Texturing walls worth it for flips?

[Darish D.]

I always remove acoustic (popcorn) ceiling and have drywall guys do it because my homes end up looking much nicer and buyers hate those old ceilings. What do you think of retexturing average walls and doing a more elegant imperfect texture throughout. One flip I am working on is 1450 sq ft ( vaulted ceilings) and my drywall guy is offering to do an imperfect texture throughout the entire home for $3000 (including ceiling popcorn removal and retexture). Does any flipper here think there is any return on this type of renovation? Especially on homes under 200K (In CA these are typically fairly basic homes).

[Tim G.]

Removing popcorn is a MUST. The rest... I'm not sure, I did it on my own home. I guess I'd probably go look at the competition and see what they do and how fast they move deals. As with most of this business it is tuned to your market, so while that might be a must for one market its an unneeded expense in another.

Know your market well, and then base that decision off of that. Not if a guy in another state on the internet thinks it looks nice :)

[Darish D.]

I was listening to podcast episode 50 and I could swear the same question was brought up. I ended up doing it and it looks great (imperfect texture which looks like smooth walls with hand chipped indentations). One thing to keep in mind is I had to prime all the walls which cost extra. Probably wouldn't do it again on a small flip as I doubt the payoff is great.

[Will Barnard]

I can't speak for all areas of the country, however, in CA, smooth texture walls will almost always bring the higher value. The only reason to texture walls in either orange peel or knockdown is when you already have texture on the walls and you need to match or you have a home with lots of imperfections in the drywall. The texture hides all these imperfections, typically in older homes, and is a quick and cost effective means to clean up the look. If you already have smooth walls and it looks good, no need to add texture.

[Darish D.]

Will... by "smooth texture walls bring better value" are you referring to completely smooth walls without texture applied?

[Will Barnard]

Originally posted by @Darish D.:

Will... by "smooth texture walls bring better value" are you referring to completely smooth walls without texture applied?

Correct, no texture at all, just flat smooth walls. This is the more modern clean look and I do this on all new builds, mid range rehabs, and high end homes.

I only use texture when needed and usually on older homes in the average price points.

[Mike Walker]

I agree with Will. An older home that I'm rehabbing in South Austin needed a new texture job on the walls to bring it up to date. Now it has that contemporary look homeowners want. The same with removing popcorn texture from the ceilings. I also painted old exposed beams in the great room one of the top 10 color choices from a Home Depot display. The result looks great!

[Kris Haskins]

I also agree the texture finish is fast and covers all imperfections in older homes. We have also done a sand finish plaster on houses. The plaster completely covers all walls and ceilings but still need to scrape popcorn off. U can make the walls smooth with plaster as well just make sure ur plaster man is a beast...

[Melvin Yuen]

Ditto what everyone else says. We only texture walls to match other walls in older homes. All new construction we do is flat finish.

We'll generally just do a level 4.

[Dawn Anastasi]

This is different around the country. In my area, if you have texture on walls, it looks more high-end.

[Roy N.]

Stressing @Dawn Anastasi 's comment, it really depends on your market. Here textured walls are uncommon - the exception being old lath-and-plaster houses with poor plaster work ;)

When textured walls do occur they are used sparingly, perhaps as part of an accent wall in a large room. Having textured walls throughout a house here would limit your clientele as many would find it too out of the ordinary.

[Will Barnard]

Originally posted by @Dawn Anastasi:

This is different around the country. In my area, if you have texture on walls, it looks more high-end.

I would point out that "looks more high end" and what is actually in high end homes can be two different things. Those in the lower to middle class may have that perception in your area, but I can assure you that those in the actual high end market will not have the same opinion.

[Dawn Anastasi]

Maybe because in lower-end homes, there is no texture on the walls, and in higher end homes that I've seen ($500,000 and $1m -- maybe not high-end to CA) they are.