Low ceilings = flush lights. Before you purchase carpet get 5 or 6 agents round to value. Ask each for their opinion on what they think will appeal best. Ask them if you could get away with just laying underlay. For the wow factor make sure your budget is spent on items that you can take with you - think a huge 6fx3ft mirror, a bright modern art print, a mirrored console table etc. No need to splash out much just one item in a room or two to indicate wow. A patio table and chairs in the garden are also needed for the selling photos as they will help the buyer to see scale and the garden will appear more homely. A bowl of fruit in a chrome wire bowl in the kitchen will also add wow - stage with green apples and yellow lemons for example. So, to sum up the spend on 'wow' should be limited and only to what you take with you. As for the estate agents some of them do try very hard to give good sales advice so when you book them to value explain that the property is being flipped and you would welcome any ideas on how to present it. You may be surprised at what they suggest.

Not keen on tiles ... prefer a smooth surface with no grout lines to try and keep clean

What about colour , character and personality ? A splashback with a pond and a tree may be great , or look naff , as the Poms would say . Potentially , its on the right track , but look at pic 3 . Gone to sleep yet ? Probably $30k spent on nothingness . Now look at pic 3 , and imagine your splashback . Even if it is ( cringe ) black and white too , it will actually add to it . A bit . I don't like the particular light used in pic 1 , but its got character , you notice it , it is not totally bland . Pic 3 is .

Oh my gosh!!!