Does Consistent Flooring Throughout A Home Help It Sell Faster? Our Real Estate Expert Weighs In
Picture this: You're touring a lovely home that checks every box on your wishlist so far. The structure is strong, the appliances are trendy, and everything feels bright and open. But, as you wander from room to room, you start to notice that each space feels starkly different for one big reason — the floors. The kitchen has white tiles, the hallway has smaller red tiles, the bedrooms have blue carpet, and the closets have original hardwood. What gives? To a seller, having several flooring types throughout the home may seem like an innocent blunder, but for some potential buyers, it's offensive enough to make them pump the brakes.
To get to the bottom of this flooring phenomenon, House Digest spoke to Lindsey Schmidt, a real estate agent and Realtor licensed in Virginia at Fathom Realty who also offers brilliant advice for selling and buying homes on her Instagram page. In an exclusive interview with House Digest, Schmidt explained that flooring can absolutely affect how quickly your home sells — and some flooring sins are worse than others. Here's what Schmidt had to say about buyers' opinions on mismatched flooring and simple upgrades that will help you sell your home faster, whether you plan to remodel or not.
Random floors cause buyers to waver
Why do mismatched floors matter when it comes to selling a home quickly? In her exclusive interview with House Digest, Lindsey Schmidt explained, "Buyers want to see consistency throughout the home. It's not unusual to have a mix of flooring type [such as] hardwood in living spaces [and] tile in bathrooms, but the type itself should be consistent." A good example of this consistency might be using the same white tile in the kitchen and in the bathrooms or using the same gray carpet in all four bedrooms. Hardwoods and wood laminates should at least be the same shade in every room, even if they aren't exactly the same material.
One of the worst flooring sins you can make is to have too many different types of flooring visible in one space or butting up against each other. If you're going to have mixed flooring of the same type, Schmidt recommends that you keep the mismatched floors out of sight when standing in any one room. "Buyers are turned off when they see multiple shades of hardwood flooring, especially when it's on the same floor and you can see both shades at the same time," she said.
Making your floors more buyer-friendly
If you're willing to give your floors an overhaul before the sale, what kind of flooring will woo buyers and sell your home fastest? "Hardwood flooring is classic," said Lindsey Schmidt. "But there are some fantastic tile options available that are more cost-effective and easy to maintain." Buyers love to see the same consistent flooring throughout a home, but it may be more realistic to use a different flooring type, like tile, in kitchens and bathrooms. By sticking to one or two flooring materials, you can ensure a cohesive look that makes buyers feel eager to close the deal and move in. If you're stuck with the existing flooring, look for staging tricks that will help you meet two different flooring materials in your home.
In her exclusive interview with House Digest, Schmidt also offered some advice for sellers who need to move a home quickly but don't have the time or budget to replace flooring. "If you need to replace carpet in an area where carpet is no longer the norm (for example, dining rooms) but aren't prepared for that expense, consider offering a credit to buyers for the cost of carpet replacement," said Schmidt. "They can either replace the carpet themselves or put that money toward hardwood floors."