese on Taking Risks and Building a House-Flipping Empire

I’m chatting with Mason Weese, a house flipper from Charleston, on the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast. Mason is someone who has taken the local real estate market by storm since he started in 2021. He tells me his story, beginning with his first house flip that most people told him to avoid. Mason says everyone warned him that the house was a money pit and advised him to stay away. However, he had a vision for the property and decided to take a risk. When I ask if they were right, he confidently tells me they weren’t. He made money from that first house, which was a significant accomplishment for him. Since then, he has continued to expand his business.

Mason explains that after the initial success, the next step was to grow the acquisition side of his business. He hired an acquisition manager and a couple of acquisition specialists to find more houses that needed flipping. His goal has always been to have the acquisition side outpace the construction side. As they began acquiring more properties, they had to increase the number of construction crews. He tells me they currently have 15 to 20 crews working simultaneously, with each crew typically consisting of three people. Some teams even manage with just two people. Impressively, all these workers are W-2 employees under his company, which adds a layer of stability and commitment to his operations.

We talk about the common misconceptions people have about real estate, especially in the house-flipping business. People often think it’s a straightforward process where you buy a house, sell it, and make a lot of money. Mason clarifies that it’s much more complicated. The key to success is buying properties with enough margin. To achieve that, he needs to find sellers who have a strong motivation to sell, whether it’s due to a structural issue with the house, a personal situation like a divorce, or needing money quickly. These are the situations where he can step in and offer a solution, helping people while also securing a good deal for his business.

Mason’s advice for anyone looking to get started in the business is simple yet profound: focus on finding a great deal. He believes that if you can find a deal with a large enough margin, the rest will fall into place. He emphasizes that most of your effort should be directed toward locating these opportunities. For instance, if you buy a house for $50,000, invest another $50,000 in renovations, and can sell it for $200,000, you’ve found a worthwhile investment. He even offers to partner with newcomers if they manage to find a good deal, showing his willingness to support others in the industry.

I ask Mason about the importance of work ethic and hustle in his line of work. He tells me it’s the most crucial factor for success. Finding the right deals isn’t as simple as browsing a few listings on Zillow. His team looks through thousands of houses—around 10,000 in a year—to find the 60 houses they plan to flip. This relentless search requires a lot of hard work and dedication, proving that there are no shortcuts to success in this field.

As we wrap up our conversation, Mason invites anyone interested in learning more about his business to visit his website, www.majobuyshouses.com or follow him on Instagram, www.instagram.com/masonweese_21 He also mentions that he regularly attends First Tuesdays events and encourages people to come and meet him there.