Top 5 Flooring Options to Consider Installing When Staging a Home

You might not think that staging a home is necessary if you want to sell it in a market this hot. With practically every home getting multiple offers the first day they are on the market, some sellers are skipping staging. Yet, doing so can open the door to not only more bids but higher bids. One of the biggest staging decisions you'll have to make is what kind of flooring to install.

Laminate

Laminate flooring can mimic the look and feel of stone, tile, and wood. However, the cost is a lot lower. Assembly is easy, too, if you go the DIY route. Tongue-and-groove construction just needs interlocking. Aim for the higher-end options in laminate choices for staging. Lower-end choices look somewhat artificial and turn off some potential buyers.

Renewables

Many modern home buyers are interested in being eco-friendly whenever they can in their lifestyle, so cork and bamboo floors might appeal to them. Bamboo is technically a grass but acts much like hardwood flooring in how scratch-resistant it is, while cork dampens noise and absorbs a lot of shock with its comfort and resilience.

Hardwood

Hardwood flooring is timeless and resilient. You can pick from lots of different kinds and colors, some of which can be refinished multiple times. Solid hardwoods are something you can sand and refinish quite a few times, whereas engineered hardwood has hardwood on top of plywood or high-density fiber cores for cheaper cost and easier installation. If the subflooring is concrete, solid hardwood might not work, but it's also generally thought of as the top option for all flooring options.

Tile Flooring

Tile is an effective choice for rooms with lots of foot traffic and also get wet. Such spaces might include kitchens, laundry areas, basements, and bathrooms. It's durable and doesn't need much maintenance but still has lots of options, including ceramics, porcelain, and natural stone.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl is made using synthetic materials, including plasticizers, PVC, and fiberglass. It also comes with as many benefits as physical sources, because it's resistant to scratching and staining, is waterproof, and lasts a very long time. Find it in quite a few colors and styles in planks, sheets, and tiles. You can even put it over most existing flooring for quick and easy installation.

Staging Matters

Staging a home can cost a few thousand dollars, but it also helps potential buyers truly see the potential it holds if they were to buy it and move in. The return on your investment is never assured, but it's more than worth it on average in terms of the possible bidding war and increased interest you'll generate.

Home Renovations | How to Scrap Your Metal

We’ve all walked past a building site covered in scaffolding and rubble and seen a succession of laden skips leave the site. I always have a quick scan to see if there is anything ‘of use’ earmarked for disposal, even though I wouldn’t have a clue how to realize any such value. 

Unfortunately, it is all too common to see white goods, construction waste and other household appliances consigned to the scrap heap, without much regard for how they should be disposed of correctly. It is easy to feel guilty and helpless, but we still see millions of tonnes of reusable metal going straight to landfill when they are easy and cheap to recycle. What a waste! 

But listen up, because there is a long-standing industry of growing significance at your disposal for just such a situation – one that can educate you about what to look for, and which might even earn you a few extra quid. 

The phrase ‘scrap metal’ might conjure up images of the ‘rag and bone’ man, driving his van through the streets whilst ringing his bell, canvassing for unwanted household items. Historically rag and bone men lived in poverty, surviving day to day on whatever they could get their hands on.  

Today’s scrap metal services are a far cry from this out-dated image – they are heavily regulated, professional and are making great strides into reducing our material wastage. They are experts in identification, retrieval, and preparation of scrap metal in a saleable form and are aware of the pitfalls and dangers to ensure these activities are carried out safely. If you have any sources of potential scrap metal, such waste from home renovations, extensions or building works, engaging in professional scrap metal services for disposal and site clearance makes total sense. 

Not only will you save a lot of time but engaging proper professionals can also save you a lot of headaches and heartache. Consider these issues, when it comes to scrap metal, and you might reconsider going it alone. 

• Safety – scrap metal by its nature can be extremely unsafe – sharp broken and rusty metal needs to be removed from other waste safely for it to reach its maximum price.  

• Toxic materials – lead, found often in older properties, in things such as water pipes and roofing can be lucrative, but very dangerous. 

• Suitable PPE must be worn at all times to prevent injury.  

• Airborne particles from metal and other hazardous materials (such as asbestos) as well as toxic chemicals derived from old buildings are incredibly dangerous and should not be moved or processed without expert knowledge and protection – it just isn’t worth the risk. 

• Metals will trade best with volume and you simply might not generate enough from your building site clearance to sell to metal traders – they look for volume and weight. Dedicated scrap metal professionals deal in scale and have suitable methods of storing such material safely. 

• Metal cannot just be presented in its found form, it needs to be stripped from materials such as kettles, brickwork or cement 

• It also needs to be sorted into specific metal groups if you want to make any decent money. Those metals which offer best returns are copper, tin, aluminium and nickel. But do you know how to differentiate each? 

Recycling metal is incredibly efficient in comparison to producing the same metal from raw materials in regard to carbon emissions. Already over 420,000 tonnes of metal is recycled every year, in the UK – a market worth £11 billion. If you want to earn yourself a slice of the pie, without getting your hand’s dirty use a dedicated scrap metal service and do your bit for the environment at the same time. 

There's an App for that!

Not the One from Frozen

One of the many things we often hear from our clients is that they are busy. Time can be a barrier when it comes to getting rid of unwanted items. While many organizations offer pickups for donations it can be time consuming if you want to sell items. Sites like eBay can sometimes work well for valuable items that are easily shipped. However, large pieces always present a challenge. For a long time Craigslist dominated the market but now there is a new kid in town. Letgo is a free mobile app that is very easy to use. Once downloaded you simply post a picture of the item you want to sell adding a brief description. Since you are using your phone you take and upload the picture basically at the same time. If you allow location services than even that step is taken care of quickly. What’s the catch you ask? Currently, there is no fee to list, buy or sell. In other words everything is free for now (the app is part of the tech bubble phenomenon where your stock price is huge but your company doesn't make a profit). Another option allows you to list the item for free which works well for treadmills and other large items since paying a hauling service to take unwanted items can get pricey. Since people have to come over to pick the item up it is best to make sure they bring enough help to carry the item and a suitable vehicle to take it away.  You do need to be comfortable with the buyer coming to your house and if you can, it works best to have the item in the garage or outside when they arrive. Additionally, if you list multiple items try and book all the pickups near the same time as to free up your day.