Should You Install New Flooring Before Selling Your Home?

Selling your home involves a whole lot of work and decisions, because you want to make sure that you can get the best price possible for the house! You need to consider what will give you the best value for your money and increase your asking price, and new flooring should definitely be on your list. Once you’ve taken of essential issues like a new roof or structural repairs, new flooring can give you the best return for your expenditure.

Walk around your home and take careful note of what flooring is worn, damaged, or stained. If your home, like so many built in the last 50 years, is covered in wall-to-wall carpeting and vinyl sheet flooring, it’s time to ditch the old and upgrade to high-quality flooring that will make buyers eager to put in a bid!

it’s time to ditch the old and upgrade to high-quality flooring that will make buyers eager to put in a bid!

Replacing Carpet

If your carpet looks at all worn or stained, or just dated in terms of colour or style, you’re well-advised to replace it with a new floor surface. Buyers are going to take one look at it and know that they are going to have to replace it in the near future- maybe before they move in! Save them the trouble and increase the chance they’ll make an offer by tearing out the carpet and replacing it with something more timeless in design and durable in material.

For a good balance between cost and looks, engineered hardwood flooring is a great choice for living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms. The genuine wood veneer is applied on top of layers of wood similar to plywood. Sturdy and good-looking, it will last for years and still cost you about two-thirds of solid hardwood flooring. If you are looking to sell, it will give you the best look at the best price!

The one place you might consider replacing old carpeting with new is in the bedrooms. It’s still a popular choice in those spaces, where they are less likely to get stained and where they provide an extra layer of warmth and comfort. As well, since bedrooms tend to be on the small side, the cost of quality carpeting for three or four bedrooms can be quite reasonable. You might find carpet tiles a good option, especially for children’s rooms. But make sure you do replace it! Dingy carpets will not help you sell your home.

Replacing Sheet Vinyl with Vinyl Planks!

Many kitchens and bathrooms still have the sheet vinyl that was so common in the 80’s and 90’s. By now, it will be worn and stained in places, and certainly won’t help you sell your house. However, there’s no reason to abandon the comfort and convenience of vinyl flooring! Make the switch to vinyl planks instead for an instant upgrade to your home’s look! Easy to install and even easier to maintain, you can find these planks in a variety of surface finishes, including ones that look like hardwood or tile. For a fraction of the price of installing a tile floor, you can quickly give your kitchen and bathroom a whole new look and wow the prospective buyers. Consider vinyl planks for a basement family room as well- they install easily over a concrete subfloor and will withstand flooding or moisture much better than carpet or hardwood! Topped with an area rug, you will have a floor that will look attractive and cozy and appeal to buyers.

What to Keep?

Not all floor surfaces need to be replaced before putting your home on the market. If you have existing hardwood floors, you are in luck! Even if they’ve been covered for years by carpeting, or have a worn finish, you will be able to make them a real selling point for your home. Spend the money on professional refinishing, and you will not regret it! When prospective buyers walk in and are greeted with gleaming, flawless hardwood floors, they will be much more likely to make an offer. If you are refinishing, it’s best to stay with a neutral tone to appeal to as many people as possible.

Ceramic tiles are another flooring surface that can help sell your home, if they are in good condition. Clean the grout, regrouting if necessary, but if the tiles aren’t cracked or chipped, you’re better off leaving them where they are. Installation costs can quickly mount with ceramic flooring, and if the ones you install are not to the taste of most buyers, you won’t make the money back when you sell.

There is so much to consider when you are planning to put your home on the market, and to make the fastest and best sale, you can’t go wrong by upgrading the surfaces of your home.

A fresh coat of paint on the walls and new flooring will go a long way to make your house a hot property indeed!