Detroit House Hunting: Flipped home sells above asking

What happened: The Rameys' 14175 Mansfield St. house a couple blocks east of Grandmont was listed for $169,900 when we featured it Aug. 10. The sale closed last week for $175,000, per Charles — a 3% increase.

Details: When the Rameys choose a property, they look first at how they can open up the floor plan and then at how to make it more functional for the family they imagine buying it, Charles says.

• That could mean adding a half bath to a house that kids may be moving into — or finishing the basement.
• "The market is great for me because I don't look for an astronomical profit when I renovate my houses," he says. Charles says he would rather flip several smaller 1,000- to 1,500-square-foot houses than go for a huge home that could net a larger single return.