Empyrean's House Flipper launched on 17 May 2018, published by Frozen District and PlayWay, and this is the original rather than the 2023 sequel. It is a first person renovation sim driven by an email inbox: clients write in, you mop, paint, knock down walls and fit radiators, and the money funds buying wrecked properties from the laptop to fix and auction off. House Flipper 2 arrived in December 2023 on a completely new code base and added the town of Pinnacove, an Assembly building mode and a true sandbox, none of which exist in this game. The 2018 original scored 68 on Metacritic for PC and still became a Steam bestseller.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Cleaning Jobs | Email jobs from the laptop basics | Painting | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Painting Jobs | Six perk trees fed by tool use mastery | Painting | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Installation Jobs | Buying and reselling properties + gear | Cleaning or Painting | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | House Flipper Mode Properties | Build optimization | Cleaning | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Garden Flipper Plots | Min-max | Cleaning or Handyman | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Cleaning Jobs)
The bulk of the early inbox and the reason the mop and vacuum unlock first. Jobs like Cleaning the Garage and the student house clean up are low paying but they build the Cleaning tree, which stays relevant for the rest of the game because every bought property starts filthy.
Level/Difficulty: Opening hours, no perks required Key Rewards: The mop, the vacuum cleaner, the first Cleaning perk points, starting capital
What to Do in Cleaning Jobs
- Learn Email jobs from the laptop. Work arrives as emails on your in game laptop, each one from a named client with a short backstory and a list of demands. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Painting as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- A job has to be completed to at least 70 percent for its tool unlock to become permanent and appear on your tool wheel. Walking away from a job at 60 percent costs you the tool as well as the payment.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Vacuum Cleaner or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Email jobs from the laptop fundamentals
- Painting selected and functional
- Cleaning Jobs main content cleared
- Ready for Painting Jobs
Phase 2: Early Game (Painting Jobs)
Redecoration contracts, opened up by Amanda Smith's Amaranth Walls. They pay better than cleaning and they hand over the scanner, which changes your economy by letting you sell items already sitting in a property.
Level/Difficulty: After the first cleaning contracts Key Rewards: Paint roller, item scanner, Painting perk points
What to Do in Painting Jobs
- Work on Six perk trees fed by tool use. Perk points come from doing the work, not from levelling a character. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Vacuum Cleaner if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- The four tool unlock jobs are worth doing in order: Sara Lewis's stolen radiator job for the mop, Amanda Smith's Amaranth Walls for the paint roller and scanner, Thomas Johnson's Additional Walls for the sledgehammer and wall building, and Eric Camel's Necessary Extra Bathroom for tiling and paneling.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Installation Jobs.
- Consider whether Cleaning might suit your playstyle better than Painting.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Six perk trees fed by tool use integrated into gameplay
- Vacuum Cleaner acquired
- Painting Jobs fully cleared
- Ready for Installation Jobs
Phase 3: Mid Game (Installation Jobs)
Radiators, plumbing, plastering and fittings, the work the Handyman tree exists for. These jobs are the slowest in the game before perks and among the fastest after them, which makes them a good measure of whether your perk spending is paying off.
Level/Difficulty: Mid career, Handyman perks recommended Key Rewards: Handyman perk points, higher job payouts, the fittings practice that flips depend on
What to Do in Installation Jobs
- Master Buying and reselling properties. Once you have cash, the laptop lets you buy derelict houses outright. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Mop. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- The scanner is a money tool, not a cleaning tool. Selling the furniture already inside a bought property recovers part of the purchase price before you spend a single coin on the tablet.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Tool unlocks gated behind jobs for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Buying and reselling properties mastered
- Mop acquired or in progress
- Installation Jobs fully cleared
- Ready for House Flipper Mode Properties
Phase 4: Late Game (House Flipper Mode Properties)
Buying a wreck from the laptop, renovating it and auctioning it off. Buyers weigh different things, one caring about cleanliness and another about family rooms, so the same house sells for different sums depending on how you finished it. This is the closest the 2018 game gets to a sandbox, since a true sandbox mode only exists in House Flipper 2.
Level/Difficulty: After the full tool wheel is unlocked Key Rewards: Property profit, freedom over layout and decoration, the long term money engine
What to Do in House Flipper Mode Properties
- Finalize your build. You should be running Cleaning or Painting with optimized gear.
- Mop should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Perk points come from doing the activity, so the tree you use most fills fastest. That makes Cleaning almost free to max and Building the slowest to fill unless you deliberately chase wall jobs.
- The tablet catalogue and item scanner optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Garden Flipper Plots.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Mop upgraded to max
- House Flipper Mode Properties fully cleared
- Ready for Garden Flipper Plots
Phase 5: Endgame (Garden Flipper Plots)
Outdoor areas added by the Garden Flipper DLC in May 2019. Planting, paving and garden furniture attach to properties you already own, and a finished garden raises the auction price on a flip that is otherwise complete.
Level/Difficulty: Requires Garden Flipper DLC Key Rewards: Higher flip sale prices, outdoor furnishing catalogue, garden specific jobs
What to Do in Garden Flipper Plots
- Garden Flipper Plots tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Negotiation perks apply on both sides of every transaction. Price negotiations and Higher payment together change the profitability of the same flip more than any decorating choice does.
- The endgame loop: run Garden Flipper Plots, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Handyman for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where The tablet catalogue and item scanner mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Garden Flipper Plots fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Abandoning a job around the halfway mark, which forfeits both the payment and the tool unlock that job was gating.
- Buying a property before the tool wheel is complete, then hitting a tiling or demolition step with no tool for it.
- Furnishing from the tablet before running the scanner over the junk already in the house, which throws away easy refunds.
- Spreading perk points evenly across all six trees, so no tree reaches the perks that actually change how long the work takes.
- Confusing this game with House Flipper 2 and looking for Pinnacove, Assembly mode, the Flipper Tool or co-op, none of which exist in the 2018 original.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- A job has to be completed to at least 70 percent for its tool unlock to become permanent and appear on your tool wheel. Walking away from a job at 60 percent costs you the tool as well as the payment.
- The four tool unlock jobs are worth doing in order: Sara Lewis's stolen radiator job for the mop, Amanda Smith's Amaranth Walls for the paint roller and scanner, Thomas Johnson's Additional Walls for the sledgehammer and wall building, and Eric Camel's Necessary Extra Bathroom for tiling and paneling.
- The scanner is a money tool, not a cleaning tool. Selling the furniture already inside a bought property recovers part of the purchase price before you spend a single coin on the tablet.
- Perk points come from doing the activity, so the tree you use most fills fastest. That makes Cleaning almost free to max and Building the slowest to fill unless you deliberately chase wall jobs.
- Negotiation perks apply on both sides of every transaction. Price negotiations and Higher payment together change the profitability of the same flip more than any decorating choice does.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More House Flipper Guides
- House Flipper House Flipper Overview
- House Flipper Best Builds
- House Flipper Tier List
- House Flipper Beginner's Guide
- House Flipper Tips & Tricks
- House Flipper Weapons Guide
- House Flipper Combat Guide
- House Flipper Boss Guide
- House Flipper Maps & Locations
- House Flipper Crafting Guide
- House Flipper Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy House Flipper, check out these related guides:
- Stardew Valley Walkthrough: simulation game with similar mechanics
- Satisfactory Walkthrough: simulation game with similar mechanics
- The Sims 4 Walkthrough: simulation game with similar mechanics
