The Value of New Flooring

Selling Your Home? Don’t forget that Flooring Matters!

Flooring is one of those things sellers overlook when bogged down with the intricacies of a home sale. But let’s just be clear from the get go — flooring matters. Buyers will walk away from homes with bad flooring the same way they’ll walk away from homes that smell bad, or have little to no curb appeal.

And while there are kinds of flooring that increase home value more than others (like hardwood versus carpeting), the real challenge in selling an imperfect home is knowing which remodeling projects will increase value, and which will decrease value.

Consider Flooring Alternatives

Synthetic home applications are getting better all the time, and flooring is no exception. According to a 2017 Annual Report from Floor Daily, last year roughly every category of flooring ceded its percentages of buyers to luxury vinyl— which means more people are buying vinyl over wood or carpet every single year.

“Some of the laminate floors that mimic hardwoods are really pretty, and those pop out to buyers,” says Cave. Faux-wood vinyl flooring is cost-effective, easy to install, offers a huge variety to choose from, and has even more perks besides. Not all vinyl is soft, and some offer extreme scratch-resistant and pet proofing qualities that will go a long way with buyers.

The Bottom Line: Flooring and Home Value

While it’s hard to say exactly what flooring (other than hardwood) will add the most value to a home, it’s clear that buyers prefer hard surfaces over carpeting. So, if you’re in the market for a budget-friendly carpet replacement, vinyl is a great choice.

Top Tips on Flooring:

1. Keep it consistent – no matter what it is.
2. Hard surfaces are better than carpeting.
3. If carpet must stay, keep it in the bedrooms.
4. Don’t let different floor types meet in high-traffic areas.