Property flipping in Batumi: buying, renovating and selling in figures

Property flipping in Batumi means buying an apartment in poor condition, renovating it and selling it for more. It sounds simple, but the result is made by three figures: the purchase price, the renovation estimate and the sale price, with tax, commission and months of waiting in between. We calculate all of this before the deposit, because once you have bought, a mistake in the price can no longer be fixed.

Property flipping in Batumi: where the money comes from

The profit is the difference between the sale price and everything you spent: the purchase with fees, the renovation, the upkeep of the apartment while the works and the sale go on, the agency commission and the tax. If even one figure slips, the difference disappears quickly. Time costs money too: while the apartment is being renovated and on sale, the money is not working.

Flipping suits those who are ready for one or two deals a year and keep a reserve for the unexpected. If you buy and sell regularly, the tax authority may treat it as a business activity, and the housing exemptions will stop applying.

Which property to buy

What works best are apartments where the problem is the finish, not the building: a Soviet-era apartment in the centre with a good layout and a tired renovation, a resale apartment in an older building, a shell apartment from a seller who needs to sell quickly. We compare the purchase price with real deals nearby, not with listings. How resale homes are bought is explained on our page about resale apartments.

We avoid properties with unregistered extensions and balconies, with altered load-bearing walls or an unclear document history: they are hard to sell. Before the deposit we carry out a technical inspection of the apartment, from 480 ₾: damp, utilities, windows, ventilation. In an old building, replacing the wiring and pipes can eat up the whole profit. We also look at the building itself: the entrance, the roof, the basement, the neighbours. The buyer of your apartment will come in through the same entrance, and a neglected building lowers the price of any finish.

The renovation estimate and timeline

A renovation for resale is not done to your own taste. Neutral finishes, light, a working kitchen and bathroom, dry corners: this is what a buyer pays for. Expensive materials and elaborate design rarely come back in the price. A cosmetic renovation starts from 210 ₾ per m², a pre-sale cosmetic renovation from 170 ₾ per m². What such a renovation gives and what not to spend on is explained on our page about pre-sale renovation.

Partitions can be moved without a permit if load-bearing structures are not touched, but the area in the registry extract must match reality. We fix the estimate and the schedule before buying, and keep the contracts, certificates and receipts from day one: they will reduce the tax on sale.

Selling costs

The agency commission on sale is 4–6 % of the price, plus preparation for viewings and a photo shoot, sometimes home staging. Add the months on the market: in the season there are more buyers, while in winter the sale may drag on. While the apartment is on sale you pay for electricity, water, gas and the building's service charge, and if the sale drags into winter, the apartment will also need drying out. How an apartment is prepared for viewings is explained on our page about pre-sale preparation.

Tax on the sale

Flipping almost always fits into less than two years of ownership, so there will be tax: 5 % of the difference between the sale price and the purchase price. Confirmed renovation costs are added to the purchase price, which makes the difference smaller, as the Ministry of Finance of Georgia clarified on 14 May 2026. A tax calculation with a list of supporting documents starts from 240 ₾; more on our page about taxes on sale.

A worked example

The figures are hypothetical: they illustrate the order of the calculation and are not market data.

If you sell for 5 % less, about 2 200 lari will be left. If the renovation costs a third more than the estimate, about 3 500 lari will be left. So we calculate several sale-price scenarios and an estimate with a margin.

Where flipping loses money

Overpaying at purchase, a renovation that costs more and takes longer than estimated, hidden damp or old utilities, a discounted sale out of season, a tax that was forgotten. We check each of these points before the deposit, not after the first wall comes down. Another trap is renovating for yourself: expensive tiles and elaborate lighting please the owner, but the buyer pays less for them than they cost.

How much a flipping calculation costs

An investment calculation with a property shortlist starts from 1 200 ₾, a technical inspection of an apartment from 480 ₾. A cosmetic renovation starts from 210 ₾ per m², a pre-sale cosmetic renovation from 170 ₾ per m², the commission on sale is 4–6 % of the price, and a tax calculation starts from 240 ₾.

The final price is set after we review the task and agree the scope of work. We do not promise a profit: the calculation shows at what sale price the deal makes sense.