While there are very many factors and criteria that one should consider when purchasing a rug, there are few more important than personal budget and price. The establishment of a realistic “rug budget” will go a very long way in helping you determine which rug is best suited to your own unique, individual needs.
While budgeting is a very personal practice, there are two general factors that everyone should note when establishing a rug budget: first, how much can you afford to spend; and, second, how much ought you have to spend to get the rug that you want.
The first of these two factors will depend on your own personal financial situation. The second factor, meanwhile, is heavily informed by the type of rug for which you are shopping. This is sort of where the situation can become complex, because just how much you ought to be paying for a particular rug depends on a myriad of factors, including but not being limited to the rug’s size, age, quality, rarity, condition, and the current market demand for similar pieces. While deciding how much to spend on a rug is ultimately based on an individual buyer’s personal resources, it also involves a certain degree of learning or education on the buyer’s part.
If you are interested in potentially purchasing an antique rug, it is important to do some research — this will help you to discover the general market cost of the sort of piece in which you are interested, and it will also help you to adjust to the realities of cost and pricing of antique rugs. After you have done your research, you can then decide to spend more or to settle for less, and to strike a balance among the various trade-offs. The more realistically you approach your rug budget, the more effective or efficient the search for a rug becomes.