Who knows? I would imagine there are as many varied opinions as there are older buyers. Curious as to why you ask?

I sell homes and I find most people prefer wood floors. Good luck

Older = 40'ish? 50'ish? 60'ish? 70'ish? etc...

In any event, you can't go wrong with hardwood.

It depends on the age group. Elderly clients are often thinking of possible falls and broken bones so they have me cover hard surface flooring with carpet but for the most part retired clients seem to like wood in living areas and usually carpet in bedrooms. It varies though because some people don’t want carpet due to allergies and some people want carpet because of cold feet in the winter.

This ole gal like wood.

The over the hill oldsters are still buying carpet, which might be in a greater proportion than the other cohorts considering the number of persons in the age ranges above.*

These guys just looooove carpets!

^^^hahahahaha^^^

Someone might want a rug or carpet in a room, but they might not want your carpet.

They might not like the color or quality of the carpet you have chosen.

You are better off leaving your own wood floors and getting them as clean as you can.

If they are in bad condition, you can reduce the sale price by the cost to refinish or to carpet.

I'd qualify for the age range and I am completely, totally opposed to carpet because of the ick factor. (No tile either; I just don't like it.)

While I do not allow shoes in the house because of what the bottoms of shoes can bring in from walking on city streets and sidewalks I still prefer hardwood floors (or laminate because I am a cat person). I am getting beautiful drapes in my new house and those plus the furniture will soften the rooms.

Thanks for your input! We’re preparing to put house on market and our demographic buyer for this neighborhood tends to be more affluent downsized in a golf course community.

I think the part of the country greatly influences this choice also.

I think it greatly depends on what the rest of the house is like and what level of flooring you're considering. I would always prefer hardwoods, particularly in my living spaces, as I have Persian rugs. What flies in Minnesota might not fly in Florida, though, so much depends on trends in your locale.

I am the “older” buyer I guess and carpet turns me off immedualtely not matter what my age was when looking for a home. Any hard surface floor that is easily cleaned is always the best IMO. It is easy to add rugs and at least they can be cleaned .

The real estate comps will tell you. There is the investment side of real estate which tells you what as flooring is better.

This goes way beyond just 'age' as a factor.

Check the latest comps online of new renovation and listings in your area.

Agree with above that area rugs solve those clients in between.

You don't want the floors to look choppy - carpet in family room, tile in kitchen, hardwood in dining room, etc. Keep it consistent.

You can sell your home faster and for more money by putting in hardwood. The problem is that the "more money" is less than hardwood will cost.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2020/

Right now, nationally people are staying put, sellers are reluctant to sell during the pandemic, but interest rates are at historic lows and demand is higher than normal.

My nephew bought a home this summer - made full price offers on 2 homes, lost the bids and made an offer over list on the home that he got.

My sister sold an investment home. The realtor told her that the biggest issue they are facing is that the bids are coming in so far over list that the homes aren't appraising.

4 homes have gone up for sale in my neighborhood in the past year. All had accepted offers within 3 days of listing.

Every market is different, but this seems to be a common theme nationwide. Normally I advise against making expensive improvements to sell. This advice doubles in this market. Why would you want to gift the money you can use to buy your next home to some random buyer?

As for the love/hate relationship with hardwoods/carpet, you may be right that older people may have less fear of carpet and may prefer them to hardwood.

I am the youngest of 6. My 5 older siblings all have carpet in the bedrooms and living room.

I have all LVT, but I worked in the humane industry for many years. I had tile at the time. It worked great when I was fostering animals and had to regularly clean up accidents. I grew accustomed to the ease of tile flooring, but didn't want something that hard in my current home.

When I was a kid the old farmhouses and row homes all had wood floors (people just called them wood at that time). The new homes built in the 60 and 70s all had wall to wall carpeting. I still do not look at wood flooring and go "wow". I have memories of drafty old homes with musty smells having hardwood floors. I am 59 and grew up in a relatively rural area.

