Is it worth the effort to install hardwood stairs prior to selling my home?
Replacing carpeted or linoleum covered stairs with hardwood stairs can certainly add value to you home but how much value depends on a number of factors. In our experience, this has always worked in the homeowner’s favour but to know for sure which renovations will give you the most bang for your buck, we recommend that you consult with your real estate agent.
Here are a few of the reasons we believe that investing in hardwood stairs is a good idea prior to selling your home.
First Impressions
If you are selling your home, you know the importance of making a good first impression on prospective buyers. A beautiful hardwood staircase can be a showpiece in a home and go a long way toward giving that extra wow factor.
Performing renovations such as this one show potential buyers that your home has been well taken care of which is very important to most people who are making an investment that is as large as a home.
Hardwood is In, Carpet is Out
Hardwood flooring and stairs have become highly desirable in the real estate market in recent years. By the same token, carpet has been become decreasingly undesirable. Concerns over the cleanliness of carpet dissuade many potential buyers from homes that they might otherwise have considered. When buyers do purchase a home with carpet, oftentimes their first renovation will be to have it ripped out and replaced with hardwood.
Hardwood is easy to clean and this fact is not lost on prospective buyers. This becomes increasingly important if the family selling the home has small children, pets or if the home is an older one.
A Lesser Renovation Than Others
When making renovations for the purpose of selling your home, we understand that you have to make some choices. Your budget is not unlimited and you must choose based on which renovations will have the greatest positive impact on the selling price of your home.
Changing your carpeted or linoleum covered stairs to hardwood stairs is probably not as expensive as you think. In fact, compared to other renovations which may be recommended by your real estate agent, this is something that can be fairly inexpensive.
An Edge Over Your Competition
When one house on a street goes up for sale, it seems that there are immediately three or four others on the same street that also hit the market. A seller needs every edge that they can get. If your home goes up for sale with a beautiful new set of hardwood stairs, there is a good chance that it will sell quicker and for a better price than the home next store that has carpeted stairs.
Replacing your old carpeted on linoleum covered stairs can be a good investment if you are looking to make improvements to your home prior to selling. This feature is desirable to homebuyers and may even help them to overlook another feature that they are less happy about.
Buy why wait until you are ready to sell your home? Why not invest in hardwood stairs before you are ready to sell so that you and your family may enjoy this beautiful feature as well?
