All Forum Posts by: Austin Johnson

Situation: A partner and myself are closing on our first house hack/duplex. we're planning to house hack one side, the other side is currently being rented at $650/month. (We've been best friends since 2009) On that same street there are several duplexes with the same floor plan and rental income. 2 bed, 2 bath. Columbia, Missouri.
Currently there is brown carpet in the living room which you step on immediately when you enter through the front door. linoleum that needs replaced in the kitchen and both bathrooms. carpet in the two bedrooms. 
Our plan is to upgrade the duplex in hopes to increase rental income up to $700/month. Our upgrades include the sink vanities in both bathrooms, upgrade the master bathroom's shower, build a privacy fence in the back yard (very rare find in the local market and no fences at all on this street),paint and refurbish the cabinets, paint the floor trim and replace the flooring. in both units of course. This is where we are caught up and have difference of opinion. 
Option A: run LVP through the entire duplex. living room, kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms.
Option B: run LVP through everything and tile the bathrooms/ laundry room.
Option C: LVP in the kitchen and bedrooms, carpet the living room and tile the bathrooms. 
Locally there are several large apartment complexes complete with golf courses, gyms,etc. All of those units have carpet in the living room and bedrooms with either linoleum or tile in the kitchen/bathrooms. 
So, do we do what the local apartment complexes are doing and go carpet/tile or do we do LVP in an attempt to ask more in rent (with the other upgrades).
Additional  info: the duplex is located just outside city limits on a road the ends in a cul-de-sac
We would very much appreciate any input into this situation as we are both first time investors! Thank you