Upgrading the Bathrooms, Kitchen and Other Living Areas

Bathrooms -
As a general rule, shy away from upgrading the bathrooms unless maybe it's the master bathroom. The thinking behind this is that non-master bathrooms are just bit players in comparison to the main star, which most certainly is the master bathroom. Upgrades for the master bathroom are best focused on flooring and possibly countertops. Try not to spend more than $2,000 to $3,000 in total for the master bathroom. While a standard item for many bathrooms are quarter-inch cluster marble or 4x4 white tile on the countertops, if you have to pick between the bathroom countertops or flooring, which is typically vinyl, it should probably be the flooring. Think about having the floor tile laid diagonally or staggered, since that adds a little "pop" to the flooring and gives it a premium feel for minimum costs or no cost at all.

Kitchens -
Besides the bathrooms, the kitchen is obviously the numero uno location to make your most substantial upgrades. Similar to the master bathroom, going with an upgraded kitchen countertop will be well advised, along with flooring. Try your best in avoiding upgraded cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, costly kitchen or bathroom faucet ware, such as Moen or Kohler, and full backsplash upgrades in tile or granite. These items, just to name a few, are high-profit ticket items that help developers make a lot of gravy. This is especially so in the bathrooms and kitchens. So when tempted to upgrade like it's 1999, take a deep breath, control yourself, and just walk away.

Other Living Areas -
Although one could probably go on and on about what to get and what not to get, other items to give consideration to, if the cost is nominal, include extended entry floor work from the front door. This type of floor work gives the impression of a more grandiose entry and creates a promenade-like feeling as one enters his own home. Also, while we're on flooring, having the granite laid diagonally is an added plus and usually requires very little in terms of cost. I've gotten a diagonal floor laid with twenty inch tile in standard flooring areas of the home for only $200 to $600 in additional labor cost. This type of upgrade can add a lot of pop for nominal cost. So really think about it.

In connection with outfitting the home with appliance ware, many builders now offer black-on-black appliances as a standard. If you find yourself in a situation where the developer doesn't offer this as a standard, then paying an additional $300 to $500 for an upgraded kitchen with a black-on-black kitchen package is well worth it. More enticing, a stainless steel facade on all the appliances might only cost a couple of hundred dollars extra. Once again, this might be well worth it depending upon the overall design schematic and the motif that you're attempting to achieve. Keep in mind that over-designing can be a detriment as well. Being subtle but crisp, clean, and elegant is the more circumspect route.

Other upgraded items that are real deal busters and should be avoided include faucet ware. These items, although pretty, sometimes have a costly depreciative drag on the net proceeds of a flip. Net draggers also include four-to-six-inch baseboards, crown molding, two-tone paint throughout, 7/8-inch foam carpet padding instead of the standard 2/8-inch padding, luxurious gourmet kitchen and washer/dryer, upgraded packages, expensive flooring such as Berber carpet, extended wood flooring throughout, elongated forty-nine-inch cabinets, pebble-tech driveways, window blinds, shutters, granite full backsplashes, alarm systems, surround stereo systems, etc. All of these should be avoided if possible, unless they're at a very nominal cost.

The bottom line is that items like these in the aggregate, have a negative drag on the net proceeds, and that's what should be kept in mind before you open your checkbook. For this reason, and from a pure investment perspective, the latter-mentioned upgrades would be better off left alone. These items are guaranteed to shrink your margin and increase your frustration when your expected net profit from your flip candidates is marginalized.

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