All Forum Posts by: Josh L.

I've heard a lot about Allure being such a great product for rentals, usually with it being on sale for less than a dollar and/or installing it yourself so you don't have to pay for installation.

Before I spend $3.50 a square foot for Allure Ultra and then more more money for the installation, I'm hoping I can get some questions answered first:

1) If its not on sale and you have to pay for installation, is Allure still recommended and a good buy?

2) If you don't do it DIY, who do you pay to do the installation? Does HD do a good job of installation?

3) Do you have worry about light which can a problem for a lot of vinyls? I'm going to install this in a room with a wall of windows on one side so I'm concerned about all the light that will hit the floor.

4) What's the repeating variation like? How many boards before it repeats the pattern? 

I'm putting in a big open floorplan so I'm concerned that if it repeats too often, it will be easily spottable. 

5) What's the wear layer? I'm looking at their specs, but I don't see anything about it even though the wear layer will be a key important factor for durability. 

This product is still relatively new so how do we know how durable it will be years from now? It might be good now, but will it still be good 7 years after installation?

6) At $3.50 a square foot, its comparable in price to a lot of the other vinyl planks on the market. So, why so much love for it then? Is it simply a better product for the price and thus a better bang for the buck than other similarly priced vinyl planks?

7) Is anybody installing it in their class A properties?

8) Is there a specific color or wood type that looks better or more realistic than the other Allure options?

9) Is there anything else I need to know about Allure before I install it?

 Is this true? What's the reason why vinyl plank flooring wouldn't work for the stairs?

I've started thinking about getting vinyl plank flooring for the downstairs public spaces and I thought that I would stick with carpets for the upstairs. 

But, since the stairs gets so much traffic, I was thinking about going with vinyl planks for the stairs too.

Is there any hard data that people prefer carpets in bedrooms? I was guessing that as hardwoods have become more popular, then more and more people wanted hardwood or something that looked like hardwood in the bedrooms too to match the wood they had downstairs.

I'll give the people what they want. But, I don't know what people want for the flooring for the upstairs.

If you rented out your townhome, your tenant would have to follow the HOA's rules and regulations which can be an issue.

And, if you're only going to rent it out only for a year, then you'll have to go back in and fix and prep it to get it ready for sale after a renter who's probably been a bit rough with it. 

I don't really understand why you'd want to rent another apartment while renting out your place unless the difference price-wise was significant or something. 

What's popular for upstairs flooring now?

I'm getting a two story townhome ready for rent with  tile in the most trafficked areas in the kitchen and adjoining dining room downstairs And, there's carpeting in the upstairs bedrooms, stairs, and for a living room downstairs.

I'm going to change the carpeting in the downstairs living room to either wood or vinyl planks that look like wood. 

But, I'm not sure if I should also change out the carpeting in the stairs, hallway and bedrooms upstairs. 

Is carpeting still popular for the bedrooms as its traditionally been? Or, do people want that hardwood flooring in both their public living spaces and their bedrooms too?

I need to update my place when the tenant moves out, but I'm not sure to what degree I need to upgrade it as that will depend on what Class it belongs to. But, I'm not sure how to identify what class my property would be- if its a Class A, Class B, or Class C.

What should  you be looking at to know what class your property should be in?

There's objective criteria if we're talking about an apartment to identify the differences between different classes where they look at the age of the property, but I'm not sure if they should apply to a SFH.

According to that criteria, my place would be Class C or Class D because it was built in the 70s. 

But, its got peek-a-boo ocean views from the various rooms and attached decks. And, its fairly close to the beach where it takes me over 10 minutes to walk to the beach. The bathrooms were renovated a few years ago with new vanities and granite countertops, but the kitchen still has its original countertops and cabinets but comes with stainless steel appliances. 

Its located a famous coastal California city that you've probably heard of, but it also means there are neighborhoods that are much nicer than mine. When you're looking at Class A vs Class B, are you looking at the differences between properties in the same city or are you casting a wider net across the county?

This is for a townhome so should I factor in the community's amenities- pool and tennis courts but no fitness center?

Would you call this a Class A or Class B?

I was skimming a real estate book about increasing value of your income property in the bookstore, and it mentioned how much of a difference changing the light on/off switch to a dimmer switch would be.

Does it really make a difference?

And, how hard is install a dimmer switch? I'm looking at the pictures about doing it, and it looks like fairly simple. But, I'm not a handy man. If I did it wrong, would it be a dangerous liability or something?

 From what I've read and heard, Ikea's cabinets are pretty good quality for the money.

Sure, it would be better if their cabinets were plywood instead of particleboard. But, you'd have to spend a lot more money to get plywood kitchen cabinetry. At the prices you'll be looking at, all your choices will end up being particleboard. 

I have a upcoming vacancy that's coming up, but I also know I'll need to rip out the carpets and put in something like hardwood or something vinyl that looks like hardwood. I think the place will show much better when I have the new flooring in.

When do you start advertising the place on Craigslist? Do you start doing it before you've done the updates or wait till afterwards?

If you start advertising it before the updates been completed, how early do you start? I'm afraid that if I start advertising a week before its ready, then I'll be scheduling appointments for a week later and who knows if the prospects will still show up by that point. 

Is there a specific order in which you should do the flooring and the painting?

I need to tear up the carpets out and replace it with vinyl or hardwood. And, I also need to repaint the walls too.