Most people have a goal of one day, owning their own home. To achieve this goal, you have likely been saving your money and working to raise your credit score for quite some time. When you are financially ready to buy a home, it is time to start looking at real estate for sale. This is where the fun begins. Before you start touring homes for sale, you should create your “must-have” list. One thing that you should consider when creating your “must-have” list is the best types of flooring that you would like in your home.
Your “must-have” list can include the number of bedrooms you need, the number of bathrooms, the layout of the home, and the neighborhood you would like to live in. If you are like most homebuyers, you have a specific idea in mind of the type of home that you would want to buy.
Many homebuyers are looking for homes that are move-in ready and require no additional work before moving in. One important factor to consider is the flooring. Years ago, many home buyers were looking for homes with wall-to-wall carpeting in the majority of the rooms because it was in style at the time. As with most “in” things, this has changed. Today, many home buyers are interested in homes with hardwood floors. Hardwood floors have many benefits that you cannot get from other flooring materials.
Hardwood Flooring Tops the List
People have been installing hardwood floors in their homes for centuries. Unlike other flooring materials such as linoleum and wall-to-wall carpeting, hardwood floors have never gone out of style. In fact, many homeowners will pull up their carpet and be thrilled to find that there are hardwoods underneath. Hardwood flooring has a timeless look that will remain popular for many more years.
New Colors and Styles of Hardwood Floors
While shopping for a new home, you will likely find that the floors in each home will have a unique look. There are plenty of styles available that make each floor unique. The species and the stain on the floor can look unique. Also, the size of the boards vary. If you are worried about the floors in your new home looking like every other house on the block, you should be looking at homes with hardwood floors. With all of the types available today, the flooring in your new home will be both beautiful and unique.
Hardwood Floors Fit in with Any Style
One of the main benefits of hardwood floors is that they can fit in with any style home. If you are looking for an elegant look, you can find a type of hardwood floor to fit in with your particular style. The same is true if you are looking for a traditional look or a rustic look. Of all the flooring materials available today, you won’t have any problem finding a hardwood floor to tie into your decorating style. This becomes a distinct advantage later on when you become a home seller.
Hardwoods are Easy to Maintain
If you are like most home buyers, you lead a busy life. Between your career, your family, and social obligations, you may not have much time left for floor maintenance. Of all the flooring materials available, hardwood floors are the easiest to maintain. Carpeting, for example, can get dirty over time. Even if you remove your shoes before walking on the carpets and if you avoid eating and drinking on the carpet, accidents can happen. Also, normal wear and tear can make your carpets look worn and dirty. If you go with tile flooring, you would need to have the grout cleaned on a regular basis. Avoiding this task will have a negative effect on the appearance of your floor.
Hardwood floors are very easy to clean. A weekly sweeping and washing with warm water are all that your floors need to remain clean and shiny. Also, they don’t stain. If someone spills juice on a carpet, it can be difficult to remove the stain. If the juice spills on tile flooring, it can stain the grout. If you spill something on a hardwood floor, a quick wipe is all that it would need.
Hardwood Floors Can Be Easily Repaired and Restored
If your new home has carpeting and it gets ripped or if there is a stain that you cannot get out, replacing the carpet might be your only option. It is possible to replace just a section of the carpeting, however, this can be expensive. If you have tile flooring and a tile gets cracked, you would need to replace the cracked tile. If the floor was installed years earlier, it could be hard to find a tile to match the rest of the flooring. Also, a professional would need to replace the tile and then regrout the floor. A job like this can be very costly.
If your hardwood floors get scratched, it can be easily buffed out. If the hardwood floor has lost its shine, it can be buffed out and refinished. Best of all, this is affordable. If you are handy, you could handle the job on your own. If not, it won’t cost too much to hire a professional to make your hardwood floors look new again.
Hardwood Floors Work Great in Every Room and Area of the House
Using the same type of flooring throughout the house is in style today. Thanks to recent flooring technology, this is possible with hardwood floors. There are floor coatings available that will help your hardwood floors stand up in high moisture areas such as in the kitchen and the bathroom. This is not possible with carpeting.
Hardwood floors are very durable, which make them a great choice in high-traffic areas. If you choose to carpet these areas, the carpeting will wear out quickly. If the tile is used in high-traffic areas and something is dropped on the floor, the tile can easily crack. Since hardwood floors are durable, damage and wear and tear are non-issues.
When it is time to start touring homes looking for the house of your dreams, you should pay particular attention to the flooring. The type of floors that most home buyers today are looking for is hardwood floors. Not only will they always be in style, but they are also durable, easy to maintain, simple to restore, and there are plenty of colors, species, and styles available. If you buy a home with hardwood floors, you can expect them to look gorgeous for the entire time that you live in the house. When searching for homes to tour, you should start by looking at homes whose ads read, “hardwoods throughout.”
Additional Resources:
- Popular Home Flooring Options-Debbie Drummond
AUTHOR BIO:
Bruce MacDonald leads the team at MacDonald Hardwoods, a hardwood flooring store in Denver, Colorado. He often shares flooring advice across the web. Let him teach you how to choose the best hardwood flooring for your home.