When House Flipping Gets Truly Smelly: Inside the Zombie House Flipping Family's Latest Challenge
House flipping is not for the faint of heart — or the faint of nose. While most real estate investors focus on square footage, location, and market comps, the most seasoned flippers know that a property's worst-smelling days might just be the start of its most profitable chapter. That's the philosophy driving Tommy Harr and his family on their hit A&E series, Zombie House Flipping: Family Business, and their newest episode proves that philosophy is being put to the ultimate test.
In an exclusive clip from the upcoming episode titled "Smells Like Money," the Harr family steps foot inside an abandoned ranch-style home in the Columbus, Ohio area — and what greets them is not a warm welcome. Instead, it's a wave of what Tommy describes as a "very stinky" odor, the kind that signals serious neglect, possible hoarding conditions, and a renovation challenge that would send most people sprinting in the opposite direction.
Who Are the Zombie House Flippers?
If you haven't yet tuned into Zombie House Flipping: Family Business, which premiered in May on A&E, now is the perfect time to get acquainted with one of real estate television's most compelling crews. At the center of it all is Tommy Harr, a 31-year-old house-flipping veteran who has completed an extraordinary 400 house renovations throughout his career. His specialty? So-called "zombie" properties — homes that have been abandoned and left in legal limbo during the foreclosure process, sometimes for years at a time.
These zombie homes are scattered across neighborhoods in the Columbus, OH area, sitting vacant while banks, courts, and former homeowners navigate the slow machinery of the foreclosure system. They deteriorate, attract pests, invite vandals, and accumulate all manner of unpleasant surprises. Tommy Harr has turned tracking them down — and turning them around — into both a business and a televised family affair.
The Harr family operation is a true team effort. Tommy's youngest brother, Will, is actively training to become a project manager, learning the ropes on real jobs with real stakes. Brothers Jake and father Chris handle the critical pre- and post-construction inspections, ensuring every property is evaluated thoroughly before a dollar is spent and after the work is done. Meanwhile, matriarch Katie Harr wears two impressive hats: she serves as the family's interior designer, giving flipped homes their final polished look, and as their real estate agent, helping to sell the finished properties at maximum value.
What Makes a "Zombie" Property?
For viewers unfamiliar with the term, a zombie property is a home that has been vacated by its owner — typically after receiving a foreclosure notice — but has not yet been repossessed or resold by the lender. The original owner may have moved out assuming the bank would take over quickly, but legal delays can stretch that limbo period into months or even years. During that time, no one is maintaining the home.
The result is often catastrophic for the property. Roofs go unrepaired. Pipes freeze and burst. Mold takes hold. Animals move in. And in cases like the one featured in "Smells Like Money," previous occupants may have lived as hoarders, leaving behind mountains of belongings, waste, and the unmistakable stench of long-term neglect.
For most buyers, these conditions are dealbreakers. For the Harr family, they're opportunities.
The "Smells Like Money" Episode: A Rancid Red Flag or a Golden Opportunity?
The exclusive clip from the upcoming episode shows the Harr team entering the Columbus-area ranch-style home with cautious optimism — and being immediately hit by a wall of odor. Tommy's description of the home as "very stinky" is an understatement that fans of the show will likely find both relatable and entertaining. Anyone who has ever walked into a neglected property knows that smell: the layered combination of moisture, mildew, decaying matter, and years of closed-up air.
For experienced flippers like Tommy, however, that smell carries a message. It speaks to a property that has been avoided by less adventurous buyers, which often means less competition at purchase and a better acquisition price. It signals the kind of deep renovation that, once completed, can produce significant equity. In short, as the episode title suggests — it smells like money.
Why House Flipping in Columbus, Ohio Makes Sense
Columbus, Ohio has quietly become one of the more attractive markets for real estate investors in the Midwest. The city boasts a growing population, a strong job market anchored by The Ohio State University and a diverse array of industries, and a housing stock that includes a significant number of older properties ripe for renovation. The presence of zombie homes in various Columbus neighborhoods gives savvy investors like Tommy Harr a steady pipeline of acquisition opportunities at below-market prices.
- Affordable entry points: Distressed and zombie properties typically sell well below market rate, lowering the barrier to entry for investors.
- Strong resale demand: Columbus's growing population means renovated homes in desirable neighborhoods move quickly.
- Community revitalization: Flipping zombie homes removes eyesores from neighborhoods and can lift surrounding property values.
- Family business scalability: With a full team handling inspections, project management, design, and sales, the Harrs can move efficiently through multiple properties at once.
What Aspiring House Flippers Can Learn From the Harr Family
Whether you're an armchair investor watching from your couch or someone genuinely considering entering the house-flipping world, Zombie House Flipping: Family Business offers a masterclass in what it really takes to succeed in this industry. Tommy Harr's 400-renovation track record didn't happen by accident. It was built on a willingness to go where other investors won't — including into homes that smell absolutely terrible — and on the discipline to see past present conditions to future potential.
The family business model also offers a lesson in the power of complementary skills. Tommy's vision and deal-making instincts are amplified by his father and brother's inspection expertise, his mother's design eye, and his younger brother's developing project management capabilities. Each member of the team plugs a gap, reduces the need to outsource, and helps the family capture more of the profit margin on every deal.
Tune In and Hold Your Nose
The upcoming "Smells Like Money" episode of Zombie House Flipping: Family Business on A&E promises to be one of the season's most viscerally entertaining installments. Watching the Harr family navigate a "very stinky" abandoned Ohio hoarder house is equal parts cringe-worthy and inspiring — a reminder that in real estate, as in life, the biggest rewards often come to those willing to deal with the biggest messes. Keep an eye on A&E for the episode air date, and if you haven't started watching, consider this your sign to catch up.