The house had old bad carpet that we removed before we moved in and it exposed the nice hardwood floors.

One aspect of MFR re-positioning that has always intimidated me is the rehab phase.I don't feel like I really have a good eye for aesthetics in terms of design, colors, layout, and materials.I've done cosmetic upgrades before, but they were for A-class, single-family homes, so it was fairly easy since I could just choose stuff that I already have in my own home (hand-scraped hardwood floors, granite and marble surfaces, and brushed-nickel or bronzed finishes, etc.)

But, we won't do granite, we won't do hardwoods, we won't do recessed lighting, etc.As for siding, we'll replace any bad (rotted, worn, etc) siding to match the rest of the house, and then paint, so the buyers won't even be able to tell what siding was replaced.

But, a careless tenant can ruin it quckly with gouges or leaving spills to soak into the cracks.My recommendation would be good old oak hardwood.

Not saying its not the case where you are, but its not here, and I doubt it is there.If you were to move out, and the carpet and paint were both new when you moved in, and the carpets need replacement and the place needs repainting, I'd expect the landlord to charge you for those things.In your situation, I'd ask the landlord for permission to replace the carpet with hardwood, at your expense.

But he did a bad job with it and my competition (other houses in the area) had real hardwood.  

It looks like real hard wood but durability of concrete and the price any landlord would love (0.69/foot today).

I also hate to see brick and hardwood floors painted.Does the house have hardwood floors?

If you do flooring, go with laminate/tiles/hardwood instead of carpet.

$90 - $120 for the cheaper contractors$110-$170 for the quality ones$200-$300 for the prestigious ones (usually includes detailed trim work, fancy tile and hardwoods, etc...)