A South Florida couple is taking their home flipping business to national TV. One-half of the team grew up in White Bear Lake.
When asked why producers chose them for an A&E show called “Flip Wars,” White Bear grad David Shoultz said he’d like to say it’s his great looks.
“But it’s really my Argentinian wife,” he admitted. “She’s beautiful and has a great accent. I’m a ginger from Minnesota. The combination probably looks good on TV.”
Their new claim to fame started with a phone call from New York. A production company was doing a new show on flipping homes. “They told us they wanted to Skype and meet us,” David recalled. “They offered us the show.”
After a six-year stint in the Army National Guard and working jobs in California, Colorado and Argentina, Shoultz and his wife Ivana ended up in Delray Beach, Florida, five years ago. He is a general contractor with his own business, called Beachfront Builders, and his wife is a real estate broker who owns Beachfront Properties. They decided to make flipping the focus of their business when they moved to Florida.
“Minnesota was too cold for Ivana,” Shoultz said. “She wanted to live by the beach.”
The new TV series tracks experienced, professional flippers as they tackle the next big thing in the market — ghost flips — where buyers invest their own money on homes they’ve never laid eyes on, Shoultz explained. “There is risk, but the benefit is marketing. We are trying to get more business and recognition for our work. There is a small stipend.”
Flipping houses is extremely competitive in south Florida. “There is no shortage of money and hungry people wanting to prove their ability to be the next HGTV stars,” Shoultz said.
The couple usually flips five homes a year with margins of $45,000 to $60,000 per project, according to Shoultz, who said clients are now asking them to flip their homes.
The new TV show features three Florida couples who are competing to buy dilapidated houses and turn them into renovated masterpieces. It’s similar to other popular shows on do-it-yourself channels like “Flip and Flop” in California, “Fixer Upper” and “Flip Vegas.”
David’s father Barry Shoultz stated that “not much dust settles” under his son. “He’s very confident and a really good communicator,” something he said David likely learned on stage.
The younger Shoultz was active in theater at a young age, with parts in Lakeshore Players Theatre productions at age 8 and later, performing for the Children’s Theater Company in Minneapolis. “Driving him to theater practice was worse than being a hockey dad,” Barry recalled.
The class of 2000 White Bear grad grew up on 10th Street by West Park and attended the University of Minnesota. He met Ivana on vacation in Tortillas and lived three years in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after they married. He’s fluent in Spanish, which is advantageous for communicating with Hispanic work crews on job sites. The couple have a 2-year-old daughter and are expecting a son in July.
“It’s nice to have Dave in Florida,” noted dad, who is semi-retired and works with his son on building projects during the winter months. Shoultz’s other children, David’s siblings, are all White Bear grads who live in the area, Emily, Hunter and Claire.
Asked if there was anything more he wanted to share with hometown readers, Shoultz said, “You’re putting me on the spot. How about, Go Bears!”
More on Shoultz’s business can be found on his website: www.beachfrontbuilders.us