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@lawbee11: We really like it! I didn't do a price compare, but I think they are cheaper than real hardwood, and on par with engineered hardwood.

@chibee: We have carpet upstairs and I would love to switch it out to wood or engineered wood someday! We replaced our carpet early last year, and it's already getting gross.

OP, engineered hardwood is another alternative you can look into! Looks just like real wood!

We have both. Original oak peg floor from 1958 and wood look-tile. We love both! I'm annoyed because some of the grout is coming off the wood tile, but we get so many compliments on the original wood. It's a nice mix if you can pull off both!

@lawbee11: it's usually pricier than finished in place hardwoods but cheaper than engineered. The install costs are expensive.

@Mrs. High Heels: Engineered hardwood is real wood, it's hardwood on a substrate of plywood that makes it more stable than solid hardwoods. We use it exclusively in our most expensive projects. It's usually much higher quality than the solid wood flooring in the market now.

To the OP I only do tile in baths and entry/ mudroom spaces. But I'm in a cold climate.

@oliviaoblivia: Oh I didn't know it was considered more high end/higher quality than solid wood! I knew it was more stable and sturdy, but was under the impression that people still preferred solid hardwood over engineered wood.

Southerner here. Tile is the way to go in the main living areas if you have children. I have found that what is desirable as far as flooring goes is regional (I'm old enough to have house-hunted and lived in a bunch of places in a more temperate climate, but I've been here quite a while and house-hunted/lived in a bunch of places here, too). Think back to the other houses you saw when house-hunting. I bet the high-end ones had fancy stone floors or wood-look tile and nearly no wood. Because that's what you do here. Tile is easy to maintain, stays relatively cool, doesn't warp, and is far less susceptible to growing mold.

That said, I have a formal living room and bedrooms with wood and that has largely been fine (it's been here over 20 years and still looks good), but these are not especially high-traffic areas and as far as I know, no one has worn shoes on them or spilled any water or food in those rooms. (I strictly forbid eating and drinking anywhere that is not the kitchen table because I live in a humid climate with a bazillion bugs that I do not want in my house.) I would not put wood floors in a kitchen here, ever.

I would look into wood-look tile if you want that look. I did briefly when we were house-hunting, and it is indeed about on par price-wise with more expensive wood.

Tile is not that hard to maintain. My grout is a medium gray-brown and it hasn't discolored. I vacuum daily and steam mop or mop with a microfiber mop + water once every couple of weeks or so. If something liquid-y spills, I clean the tile and surrounding grout well, but otherwise it's pretty hassle-free. The wood floors are a bit more of a pain to care for. You can't steam mop them, and I think it would be nuts to wet mop them regularly here.

@oliviaoblivia: Thanks for sharing that! We have some carpeted areas that I'd like to replace with hardwood at some point, so I'll keep that in mind.

@ShootingStar: that's a byproduct of the species of wood and the finishing products. Walnut for example is soft and will scratch easily, iron wood is impenetrable.