Choosing Flooring to Sell Your Home
It’s a fact: The better looking and more up-to-date your home is, the faster it’ll sell. Just like you put on your best clothes before a job interview, you want to make sure your house is putting on its best face before you put it on the market. That means putting up a fresh coat of paint, putting away clutter and, often, updating your flooring.
If your Realtor recommends that you look into new flooring, listen to them! Remember, they’re the expert in this arena. They want you to get as much as possible for your house, just like you do. What’s more, they know what your competition is in terms of comparable houses for sale in your immediate area. If they say your flooring is going to prevent you from getting top dollar for your home or lengthening the days on market (DOM), listen to them.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to redo all the floors in your home, however. The most important rooms to focus on are what we call the common areas. That’s the entryway, kitchen, dining room and living room. Basically, the first parts of the house your prospects will see on a showing, or the parts that someone coming over for a dinner party would see. Those floors help set a positive first impression, or if they’re looking worn, dingy, out of date or too overbearing in terms of style or color, prospective buyers will opt for the listing nearby that has a more up-to-date, neutral theme.
If bedroom or bathroom flooring is just dirty, you might be able to get away with a deep steam cleaning. If the flooring is damaged, repair or replacement shouldn’t be too costly (especially with carpet). By and large, a few bedrooms with less-than-pristine flooring usually won’t sink a deal the way common areas with unsightly or undesirable flooring can.
When it comes time to choose your replacement flooring, being new and clean is more important than being expensive. It is very important to remember that you aren’t buying this flooring to suit your personal tastes—you’re buying it to help your prospective buyer envision themselves living in that space. So just because you love bright purple carpet or crazy-patterned tile, that doesn’t mean you should install it into a home you plan to sell right away. With every personal touch, you’re making it harder and harder for someone to picture where they’ll put their couch or how their picture will look.
If you’re looking for flooring that will help your home sell quickly and for the maximum price, we’d love to help. We have more than 20 years of experience in working with homeowners and Realtors to help buyers project their image onto a home. Contact us today for your Indianapolis flooring needs.
