Flipping houses, where you buy, remodel and then sell property all within a very few months is growing in popularity across the country. And to be sure, there are great profits to be made in this kind of real estate investment. But you also need to know what you're doing as well, and here are the top five tips on how to flip houses the smart way.

1. First of all, be sure that you understand that flipping homes requires lots of hard work and effort in order to be successful. It's also not risk free, and this is especially so since it is a more short term real estate investment strategy. Small fluctuations in the real estate market can easily go against you and wipe out most if not all of your profits very quickly and easily. This is not said to discourage you, but simply to help you be prepared for the realities of the real estate marketplace.

2. Understand as well that when you adopt a short term strategy for making real estate profits that only involve a few months worth of ownership at a time, you will be taxed on the profits as if it were regular income. Many first time flippers don't realize this and are surprised when they lose a good portion of their profits in the form of income tax. So be sure that you plan ahead and factor in this expense before you get started.

3. When flipping homes for quick profits, don't try to over-renovate the house. Try to find houses instead that need some cosmetic work that can be done relatively inexpensively and easily and then stick to your game plan as you go. Don't try to build some kind of dream house instead, as you will simply lose time and money by going that route.

4. One of the great keys to successful real estate investment is to check your emotions at the door. Buying and selling real estate investment properties should not involve emotion at all in order to be successful. Let the numbers speak for themselves, and if the profit margin on a particular property is not within your tolerances, move on and find something else.

5. Learning how to build a dream team of support personnel including subcontractors and real estate agents, will be a large factor in your overall success. Of course, the more work you do yourself, the more profit you will usually make. However, on many occasions enlisting outside help from contractors, plumbers, electricians, and so forth can help keep you on track and get the job done in the allotted time. So do your best to find good, reliable people in the construction and real estate industry as you go, as a support team.

If you do your research on home market values diligently enough in advance to identify houses that can be bought well below market value and then renovated inexpensively, you can usually make a significant profit on most of your investment properties. Some of the most important keys to your success will be buying the house at the right price, having a clear plan and timeline for the remodeling work, and then pricing the house correctly in order to get a quick sale.