Property flipper’s Central Coast score
A carpenter working in a rising market has revealed how much he is pocketing from just one deal that spanned mere months.
Property renovator Chris Bye has listed his latest home flip in The Central Coast and could stand to pocket close to $1.2m for a few months’ work.
Mr Bye purchased the home on Tungarra Pde in MacMasters Beach for $1.55m in March 2025, with property records showing development applications for renovating were made in May.
Records show the renovations cost $185,201, making Mr Bye’s total spend on the MacMasters Beach home just over $1.735m.
The property is now listed with a guide of $3m, just two weeks after he finished working on the home, a sale price which would net Mr Bye over $1.26m in a matter of months.
The home was originally a three-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage which now has two added bedrooms, an extra bathroom, and a completely new look thanks to Mr Bye and his building partner Rob McLoughlin’s complete revamp.
Their company, Flipping Homes Australia, has gained over 100,000 followers on Instagram since he began sharing his property flipping journey online.
Originally a carpenter by trade, Mr Bye has been renovating and restoring old homes for much of his career across the UK, the Netherlands and Australia.
About 12 years ago he started investing more time and money into the process of property development.
He’s now flipped five homes in Australia, with 12 Tungarra Pde being his latest.
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“We find properties that were built between the mid-1970s and up to about 1990; they will have a certain layout which lends itself to us being able to add bedrooms and add bathrooms,” he said.
“Those houses tend to have the old-fashioned formal dining room; nowadays we love the open plan, skylights, big open spaces, open-plan kitchens and living.
“When we have the old-fashioned formal dining room, that then lends itself to being another bedroom.”
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When it comes to property flipping, Mr Bye said the renovation itself was not the most important part.
“You make your money when you buy,” he said.
“The whole principle is that you need to buy right.
“You have to run your numbers and you cannot bend your numbers or try to get them to work if they’re not going to.”
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In terms of location, Mr Bye said the MacMasters Beach home followed a key principle he used to approach his renovations.
“The principle is that anywhere within an hour-and-a-half from a major city that is coastal is always going to be a good buy,” he said.
“So this property is 150m from the beach, an hour and a half from Sydney CBD; it’s in a highly desirable area and we’ve bought it at the right price.”
Mr Bye said he wanted to sell the home as quickly as possible, as he has a principle of “flip, flip, hold” when it comes to building a property portfolio.
This means he must flip two homes before holding on to one.
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Mr Bye said in the flip stage, he aims to renovate and sell quickly in order to minimise the amount of interest he accumulates on the property.
“We get in, get the renovation done as quickly as possible and then we get it back on the market,” he said.
In the case of Tungarra Pde, Ray White Bensville | Empire Bay director Matthew Kidd said the vendor had unlocked extraordinary value, while preserving the charm of the original beachside cottage.
The property’s listing comes as The Central Coast area continues to attract big offers and ambitious sales.
A luxury beachfront home in Wamberal was listed with a price guide of $25m in October, while just last week a Gosford penthouse broke the local record for an apartment sale.
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Originally published as Property flipper’s Central Coast score
