Top Floors Blog

If you’re looking to sell your home soon, making a few strategic updates can go a long way in terms of appeal and return on investment. One area to focus that’s often overlooked? Flooring. Refreshing tired floors or installing popular new flooring options in key spaces not only modernizes the aesthetic of your home, giving it a newer feel, but can also increase its value and marketability. Here are the details on how to update your floors to help your home sell faster and for more money.

Popular Flooring Updates to Sell Your Home

What flooring options are hot now if you want to capture buyers’ interest and demand top dollar? Luxury vinyl plank flooring (LVP) or laminate flooring with realistic wood looks has surged in popularity due to its durability and waterproof properties, making it ideal for active families in kitchens, mudrooms, and basements. Higher-end vinyl sheet flooring mimics natural stone at affordable prices. And neutral-hued carpeting remains a versatile mainstay in bedrooms for optimum visual appeal.

Return on Investment of Replacing Floors

According to recent analysis, refreshing worn or out-of-date floors offers one of the biggest returns when prepping a home for sale. On average, replacing carpeting recoups 80% of your investment, while new hardwood floors see 60-80% return on investment. Depending on your home’s age and existing floor materials, replacing and refinishing hardwoods on the lower end of the price scale, installing LVP planks and tiles in heavy traffic spaces, and laying new carpet in bedrooms, holds the most profitable promise.

The National Association of Relators releases research yearly about their key findings, trends and insights into the estimated costs and return on investment that the real estate industry see in remodeling projects. For 2023 it was found that a Hardwood Flooring project will bring you a 78% return on your investment! Updating to Granite or Quartz countertops will bring you a 62% return on your investment. Laminate flooring shows a 56% return.

Keep in Mind Your Home’s Age and Aesthetic

When selecting new flooring materials, keep your home’s architectural style and original character in mind. Does it have vintage features like crown molding you want to preserve? Maintain symmetry by replacing hardwoods in adjacent rooms. Is your home a mid-century modern design? Play up clean sight-lines with wall-to-wall carpet and seamless floor tiles that contrast with the wood paneling. The goal is for the updated floors to feel harmonious and enhance (not compete with) the existing structure.

Budget-Friendly Updates

If funds are limited, focus on spaces used most by potential buyers to evaluate your home’s livability—the living room, kitchen, primary bedroom and bathrooms. Replacing worn vinyl sheet flooring in the kitchen with natural stone-look materials creates high visual impact for low cost per square foot. Lay bright patterned rugs as statement pieces over existing flooring in gathering rooms and to define spaces, adding warmth and personality. And remember, small fixes make a difference too—fill in scratches and dings, polish existing hardwood floors to restore sheen, and thoroughly steam clean carpets. We offer a service for site-finished hardwoods that makes a big difference. The refinishing team will bluff up your existing hardwoods and apply a fresh layer of polyurethane. This would get rid of any cosmetic scratches give you a refreshed finish. Old lived on carpet and pad can really hold on to odors, especially pet odors, and new carpet and pad can make all the difference when potential home buyers are viewing the home. The fresh scents of new flooring and a clean home leave lasting positive impressions. 

When you are ready to move, we are here to give you guidance as to what will make the biggest impact on potential home buyers. Call us today 770-271-7298 for a free consultation with the focus of getting the most bang for you buck.