Lynn firefighter, pals making bid for TV fame

LYNN – A boisterous Lynn firefighter/house flipper and his motley crew are in the running to becoming local celebrities on the A&E TV show “Flip This House.”After successfully flipping numerous homes in Lynn and the North Shore area, Dave “The British Bulldog” Seymour said he sent in an application to the show on a whim in an attempt to be a part of its next season.?I told them all about the fearless Lynn firefighter flippers,” he quipped. “Where else are they going to find a group that will be like ?Rescue Me? meets ?Flip This House??”Seymour, 44, recently found out that his lively group made the show?s nationwide cut to 10 teams during its search for new personalities. On Saturday, the show sent a crew to film the group in action at the house they?re currently flipping on Sagamore Street.?They shot as if it were a professional episode,” he said. “If we get picked to be one of the four teams on the show, we?ll start filming in January.”A native of England and a former stand-up comedian, Seymour moved to the United States when he was 19 and was married two times before he met his current wife, Mary-Beth.Since moving to Lynn, Seymour has worked as a firefighter in the city for the past 15 years and previously owned a small construction company. He is also a real estate investor and owns a company called DMS Investments, Inc. located at 578 Chestnut St.?We basically take a property that needs love and attention and fix it up but, at the same time, help the homeowner from getting a foreclosure on their record,” he said. “And by providing safe, decent and affordable housing, we?re also trying to take back the neighborhoods one house at time.”Over the past couple of years, Seymour and his crew have flipped nearly 10 houses, but the group plans to ramp things up in the new year and take on more properties.?As a firefighter, I don?t serve the city of Lynn for financial gain, so most of us have second jobs,” he said. “And I like to use them (firefighters) on a lot of the jobs that I do.”Seymour?s crew includes Peter Souhleris of Souhleris Realty in Peabody and fellow firefighters Michael “Mikey O” O?Connor, who owns Abbey Road Landscaping and Michael McBride, who owns All American Electric.?We like to call Mikey (McBride) the rainman of real estate because he is so (uptight),” he joked. “We love him dearly though and he?s a really good electrician.”Seymour?s wife and Souhleris? wife, Desi, also take part in the action by staging the homes for sale once they?re rehabbed and complete with the group?s finishing touches, which include granite countertops.?She (Mary-Beth) loves it and is naturally gifted at staging,” he said. “She?s really excited about everything.”For more information on Seymour?s company, visit www.dmshomebuyers.com