It's not always a personal choice. You really need to know what the market in your area expects. Personally, however, I prefer and would always default to a quality wood laminate but would always take carpeting over vinyl sheet goods.

Hi,
what do the competing homes in the neighborhood have? If they have hardwood and you choose carpet it will make your home less appealing at resale? Good luck

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You have recieved some spot on answers, here is the "skinny" as I see it. Hardwood is best, but if you do not want to spend that much go with a laminate as pointed out buyers are NOT attracted to carpet, but a correctly installed laminate tastefully done WILL get your home sold quicker, I am not sure about a higher price though. That would depend on the rest of your home, schools,noise level, your neighborhood to name a few.
Contact one of us agents who answered you to get a realist idea of cost versus return and the value of your home.
At your service,
Allyson
408-705-6578
allyson@homesbyallyson.com
Certified Distressed Property Expert
DRE# 01397256

Hi Home owner,

Sometimes the laminate flooring might not be much cheaper from the hardwood, depends on your contractor. You have to know the right people. I know some contractors who can turn it around in a few weeks for a very reasonable amount, especially if the house is being prepared for resale.

In today's market, the house that appeals most will sell faster, in turn bring in better offer. Thus it is important to have updated features and an inviting look.

Monica Goyal
DRE 01781926

I'd go with hardwood flooring. It creates a warm feeling and seems to appeal positively to most people. Plus people with allergies will like your home more. It is easier to clean if you have dogs and cats. Now for value, it may not make much of a difference. In other words, it will not increase or decrease the value of your home if this is the only improvement that you are considering. But I’d have to say that it may make your home sell faster and appeal to more buyers if everything in your home is average or better.

Hi Home Owner and thanks for your post.

This is precisely the type of question that you should be posing to a Realtor specialst in your area. To be frank, the question really begs the answer "it depends." It depends on where your home is located; it depends on the type of home you have and whether that same money could be better spent on other areas of the home; it depends on the buying profile of the public in your area; and it depends on the replacement products you're contemplating.

So before you go out and spend money on ANY improvements, talk first with your Realtor. This is especially important if you have only a limited amount of funds within which to improve or repair your home.

As a Realtor who represents a LOT of buyers, let me just say that nothing, nothing, nothing discourages a buyer more than a poorly executed and renovated home. In fact, I showed four sets of buyers different homes this weekend in various parts of San Jose through Mountain View and Los Altos. Here's some of the comments that are oft-spoken when entering a home that has been haphazardly improved: 1) Wow, they spent all that money on countertops and appliances, and left those cheap cabinets in place--I'm going to have to tear that out; 2) they spent money on flooring, when they should have spent it on kitchens, bathrooms, repairs, paint, etc; 3) the improvements are "nice" to look at, but underneath, you know the quality is just not there...

So before you spend your hard-earned money on renovations, make certain that what you're doing will "attract" rather than "distract" the buying public. Also, keep in mind that updating and renovating the home does NOT necessarily translate into more money for the home--rather it does mean that the home will sell faster, but not necessarily for more. So if your money is limited, you start with repairs to the home that are necessitated by the home inspection, termite and roofing reports, and then do the work in this order: 1) paint, 2) renovations to kitchen and bathrooms; 3) windows, 4) building exteriors and landscaping and 5) flooring.

And, of course, if the only product that you can purchase now is laminate flooring AND you want to keep the home for a few years, I'd wait until I could afford hardwood flooring to make a change. Again, check with your Realtor, as he or she can help you best in working with your specific home and in your specific housing market.

Good luck!!

Sincerely,
Grace Morioka
Area Pro Realty-People's Choice

Hello,

Have you looked at Lumber Liquidators in San Jose? I'm sure they would have options you could afford. Even though laminate gets a bad name some of the new styles make you look twice to realize they are not real hardwoods. You may also want to think about engineered flooring.

Good Luck,
Brent

Thank you, Homeowner:

Ron Thomas, Andrea Wince, Don Tepper, and Erica Nelson gave you excellent answers.

In this market, particularly in the case of families with small children, there do appear to be more buyers who prefer not to have carpet because of the issues of cleaning, and carpet traps molds and allergens.

However, this depends on who are the likely buyers for your house. If the potential buyers are most likely families with small children, most will prefer not to have carpet, and will prefer a good quality laminate instead..

However do not expect that either carpet or laminate flooring will get you a higher price. The primary issue will be the number of buyers who will actually be willing to buy your house.

Without carpet, as long as your flooring is of good qualtiy and the quality of installation is good, you will generally get a faster sale, but you will not get more money if you have laminate flooring rather than carpet.

Remember that with laminate flooring you will generally attract budget conscious buyers, who will negotiate hard on price. With laminate flooring, you should not expect to get more money for your house, just a quicker sale.

Thank you,
Charles Butterfield MBA
Real Estate Broker/REALTOR
American Realty
Cell Phone: (408)509-6218
Fax: (408)269-3597
Email Address: charlesbutterfieldbkr2yahoo.com
DRE#00901872

It depends on location, size, and price of property. Some families with younger kids prefer carpet for safety reason.

My first choice along almost everyone else.. is hardwood flooring. No dirt, no allergies...

Laminate is awful and presents an air of cheapness.

I would go with some of the nice carved Berber carpets which will give the home a warmer appearance. Berber carpeting looks tight and clean and warm at the same time. Much better than a cheap looking plastic floor. Unless of course, you want to compliment the linoleum in the kitchen.. (sarcasm)

To answer your question of what would make it more attractive to potential buyers depends on whether you plan on selling now or later.

If your going to sell now with new carpet or new laminate I'd say go laminate in living areas and carpet in bedrooms.

If you are going to live in it and sell later I'd say to go with all laminate because you would change it to new carpet when you sell it (because it looks new and makes it easier to sell) which would cost you double.

For real estate news, new listing photos, and weekly bay area market reports check out my blog at http://BayAreaConnect.com

I'm in the process of editing a book right now on how to sell your house! Laminate, laminate, laminate. I don't have one buyer client right now who will accept carpet, all will re-do with laminate if the home doesn't have it today. It's cleaner and it's also more neutral -- carpet tends to be something that runs where someone really likes or hates the color and if it doesn't match their furnishings you could be turning them away. Laminate basically matches everything, and they can always throw rug over it or carpet the house themselves.

good luck!

Erica Glessing Nelson
DRE 01425475
Editor & Co-Publisher
"Sell Your House Fast for the Right Price" Slated for May 2012 release! Stay tuned!
408-416-7090

Depends on the house. If it's more upscale, go with carpet. If it's a more bread-and-butter type house, go with laminate. Laminate may look OK, but it kind of gives off "cost-cutting" vibes. Carpet can give off a sense of higher quality.

You might also consider a mix of real wood and carpeting. Or real stone (in the foyer, for instance) and carpeting. Those touches of real wood or stone can make the whole house seem more upscale.

But the answer really depends--as I noted--on type of house. It also depends on the expectations in your area. The best person to answer that would be a good agent in your area, who knows what buyers want and expect.

Hope that helps.

I would choose laminate over carpet in the living areas. I would also make sure it is installed properly. Laminate that is not installed properly looks worse than carpet.

The story goes that the laminate was invented by PERGO which is Swedish or Norwegian.
The Euopeans would lay it in RENTALS and when they were ready to move, they would take it up and take it with them to the next place.

We installed Pergo in our last house and absolutely loved it: Comfortable, warmer in winter and cooler in summer. It wears like iron.

Go for it.

Good luck and may God bless