When you buy your new place here in the Addington Highlands or you choose one of those new Ajax homes, you'll often have a decision to make regarding the flooring. Should you go for hardwood or carpet? Which is best for you? Which has the best resale value? We'll go over the differences between carpet and hardwood in terms of lifestyle, wear and tear, and value. Hopefully that will help make your renovation decisions a little easier.

Hardwood

There's no question about it, hardwood is the "it" flooring. It's featured prominently in magazines and on decorating shows, so when buyers go looking for homes in Markham, guess what they want to see? Hardwood! If you've got hardwood floors, your home will have an advantage over the competition when it comes time to sell. You'll also have an elegant, sophisticated look that your friends will envy and your floors will be easy to clean - just a once over with a dust mop and maybe a wet clean once a month.

There are some drawbacks to having hardwood floors, though. Harder floors are less forgiving when dishware and children take a spill and you have to be very careful not to scratch them or you'll be shelling out to refinish most of your North York real estate when it comes time to sell. Hardwood floors are also more expensive to buy and more time intensive to install, and some hardwoods are finished with harmful chemicals that may degrade the air quality in your home.

Carpet

Many people prefer carpeting to hardwood, especially in bedrooms and family rooms because it's not cold to the touch when you're walking around in bare feet and it's more comfortable to sit, kneel, and play on. If you choose carpeting for your Rosedale, Toronto real estate you'll also have a lot more choice in terms of style, color, fabric, and plushness than you would with hardwood floors. You can even buy tough carpeting for utility rooms and outdoors. Carpet is cheaper to buy and easier to lay than hardwood and gives rooms a cozier feel.

The disadvantages of carpeting though is that buyers see Spokane, Washington homes for sale that are carpeted as outdated, so you won't get as much for a carpeted home. Carpet also needs to be vacuumed regularly or it can cause allergies to flare up. It can be easily stained if you drop liquids like wine or grape soda on it, and will probably need to be professionally deep-cleaned about once a year.