Purchasing a rental home with carpet already installed may give you a great surprise: underneath that carpet may be the possibility of a beautiful hardwood floor. But the question is, should you remove the carpet or just let it stay in place? Despite the fact that for various property owners, carpeted floors are the most economical and efficient choice, for others, revealing those hardwood floors might just be the key to higher rental income and better tenants. After all is said and done, there are a lot of pros and cons to contemplate before ever exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors.
If you are choosing between carpet and hardwood flooring in your Monterey Park rental property, it is relevant to recall several essential points in mind. Hardwood floors can be an attractive feature in a rental home. They impart beauty and durability that few carpets can match. However, take note that hardwood may perhaps not be the best alternative option with respect to rental homes. The type of tenant you have, the resale value of the property, the neighborhood, and the cost of preparing and maintaining whichever flooring type you have need to all be fully determined before ever choosing to permanently remove your rental’s carpeting.
Tenants will, as a matter of fact, upgrade hardwood floors in many different ways. Though lots of tenants are conscientious and may appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor, others might be untrustworthy and fall short of keeping the floor clean and dry. Tenants with pets and heavy furniture can easily scratch or gouge a wood floor, causing it to become damaged and unappealing. A few tenants, however, may opt for hardwood floors for more than just mere aesthetics. For allergy sufferers, a hard floor surface is way more hassle-free to keep clean up and free of dust than a carpet. However, a tenant who doesn’t discover how to properly care for hardwood will readily damage it with harsh cleaning products or hard scrubbing.
More than their appearances, rental property owners should base all of their flooring choices, in some measure, on the property’s current and future value. Considering that value is often influenced by a property’s location and nearby homes, it makes a lot of sense to be aware of whether or not the other existing homes in the neighborhood feature hardwood or carpet floors. If indeed, plenty or all of the nearby homes have carpet, consequently, removing yours might not be the best course of action. However, if your area is undergoing a renewal, offering upgrades like a hardwood floor could definitely help your rental house excel way above the competition.
Lastly, there are costs to take into account before ever thinking about permanently removing your rental home’s carpet. Though you may be able to really save on the cost of replacing the carpet every five years, removing the carpet and preparing the floor for your tenant can surely exact additional expenses. Today’s hardwood finishes are significantly more durable than those in the old days. Nonetheless, quite possibly, the floor under your rental’s carpet is not exactly new.
Lurking beneath a layer of carpet for years has most likely not done the hardwood a great deal of good, either. Exposing a hardwood floor will probably require refinishing, and much regular maintenance after that to check that the floor remains as good as new. Knowing clearly the costs involved would get you set up to be able to make a more informed decision.
After meticulous contemplation and with sound information in hand, you can surely and confidently choose whether exposing your rental property’s hardwood floors is logical for your tenants, locality, and rental home.
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