The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) indicates that U.S. real estate agents say that they believe that houses with hardwood flooring: Are easier to sell (99-percent of agents say this) Sell for more money (90-percent say this) Sell faster (82-percent say this)
Replacing flooring before selling is one of the most common pre-listing home improvement projects for a few different reasons. A survey from Coldwell Banker found that 80% of home buyers would prefer to buy a move-in ready home. Today's buyers want a house that requires minimal work for them.
For example, if your home is valued at $500,000, installing hardwood floors could increase its value by $15,000 to $25,000, providing a substantial return on investment. One of the reasons hardwood floors are so popular is that they are easy to care for.
So the short answer to “does new flooring increase home value?” is yes—if you're smart about your selections. The right upgrades also make your house move faster on the market. Follow these 5 pro tips to get the most out of this wise home investment.
The best flooring for resale value: The ROI on wood floors
They're durable, versatile, and most buyers love them. According to real estate experts, the average ROI for installing hardwood floors is about 70% to 80%, and wood floors can boost the sales price of your home as much as 2.5%.
While luxury vinyl flooring has come a long way from its creation and has increased in durability and visual appeal, unfortunately vinyl may decrease your resale value in the long run. It's important to recognize that while you may spend less on vinyl vs.
Greige and white oak are two of the most popular choices for hardwood flooring when it comes to house resale. They provide timeless elegance and neutrality, making them ideal for any home.
“Buyers like carpet in bedrooms, especially in basement bedrooms, for comfort and warmth.” Carpet is also much quieter to walk on than other types of flooring and can help absorb noise. It can mask sounds, such as footsteps and squeaky floors, Fisher adds.
Take your square footage and calculate the percentage of overage needed. Typically you can expect a waste factor of 5-7% for square rooms, 10% for rectangular rooms and 15% for rooms with multiple angles. Always round up to the nearest decimal point and add this waste factor to your initial square footage.
The layout of your home
If you have an open concept floor plan, a single flooring material will look more cohesive. The continuity will make your home appear even larger. If your home has a closed layout with each room having its own defined space, you can customize each space to have its own personality.
Buyers tend to prefer hard surface floors over carpet. If you choose a quality laminate, you'll likely get a decent return on your investment. Laminate is also relatively affordable, which means you won't have to shell out a lot of your budget upfront.
Well-maintained, high-quality carpet can add value to your home. Here's how to get your carpeting to stand out, according to experts. When you're looking to sell your home, certain home improvements can potentially increase its resale value—a fresh coat of paint, kitchen and bathroom updates, and the floors, too.
If the laminate replaces old, worn carpet or sheet vinyl, you could see a value boost. But if the home already has old hardwood, you should refinish the natural wood rather than replace it with lower-quality laminate.
There's no consensus on an exact percentage, but many experts have said it's between 3% and 5%. So replacing carpet with hardwood flooring can definitely make a difference in your selling price. In fact, one study found that 54% of home buyers said they'd be willing to pay more—up to $2,080—for hardwood floors.
It's a smart idea; hardwood flooring is preferred by home buyers and renters across the United States so it could improve the resale value of your home when it comes time to sell.. But consider all your options carefully. Here's more about flooring made from hardwood and why you might prefer it to wall-to-wall carpet.
Choose carpet that is cream, tan, beige, pale gold, caramel or cafe au lait. Lighter colored carpet makes a room feel larger and a neutral color is more likely to match existing tile or flooring already installed in the house. Additionally, neutral colored carpet is more likely to go with a potential buyer's furniture.
Hardwood floors were the norm in most homes before WWII. The design of the home didn't matter—Victorian, Colonial, Cape Cod, Tudor, Craftsman, and even early Ranches—they all featured wood floors throughout. Then starting in the 1950s, homeowners started to favor wall-to-wall carpet instead.
Neutral shades such as light brown, gray, and black are timeless classics that will look good for years to come. These hues make a great backdrop for any room in your home, so you can easily accessorize the space without worrying about the color clashing with your floors.
What are timeless hardwood floor colors? Timeless hardwood floor colors are typically the natural hues that are found in the hardwood species that are most often used for flooring. Walnut, for example, is renowned for its dark, chocolate hues while Cherry is prized for its deep red tones.
Finally, given the tone of light floors, they tend to appear cleaner longer. Light-colored flooring often shows less dust, debris than do dark floors and pesky, inevitable scratches and damage will be less obvious.
These floors can resist scratches, scuffs, stains, and even a certain amount of gouging in their durability. However, extreme heat can damage the luxury vinyl plank. Some of the culprits through which heat damage can occur include hot pans, curling irons, dropped cigarettes, and more.
Will the sheet vinyl flooring trend last in 2022 and beyond? For sure, you're going to see sheet vinyl making a big come-back in the years to come. It's durable, easy to install, and versatile enough to come in tons of styles, patterns, and colors.
Con: LVP May Dent
Luxury vinyl flooring can dent and even scratch or scuff, especially from heavy appliances, furniture, or other weighty objects. Just because it's resistant to something doesn't mean it's impervious to it. However, do know that LVP resists scratches better than real hardwood.