Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2013 · 292 posts · 81 votes
I'm looking at a flip that has an unfinished basement. It's going to stay unfinished given its ARV and the comps in the area.
That being said, what have you done to make an unfinished basement more attractive to a buyer, other than general cleaning? Have you put together a laundry area and staged it? Painted the walls/floor? Or just left it alone?
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
Painting walls and staining floors - both are inexpensive. If walls are stone rather than block or poured concrete, then I would just parge the walls. If there is a laundry area, I had one tenant once request a fluorescent fixture over the laundry area; that was inexpensive to do, with a pull-chain switched fixture.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I always paint the walls white, the floor gray, and the beam and poles black.
I bought a foreclosure last year where the previous owner had painted a bunch of fruity colors all over the basement ceiling. (By ceiling I mean the 2x8's and plywood that make up the main floor). I sprayed the whole ceiling flat black - wood, ductwork, wires, everything. It looked really nice when done and the tenants loved it. I thought it looked just like the ceiling in a bar or restaurant when they leave it unfinished and paint it all.
Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2013 · 292 posts · 81 votes
13y
Good advice...thanks everyone! Great food for thought.
Rob K I've done the white walls/gray floor before, but I hadn't thought about the black ceiling - I like that idea; helps to blend in and hide the jumble overhead.
J Scott Nice paint job! I've pulled out a lot of wood paneling from basements - it seems to be a termite's favorite snack food.
Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
13y
Ben Skove
If you are going paint the floor, check to see if it is "level enough" first that it can be finished w/o the need for a coat of self-leveller ... as cement does not bound well to a painted floor.
We are dealing with a painted floor at the moment - the vendor thought he was doing us a favour and painted it battleship grey prior to close. There is (are) enough slope(s) that we need to level the floor before we finish.
Thus far, I'm not liking the quotes to prep the floor.
Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2013 · 292 posts · 81 votes
13y
Roy, good point. In this house (and all the other old houses around here) I won't have to worry about it - the floors all slope purposefully to floor drains. Waterproofing was sort of a hopeful thing back then. :)
Investor · Canton-Akron, OH · Member since 2012 · 917 posts · 477 votes
13y
We spray the ceilings a flat black, paint the walls a light taupe, the floors a darker color on the same swatch. If we want to really make it look "finished" on the cheap, we add some 1x4 baseboards and paint them white, put a big throw rug down, hang a few pieces of artwork on the walls, maybe a fichus tree in the corner if you have one ... we pull these items out when we sell it.
Investor · Southeast, MI · Member since 2012 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
13y
I'm not a fan of Behr paint, but their porch and floor paint is good stuff for basements. I usually go with the Slate Gray color. One coat does the job and gives a nice look.
Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
13y
Since you have a floor drain, the basement probably gets wet sometimes. I suggest stain for the floor rather than paint, since the water will cause the paint to peel. Going through that now with a basement floor ...