3 tips to maintain flooring before selling
The floor is an integral part of a home, which adds to the appeal and condition of a property. This is what you can consider for floors in your property.
Flooring has a massive impact on the general appearance of a home and can be an expensive thing to replace if it is not kept in good condition. Sellers are advised to pay careful attention to them to ensure that the home sells for full value.
Before listing your home, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett, advises all homeowners to ensure that whatever flooring they have installed is in its best possible condition. “Excessive wear and tear on the flooring will drive buyers away. Focusing on getting your flooring looking its best before listing the house is an important step towards selling for full value,” he recommends.
Important floor tips
Below, RE/MAX of Southern Africa shares some tips on how to ensure that the home’s flooring is in top condition before it hits the market.
- Critically evaluate all carpets:
Depending on where it is, the carpets in a home may or may not function. If the carpet is in the bathroom, it is probably better to rip it out and replace it with tiles. It is also advisable to have all carpets professionally cleaned before listing the home.
- Repair hardwood floors:
Restoring hardwood floors properly can significantly raise a home’s value. But, for those who intend to sell, entirely refinishing the hardwood flooring could be a costly undertaking. Work with a real estate agent to find out if this is something that will add enough value to make it worthwhile, rather than taking on this type of expense straight away.
- Replace broken tiles:
If you have any tiles left from when the original tiling was done, replace any cracked or broken tiles. Otherwise, consider retiling the entire area with tiles that might be easier to find and replace if needed. If there is a spare box after the tiling is done, leave it behind for the new buyer so that they can replace any future cracked tiles if needed.
Identifying what needs to be updated or replaced in the home can be challenging for homeowners who have become sentimentally attached to the property. “Buyers will not view the home the same way as the sellers do and are likely to be far more critical of flaws than the owner might be. For objective and experience-based advice, speak with a real estate property practitioner for guidance before listing your home,” Goslett concludes.
Writer: Kayla Ferguson
