Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 384 posts · 109 votes
OK fellow BP Milwaukee investors, you know what is popular here, can you vote on a decorating dilemma.
I have an upper flat in Tosa that in the past been harder to rent than my other units because it has an ugly dark brown carpet in the LR & DR.
I'm tearing out the carpet September 1.
I wanted to go with refinished hardwood floors which I always think looks so great. A high percentage of my competition would have hardwood floors. I just think of it as a feature which someone looking at duplexes might expect.
Someone I know says go with a new carpet in an upper (help buffer noise), and that a tenant is more likely to prefer carpet for their living room anyways.
Realtor · Milwaukee · Member since 2013 · 60 posts · 10 votes
13y
Dan,
I just had a similar situation where I took out the old brown carpet in my upper and debated refinishing the hardwood floors. In the end I went with a much lighter brown which helped lighten up the room. I would have to agree that carpet in an upper definitely helps with the noise and keeping the heat in during the winter.
Is it possible to do refinish certain rooms and leave others carpet?
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 17k+ posts · 17k+ votes
13y
I don't do rentals, but all my flips in 'Tosa have hardwood. In fact, most of them were built with hardwood, and if there is currently carpet, there is usually hardwood underneath.
Again, not saying this necessarily translates to rentals, but hardwood is certainly common for that area, so it's quite possible tenants are expecting it.
Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 6k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
I love hardwood floors. Back when I was a renter, I liked carpet, then when I bought my own home it had hardwood floors and I wouldn't go back. The beauty of the wood is far superior to carpet. I especially love that the housing stock in Milwaukee and the area is from the 50s when everything was natural hardwoods. You can even see some quarter-sawn pieces mixed in with the regular flooring sometime, because in those days they just kind of mixed in what they had. Nowadays, people pay a premium to put hardwood flooring in.
I have a duplex in which had old darker carpet and after I ripped out the carpet, the hardwoods were actually in good enough condition as-is (no refinishing necessary) and so I left them without carpeting. I think the space looks much better.
Real Estate Investor · Fort Wayne, IN · Member since 2013 · 168 posts · 78 votes
13y
I like hardwood because it looks great and it is easy to maintain for a landlord. The sound issue is something you have to take serious though when keeping people happy who share a house.
Do the rooms mimic each other upstairs and down? If so, as much as I love hardwood...I would almost do carpet :/ then do whatever you can to make the rest of the unit stand out.
Right now I am leaning towards replacing the ugly dark brown carpet with a lighter colored carpet because a) having both lived and owned duplexes for a while, sound issues are quite important in long term happiness of tenants b) it will still be a significant improvement in how it appears currently and c) the lower tenant I want to keep happy for reasons I detail here:
Investor · Cedarburg, WI · Member since 2013 · 439 posts · 150 votes
13y
@Dan C. let us know what color and type of carpeting you go with. I have a duplex in Washington Heights that is hardwood both up and down. I have not heard any issues with noise, but can certainly hear feet upstairs on the hardwood floors from the downstairs unit. I do like the hardwood from a landlord perspective though.
Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 384 posts · 109 votes
13y
@Dave Carpenter I will, though I'm still deliberating on this, since I also prefer the hardwood floors,and just like your place, one of my duplexes does have hardwood in the upper, so the noise factor isn't that big of a deal.
New to Real Estate · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 63 posts · 3 votes
13y
I have zero properties @Dan C. but I can tell you this, Nice wood floors, beat a nice carpet any time I have ever seen it. You never hear someone say, "hey man, sweet carpet!!"
plus, I would think that If you did have a messy tenant, hardwood would be a lot easier to clean up, compared to a stained carpet. Also, you have lessened dust allergies by removing carpet, possible marketing strategy?
also you can throw some contrast with a nice rug, but I assume that would be up to the tenant.
Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 384 posts · 109 votes
13y
Sorry @Nicolaas W. , but I just don't think a Texan could ever understand the nuances of the Milwaukee market.
Just kidding! Seriously, you make some great points and I largely agree with you. That's why I'm still undecided on this, but I will have to make up my mind soon.
New to Real Estate · Austin, TX · Member since 2013 · 63 posts · 3 votes
13y
haha good one @Dan C. I am actually a Californian at birth, but Texas will be my new home in a month.
Honestly though, Hardwood is awesome, and even through all the terror I caused in my parents home growing up, even through all the chair scratches, I personally think it looks a lot better than carpet.
Good luck with your decision.
Oh, but then again, if you have before and after images, if the tenant scrapes the floors, that could come out of their security deposit I am assuming.
Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2012 · 109 posts · 42 votes
13y
I have to agree with Nicolaas. I know that a lot of the properties in Wauwatosa have hardwood and I think that tenants really value that. I have a property in Milwaukee that is a few blocks south of Wauwatosa. It has all natural wood and cove ceilings. When prospective tenants look at the property, they are sold on the aesthestics of the home. Plus hardwoods are also much easier to keep clean!
Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 384 posts · 109 votes
12y
@Dawn Anastasi @Dave Carpenter @Andy Jenson @Ramon Jenkins for your advice on the floors for the upper in Tosa a few months ago. You guys were right, hardwood is simply the expectation for that area and type of house (pics below).
Thanks to the floors and some other sprucing up I rented it out for a much higher rent and much quicker than I had in the past.