Why Floor Covering Can Make or Break Your Sale!

By Lisbeth Calandrino

You all know what doesn’t sell a house, a dirty ‘1950’s shag.’ By the way, luxury shag is back, is used in very upscale design, and is still 41% of industry sales.

Let’s face it; flooring is expensive, and if it must be replaced, can break the buyer’s budget. With many new products on the market, it is imperative for Realtors® to be up to date on the new options and their costs. Like other industries, technology and upgrades in manufacturing have added new products and altered some of the old favorites. In the last ten years, new carpet has been produced which is virtually stain proof. Unless flooring is your industry, it’s doubtful you are aware of these changes.

Today’s homebuyer expects more, and many items that were considered luxury options for a few decades are now considered essential to a home’s salability. Upgraded appliances, hard-surface flooring, and professional landscaping are just a few examples of how home-buying trends have shifted, and how homes without these features are at a sales disadvantage.

Let me tell you of a conversation I had with a Realtor®. She was telling me that she was standing at the top of the staircase with a potential homebuyer looking at the floor downstairs:

“What a beautiful wood floor, she said to the client. As they descended the staircase, she looks in horror at the floor. “Not only wasn’t it wood, but she also said, it was linoleum!” I felt bad for the agent.

Unfortunately, the Realtor® did not have enough expertise to help her client see the positive aspects of the flooring. By the way, the word ‘linoleum’ has all but disappeared from our vocabulary. It’s likely the product was an upscale luxury vinyl which may have been used for a variety of reasons. It’s easier to clean and can be installed below grade. Instead of a liability, it may have been an asset.

Why don’t we know much about flooring? You’ll probably buy more cars than you will floors—that’s why. With a change every 7 to 10 years, you’re likely to be hit with ‘sticker shock’ when you go shopping for flooring. I believe you should have this information for both, you, and your potential clients.

If you have not noticed, flooring has radically changed, and technology has turned many consumer buying habits away from traditional flooring. There is luxury vinyl that looks like wood and is being used in upscale boutique hotels and luxury homes. Because of luxury vinyl’s heritage, there’s a tendency to think ‘cheap.’ Technology has come to this industry in a big way with the ability to make these products replicate wood, tile, and stone.  Porcelain tile can imitate wood and stone and is being manufactured in 1-meter by 3-meter sheets that are replacing stone on the exterior of buildings.

Wood is still wood and is now available in hundreds of species and is preferred by many home buyers. A study of homebuyer preferences by USA Today using data from the National Association of Realtors found that 54% of home buyers were willing to pay more for a home with hardwood flooring. Most real estate agents surveyed by the National Wood Flooring Association said houses with hardwood flooring are easier to sell and sell faster.  This indicates the value of hardwood floors as well because homes that sell quicker tend to sell closer to their asking price. Homes that sell faster result in more profits for their sellers, and if wood floors can help sell the home quicker, they add to the overall value of the home.

When we talk about wood flooring, most people immediately think of solid wood flooring. These days engineered wood, which is a laminated system, is as exquisite as solid wood. Many people get this confused with laminate flooring, which is manufactured essentially the same way but is not made of wood. Engineered wood, when installed, looks no different than solid wood. In terms of price, it may be just as expensive as solid wood if not more. It is often hard to get homeowners to understand why this is.

Solid wood cannot be used below grade because of moisture issues; engineered wood, on the other hand, can be installed below grade and in other areas where solid wood would be a problem such as adjacent to a lake. When engineered flooring is installed, it looks no different than solid.

Let’s face it, new flooring can be expensive, but you don’t always need new flooring to spruce up your floors or create an entirely new look. With so many new products on the market, changes can be made at a fraction of the cost! Thank goodness flooring trends don’t change nearly as often as fashion or other home decor, but flooring is in a period of evolution thanks to advancing technologies.

Lisbeth Calandrino is considered a floorcovering expert and has recently been recognized by Floor Covering News as one of The Top Ten People Making a Difference in the Flooring Industry. For the past twenty years, she has produced floor training classes for major manufacturers and retailers including Mohawk Industries and The Home Depot. As a certified independent flooring inspector, she is technically savvy on maintenance, warranties, and flooring problems. Lisbeth is currently Associate Publisher of Fabulous Floors Magazine and author of “Red Hot Customer Service.” For more about Lisbeth, go to her web page, lisbethcalandrino.com.