The Types of Flooring Real Estate Agents Love to See in Listings
Like the look of shag rugs? Love to wiggle your bare toes in plush wall-to-wall carpet? That’s fine if you plan on staying in your space for the long term. But if you’re looking to sell your home in the immediate future, real estate agents would really rather you have something else underfoot for a quicker and more profitable sale.
“Carpet is definitely out the door,” says Marjorie Pellegrini, a Realtor with Century 21 Realty Solutions in Homer, Alaska. Sure, you can vacuum it and even steam clean it, but dirt, dust, and allergens still lurk underneath and are a big turn-off to buyers.
House hunters in Pellegrini’s neck of the woods are looking instead for “clean, rustic, modern” floors that can stand up to plenty of foot traffic, especially in households where there are young children and pets. Laminate floors are one option, but luxury vinyl plank flooring in particular is a trend. “[Luxury vinyl] gives you the look of wood, but it’s so much more durable,” she says.
Hardwood floors still reign supreme in many real estate markets, not only because they’re easy to keep clean, but also because they look gorgeous.
“When listing a new apartment, I’m always happy to see new wood floors,” says Kimberly Jay, a broker at Compass in New York. Her two favorite styles are a light wide plank and a herringbone, which she believes offer a modern look with a classic twist. She recently sold a Park Avenue property with beautiful new herringbone floors that ‘truly made the apartment special.’”
“To no surprise, the buyers walked in and the first thing each said was, wow, these floors are stunning,” Jay says. The property was in contract in less than a month and it went for above asking price.
Michael J. Franco, another broker at Compass, says, “Wide plank oak flooring is really beautiful, and I’m seeing it a lot lately.” He likes blond wood floors especially because they give a modern, updated look to the space.
Hard flooring, be it anything from tile to hardwood, is especially desirable to buyers because it’s easy to keep clean. Even if the floor needs refinishing, area rugs could cover up problem areas until the new owners are ready to tackle the issue.
According to HomeAdvisor, it costs an average of $12.50 per square foot to install a new floor. Of course, the quality of the materials will cause that figure to go up or down. Vinyl flooring could go for only around $3 per square foot, while hardwood flooring could soar to $22 per square foot.
Installing new floors is one of those double-whammy home improvements that is as expensive as it is inconvenient. Aside from the cost of the labor and materials, you’ll need to remove furniture so installers have easy access, and you’ll have to wait at least a couple of days for the stain or grout to dry before you can move it all back.
The best time to redo the floors would be when the house is empty, which puts the onus on the buyer to get it done before they move in. Considering that buyers could be emerging from budget-blowing bidding wars, this could be a lofty request — but it’s also a lot to request of owners who are looking to move as soon as possible to take advantage of the hot market.
“If it’s a large amount of carpet, I’m probably not going to tell my client to rip it out,” says Pellegrini. “If it’s a small area, then then it might be something worth considering.”
While new floors will certainly command quicker and likely higher-priced offers, Pellegrini understands some sellers would prefer to skip doing the work. If that is the case, she would instead advise sellers to price accordingly, particularly if they are looking to sell as quickly as possible.