Buying a rental home with a carpet already installed may give you a great surprise. Some homes have beautiful hardwood floors covered by the carpet. But should you let it stay hidden, or should you remove the carpet? There would be property owners that would benefit best with retaining the carpeted floors. It would be a more economical and efficient choice for them. Yet, there are others that would get higher rental income and better tenants if they decide to reveal those hardwood floors. 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 Alpharetta rental property, it’s important that you think about some things. Hardwood floors can be an attractive feature in a rental home. They have beauty and durability that few carpets can match. However, this doesn’t mean that hardwood is always the best option for rental homes. You’ll need to look into the type of tenant you have, the resale value of the property, the neighborhood, and the cost of preparing and maintaining each flooring type. All of these things should be considered carefully before choosing to permanently remove your rental’s carpeting.
Not all tenants would respond to the upgrade of a hardwood floor the same way. There are many tenants that may appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor, and many of them are conscientious enough that you feel safe giving them the responsibility to keep the floor clean and dry. However, there are also those who would only end up damaging the floor. For example, tenants with pets and heavy furniture can easily scratch or gouge a wood floor. Some tenants may prefer hardwood floors for other reasons aside from its beauty. 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. But if the tenant doesn’t know how to properly care for hardwood and uses harsh cleaning products or scrubs it really hard, they could easily damage it.
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 it may not be a good idea to remove yours. On the other hand, if the neighborhood is improving and undergoing a renewal, offering upgrades like a hardwood floor may be the key that would make your rental house better than the competition.
Finally, think about the costs when you’re considering permanently removing your rental home’s carpet. While you may save on the cost of replacing the carpet every five years, you will meet additional expenses when you remove the carpet and prepare the floor for your tenant. For one, newer hardwood finishes are very durable when compared to the old ones, but it’s likely that the floor under your rental’s carpet is not exactly new.
The hardwood lurking beneath a layer of carpet for years probably hasn’t helped either. So, exposing a hardwood floor will likely require refinishing. And when it’s exposed and being used, it would then need regular maintenance to make sure that its condition is maintained. There are costs involved in each step of this process, and knowing how much this would cost can help you make the right decision.
After going through all the relevant details and after getting all the necessary information, you can confidently decide whether exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors is a smart move for your rental home.
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