Flooring can be a tricky item to decide on, it will provide a drastic impact to your space. It used to be that people simply choose laminate flooring because it was cost effective, however with the latest technology and production of flooring this is no longer the case. In my opinion, there are reasons to choose each flooring option, it is very specific to each clients needs.
Hardwood Flooring: Hardwood floor is a luxurious, beautiful, timeless option for flooring. It has been a flooring solution many homes have used for years. It is durable and comes in a variety of different colours to match your style. Hardwood floors are easy to clean and in comparison to carpet, hardwood floors will not trap dust, hair, etc. Hardwood floors have also established a reputation lets call it for the product, thus having hardwood floors is a selling feature. The downfall to hardwood floors is that they do scratch and are not water resistant. Depending on the hardwood floor you only get a certain amount of times you can sand it down to refinish it. Although there are many options hardwood flooring is defiantly more expensive than laminate. Most times this will take a flooring installer, some contractors will install as well.
Laminate Flooring: Laminate floors and vinyl plank flooring, yes there is a difference, are great options as well. They are much less expensive than hardwood, they provide a similar look to hardwood and there is a wide variety of colours to choose from. I would say almost all contractors will install this type of flooring. Vinyl is waterproof and laminate is scratch resistant. So especially if you have animals or this flooring at entry points it is good to have the extra durability. That being said, I feel like laminate and vinyl are still establishing their reputation so they are not as much of a selling feature for a home.
This is just a summary on a few options, there is of course tile, carpet, engineer hardwood and so on but it is important to do your research and talk to professionals before selecting which option works best in your space.