There seems to be a trend to paint over hardwood… is that what buyers are looking for now?

No doubt, design trends can be a benefit and may help sell your home faster, but the average home should gear to the average buyer in order to drive the demand for the home. If your home is in an area where the avant-garde design trends are what buyers are searching for then, by all means, go for it. If you accomplish the look you may see an incredible amount of interest and break records with your sale! Not everyone has the same taste in décor and design, so be careful not to eliminate a large segment of the buying population when you make choices. It takes a while for some trends to catch on for the general public. I sometimes hear buyers say things like, “I really like it, but I don’t think it’s right for my family and my furniture is not going to look nice here.” For anything like painting wood floors, painting brick and so on, make sure you know: a) how difficult it would be to bring it back to its original state b) if the demographic of buyers shopping for a property like yours are looking for that kind of detail.