Should I Update the Flooring in My Entry Hall? | Waccabuc NY Real Estate

Q. The floors in our home are mostly hardwood except for the entry hall, which is dated tile. Is it worth replacing?

A. “If you and your broker notice it as a flaw and something that needs to be updated, you can be sure the buyer will, too,” said Aimee Scher, a real estate sales representative at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Manhattan. So in most cases, she said, it is probably a good idea to replace the tile.

But you should consider the condition of the rest of the home, and your asking price. If other parts of your home require work, and you plan to set the asking price below similar properties, it may make sense to leave it as is.

“Some people would be willing to buy it with that flaw,” Ms. Scher said, “and then rip it out and replace it themselves.”

If the rest of your home is in pristine condition, though, and you plan to set your asking price at the high end of the range for similar properties, you should deal with the problem.

Ms. Scher said, “A $10,000 fix that might add $30,000 or $40,000 to your purchase price is something worth doing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/garden/should-i-update-the-flooring-in-my-entry-hall.html?hpw&rref=garden