As to the fear of dust mites, again, when I grew up we played in the neighborhood until the street lights came on. Mom didn't worry about where we were - the older kids watched over the younger kids. When we played ball in the street we all watched for cars and hollered out "CAR" when we saw one coming. We rode in the back of a pickup truck or piled into the station wagon and the baby was held on mom's lap while dad drove and we giggled as we slid back and forth on the vinyl seat around every curve unless you were sitting cross legged in the very back (all without seatbelts). We rode bikes without helmets and drank water from a hose and pregnant women drank cocktails and smoked cigarettes. OMG - it is a wonder any of us survived!

We did all play together and had a comradery that I think today's kids are missing out on. We also behaved while we were out - someone's mom would see whatever we did and depending on how egregious the act they may come out of their house with a switch or they may just call our mother and let them handle the problem. There were times when we did something wrong and talked about it on the way home and we would run into the house and blurt our infractions out with tears of shame - it was always better to tell on yourself than get caught in a lie or hiding something, and mom would find out.

So the fear of dust mites and skin cells just doesn't compare to the fear of mom finding out you behaved like a heathen and embarrassed her and the entire family by cursing in the streets!

Ask your realtor what is trending in your area/size/price range. S/he will be the most unbiased opinion you can access without paying for a designer.

I live in a large active adult community with people of a certain age and it amazes me how many homes go on the market with carpet in the living areas. As in many places, homes are going under contract within 12 hours here (Denver) so it doesn't seem to matter at this point.. I have noticed that the attached condos and duplexes appear to have more carpet than the detached homes. I'm guessing those residents are older when they move in. I've even seen carpeted bathrooms, I assume for the same safety reason. My particular floor plan is very open and these models tend to all have hardwood in the living areas, as well as the kitchen. There are almost no interior walls and it would look weird to have different flooring.

This 70 year old loves wood floors. Tile=havoc on old feet and backs. Carpet= been there and truly dislike upkeep. Wood is warmer. I have to wear shoes all the time and it is more comfortable to walk on. Right now we have area rugs but when mobility becomes an issue those can go away. IMO there is no such thing as luxury vinyl flooring, reminds me of all those rentals we endured as a young couple.

@SJ McCarthy - I was a realtor and have dealt with a lot of realtors.

They will tell you that hardwood increases the sales price and will reduce the days on market.

What they do not consider is the cost of hardwood vs the increase in sales price.

OT, but I can't resist.

Right now, nationally people are staying put, sellers are reluctant to sell

Except that existing US home sales in 2020 were the highest since 2006. US new home sales were running at a seasonally adjusted 842,000 for November 2020, again the highest numbers since 2006.

Yes, amazing to this ancient mariner, too, under house arrest since March 2020!

***

I haven't seen carpeting, at least above grade, in new higher-end homes since the late '80s.

The 'Return On Investment' (ROI) is a local one and a personal one. A basic 3" wide red oak strip hardwood has a relatively low installation cost. It is the closest in cost to 'new carpets' being installed. The regular red oak in a narrow plank (with labour and materials) will cost around $10/sf. A HIGH END carpet is going to be in the same range $7-$9/sf (with high end pad and labour).

You will 'maintain' the value of your home with the new carpet (no increase in price; no speedy turnover). The ROI is very little. The one thing it prevents is loss of value (or a home with 'flooring allotment' built into the price).

The hardwood will offer 25% - 40% ROI. That means the house can be slightly higher (in the mid-upper range for size and location) and can be expected to have a shorter time on the market.

There is NOTHING like the advertising that states, "Solid hardwoods throughout". That's a buzz phrase that every Realtor LOVES to use...'cause it moves inventory!

At70, I guess I qualify as “older”; I strongly prefer hardwood in every room except a bathroom.

Hardwood is slippery when you have walking issues. Carpet has more traction. But hardwood is better if you need a chair. Rugs are bad no matter what. What can you do but do the best you can for your current problems?

I don't think hardwood is slippery unless you have certain modern coatings on it.

I live in an active adult (55+) golf community with homes that are 10 - 15 years old and many residents are original owners. Almost every home (and townhouse and condo) has wood floors; no carpet except in bedrooms (and bedrooms rarely have wood floors, meaning no one cares about the uniform look - just the comfort of carpet under bare feet).