I’ve had a really positive response from the blogs I’ve written over the past couple of weeks where I’ve shared some tips and techniques for renovating key aspects of your home without over-capitalising or blowing the budget – thank you for your lovely messages as I really appreciate them.

Today, I’d like to share some more tips and I’ll start with flooring…

Flooring can be a massive trap that brings plenty of people undone.

You can spend a fortune renovating your property and do everything right to modernise it, but if you’re left with floors that are dated, this could affect the entire sale.

Firstly, let’s discuss carpet…

There’s an emerging trend in many homes where owners have absolutely no carpet in any room whatsoever.

I wouldn’t recommend tiling bedrooms and formal areas as the home can feel a little ‘sterile’ but if you’re selling a property that is tiled throughout, make sure you furnish it with plenty of rugs in the rooms – most people will want to feel something (other than a cold tiled floor) under their feet when they hop out of bed.

The cost of carpet has come down over many years and as such, if your carpet is worn or stained, we’d certainly recommend replacing it with new carpet…and most homes should only cost a few thousand dollars yet the increase in value could be ten times this amount.

I’ve seen some sellers say “I won’t replace it but I’m happy to reduce the price by the cost of new carpet if the buyers want my home” and whilst this idea seems good in theory, real estate is an emotional purchase and how a buyer feels when they inspect can leave a lasting impression so it’s better to replace it yourself.

There’s no question that almost all buyers love a beautifully polished hardwood timber floor, but this can be an expensive exercise if you’re replacing the entire floor of your home.

Could it be worth the investment to do this? Possibly…if you have an upmarket home that’s worth a fair amount of money but we’d recommend obtaining some good advice before spending tens of thousands on a new floating timber floor.

If you have a hardwood floor that’s not been recently polished, we would strongly recommend you consider this…and if you own an older home (usually a home built prior to 1980), you’d be surprised how gorgeous your hardwood timber floors are that lie beneath your carpet.

We often encourage homeowners to rip up their carpet and polish those timber floors and some people are reluctant to do this but almost always, they are suitably impressed when they see it finished.

I’ve seen homes with pine timber flooring polished and this can look equally as impressive if done right…and I’d also polish the internal stairs if you possibly can as well – just be careful that you don’t rip out the carpet and find that there’s ‘particle board’ underneath as it goes without saying that nothing can be done with this.

One of the more common methods of modernising your flooring is to install vinyl ‘planking’ (or what can also be called a ‘timber veneer’ floor).

There’s a myriad of styles and options but this type of flooring is generally pretty cost-effective and easy to install.

A few years ago, many buyers would ‘scoff’ at the thought of vinyl floors, but I’ve noticed that most buyers now seem to accept this improvement as it is usually attractive and quite hard wearing.

It can be installed straight over the top of tiles (with some underlay) so if you have a tiled floor that you want to change, I’d definitely consider this option.

A freshly tiled floor can really set a home off with style and these days, many will choose a large 600 x 600 mm porcelain tile and again, this is a great option if you need to freshen up a property that is quite upmarket.

Our advice is to choose your tiler carefully as we’ve seen some owners lay these tiles themselves over the years…and if you’re slightly off, it can really stand out.

If you have a neutral tile (perhaps white or an off-shade of white), you’ll probably get away with leaving them if all other areas of your home are modernised (even if they’re a little dated) but if you have a colour of tile in your living areas that are of a colour that’s way out of vogue (for example, a terracotta or bright coloured tile) then I’d certainly do something about this if your budget extends that far.

Unlike bathroom tiles, tradespeople won’t re-paint tiles in living areas due to the extensive foot traffic they’ll receive so it pays to think carefully about how you’re going to tackle an area where the tiling shows up the age of the home.

It also pays to re-grout (or just extensively clean the grouting in your tiles) as I’ve seen buyers reject a home that may tick every other box for them, but to them, it can feel a little ‘grubby’ with nothing more to do than clean out the dirt in the grout of the tiles.

Finally, try to make sure that you tie the flooring styles (and colour schemes) fit together as best you can.

I’ve seen people renovate homes with stunning flooring options but if they have three different tiles in living areas, bathrooms and the laundry as well as different carpets in the bedrooms and something different again in the rumpus room or office, it can deter a buyer…so do your best to make the flooring styles flow if you’re looking to upgrade just one part of the home’s floors.

I hope this provides some information that can help you out.

Like anything, if you’re unsure, you’re very welcome to call us and we’re happy to provide free advice…even if you’re not considering selling.

Next week, we’ll tackle window coverings and outdoor entertainment areas.

Until then…Happy Renovating, Happy Listing & Happy Selling.