When you buy a rental home with a carpet already installed, it may hold a great surprise for you. Some homes have a beautiful hardwood floor hiding under the carpet. Now, the question is: Should you remove the carpet or leave it in place? For some property owners, staying with carpeted floors would be smarter— it would be the economical and efficient choice for them— but for others, revealing those hardwood floors may just be the thing they need to unlock higher rental income and better tenants. In the end, before making your decision, you have to evaluate the pros and cons of exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors.
When choosing between carpet and hardwood flooring in your Prairieville rental property, it’s important to consider a few things. Hardwood floors can be an attractive feature in a rental home. Only a few carpets can match their beauty and durability. But that doesn’t mean that all rental homes should go for hardwood. So, do consider the type of tenant you have, the resale value of the property, the neighborhood, and the cost of preparing and maintaining each flooring type. Choosing to permanently remove your rental’s carpeting should not be done carelessly.
Not all tenants have the same set of views, there would be differing opinions on the upgrade of a hardwood floor. There are conscientious tenants who may appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor and do not mind the additional responsibility of keeping the floor clean and dry. However, there also tenants that wouldn’t go well with hardwood, for instance, those with pets and heavy furniture. These can easily scratch or gouge a wood floor, damaging it and ruining its beauty. Some tenants may prefer hardwood floors for reasons other than aesthetics. For allergy sufferers, a hard floor surface is preferred since they are a lot easier to clean and keep free of dust than carpet. However, if a tenant doesn’t know how to properly care for hardwood, their harsh cleaning products or hard scrubbing may damage it.
Beyond appearance, rental property owners should use the property’s current value and future value as a basis (at least partly) for their flooring choices. Because value is often influenced by a property’s location and nearby homes, it would be prudent to find out what the other homes in the neighborhood have— whether they feature hardwood or carpet floors. If most of the homes have carpet, then it may be safe to assume that removing yours may not be the best option to take. On the flip-side, if your neighborhood is undergoing a renewal, perhaps offering the upgrade of a hardwood floor is what would make your rental home more appealing than the competition.
Finally, consider the costs when thinking about permanently removing your rental home’s carpet. You may save on the cost of replacing the carpet every five years, but there are additional expenses when you remove the carpet and prepare the floor for your tenant. For one, modern hardwood finishes are a lot more durable than the older ones, but the floor under your rental’s carpet may not exactly be new.
The years spent lurking beneath a layer of the carpet hasn’t helped the hardwood either. So, exposing a hardwood floor would likely require refinishing. And when it’s out, it would then need regular maintenance to make sure it stays in good condition. There are costs involved when you go through this process, and understanding how much this may cost can really help you make the best decision.
After careful study and with reliable information in hand, you can confidently decide whether exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors is beneficial for your rental home.
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