Do Hardwood Floors increase a home’s value? Calgary,Chestermere, Okotoks and area

Absolutely! Hardwood floors can help sell your home faster and for more money. Why? Because hardwood flooring is the preferred flooring choice and it improves the value of your home. And, if you don’t believe me, ask any realtor, and they’ll tell you the same thing.

Leverage your hardwood floors to help sell your house

If you have hardwood flooring (rather than carpet), your house will generally sell for a higher value and sell faster. Any real estate agent will confirm this…after all, this is what buyers are looking for (especially Millenials and Gen X’ers)

Can hardwood flooring improve your house's resale valueI for Calgary,chestermere, Okotoks and area? We work with a lot of real estate agents, stagers, home sellers and home buyers. And, the preference is consistent. And, it’s especially apparent when we’re working with new home buyers…they are almost always ripping up carpet and refinishing the hardwood underneath, as well as adding hardwood to rooms where it’s missing.

It is rare for carpet to remain in place with a new home buyer…they will almost always rip it up….either refinish the wood underneath, replace it with wood, or if it is a bedroom, some will replace it with new carpet. If a room has been “lived” in, the carpet will be removed VERY quickly (usually by the day after closing). The new owners are concerned about the germs, smells/odors from previous owners, not to mention that they rarely have the same taste in carpet style or color. There are usually furniture indentations as well as areas where the carpet is stained or discolored from light (and it becomes very apparent after the sellers’ furniture has been moved out).

So, when a buyer sees carpet, they see a lower value and higher costs that they will need to pay to replace it. This can reduce the offer on your home as well as increase your time on market.

So, if you are selling your home, what should you do/what shouldn’t you do with your flooring if you live in Calgary, Chestermere, Okotoks and area?

These are some general recommendations. Every house/community is different, as is the ability to spend to fix up your home. We recommend that you consult your real estate agent and/or stager for advice. We understand that when you are selling your house, you want to spend the least amount of money for the highest return. So, in that context, here are my recommendations:

1. If you have hardwood underneath the carpet, rip up the carpet and refinish the hardwood. This is often one of the smartest investments you can make to sell your house. It will make a HUGE difference and is well worth the investment. It will make your home look nicer, often it will make it look larger and it will improve the value. If funding is limited or if this is too inconvenient to do, then consider just refinishing the wood for some of the rooms to at least show that you have hardwood and what it looks like.

Do NOT replace with new carpet. This will cost you more and will be less appealing to home buyers.

2. If you have hardwood that is badly scratched up, sand and refinish it. If your hardwood isn’t in good condition, it will usually be worth it to sand and refinish. This will make your hardwood look good as new and show your home at its best.

Alternatively, if you don’t refinish the floors, your house won’t show as well and the new owners will need to refinish the floors…and they will factor this cost into the purchase price.

If your budget is limited, I would recommend the following:

If you can’t afford to do “everything,” you may want to pay a professional to refinish the floors while you paint the walls and save money here.

If you can’t refinish all the floors, consider doing some of them so that buyers can see what the floors look like.

Hardwood flooring is a smart investment not only because hardwood looks beautiful and feels luxurious, but they are also easier to clean and they last a long long long time. In fact, most hardwood floors last well over 100+ years. .

If you require more information on refinishing and taking care of your hardwood floors, contact Advantage Hardwood at 403 995 9779...

We’ve proudly served Calgary, Chestermere, Okotoks, Black Diamond, Nanton, Priddis, Millarville and area for over 20 years.