When you purchase a rental home with carpet already installed, it may have a great surprise hidden inside. There are homes with carpets that have a beautiful hardwood floor underneath them. The decision you need to consider is whether you should remove the carpet or leave it in place. For some property owners, the economical and efficient choice would be to stick with carpeted floors, but for others, revealing those hardwood floors would open the home up to higher rental income and better tenants. The bottom line is not to rush to a decision but to consider both the pros and cons of exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors.
When choosing between carpet and hardwood flooring in your Morrisville rental property, it’s important that you think about some things. Hardwood floors can be an attractive feature in a rental home. They have in them a beauty and durability that few carpets can match. Even so, hardwood may not be the best option to go with. Not all rental homes would gain from it. 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 would look at an upgrade of a hardwood floor the same way. They may not share the same view on the matter. Some tenants are conscientious and may appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor and see that it is worth the added responsibility of keeping the floor clean and dry. However, there are also tenants that may only damage the floor, making it look ugly. For instance, if they own pets and heavy furniture, they can easily scratch or gouge a wood floor. Some tenants may prefer hardwood floors for reasons other than aesthetics. For people who suffer from allergies, carpets make life more difficult. Hard floor surfaces are very much preferred since they are easier to keep clean and free of dust. However, if a tenant doesn’t know how to properly care for hardwood, they could easily damage it with harsh cleaning products or hard scrubbing.
Beyond appearance, rental property owners should make their flooring choices based, at least partly, on the property’s current and future value. Because value is often influenced by a property’s location and nearby homes, it makes sense to find out if the other homes in the neighborhood feature hardwood floors or if they have carpet floors. If most of the homes have carpet, then, perhaps, it wouldn’t be wise to remove yours. On the other hand, if the neighborhood is developing and undergoing a renewal, by offering an upgrade like a hardwood floor may be what your rental house needs to stand out from the rest.
Finally, count the costs before you decide to permanently remove 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 more durable when compared to the older ones, but there’s a high likelihood that the floor under your rental’s carpet won’t be exactly new.
Lurking beneath a layer of carpet for a long time hasn’t done anything to help 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 in all these steps, and having a clear idea about how much this would cost you can help you make a more informed 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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