In today’s competitive housing market, home owners have to make hard decisions like repainting and replacing carpet in order to sell their house.
If your carpet is badly stained, dated, fraying on the edges, or has a noticeable odor, then definitely yes, you should replace your carpet before you sell your house.
Good Reasons Why You Should Replace Your Carpet
Today’s real estate market is competitive. With the help of YouTube, Do-It-Yourself DIY websites, and TV shows like HGTV, homeowners are getting educated on preparing their homes to sell.
You only have one chance to give a first impression. Is that prospective buyer going to be turned off buy the way the carpet looks, feels or smells. They have to wonder if the carpet is like that, what’s the condition of the rest of the house.
Consider replacing your carpet if it’s in any of the following conditions:
- Worn down in high-traffic areas
- Has stains that won’t come out
- Frayed or coming apart at seams
- Outdated, out of style or bright colors
- Has a bad odor possibly from pets
- Wavy in need of re-stretching
- Sun bleached especially by french doors and windows
Your carpet should be replace every five to fifteen years depending on traffic and use. A spare bedroom carpet that is barely used will last a lot longer than a living room or hallway that has a lot of foot traffic. Here’s an informative article from Hunker on how long carpet lasts.
With carpet you don’t have to worry about uneven floors like you do laminate and vinyl plank. If your floors are uneven, the correct way of putting vinyl or vinyl plank is leveling the floor which takes time and more money. If the floors are not level waves and low spots are noticeable. A new pile carpet will cover this and make it look even.
Carpet can make rooms quieter by absorbing the noise that travels through it. It is especially noticeable when a house is vacant compared to wood or vinyl. Carpet also feels better under foot, has a soft cushiony feel to it.
Should I Leave it or Give a Flooring Allowance
As a Realtor I have walked through many houses with potential buyers. I try to take note of facial expressions and tone when talking about a house. It’s hard for a buyer to get past the stained or worn carpet and notice the other niceties throughout the house.
If you decide to give a flooring allowance this is a sign to the potential buyer that your house needs work. If they are looking for a move in ready home your house may not be considered. The impression is the house is a fixer upper.
In my experience, a buyer will always ask for more than it would cost to replace the carpet. The thought is if I have to go through all this hassle to get the carpeting replaced I want extra. I call this the hassle factor, the price depends on how big the hassle is.
The buyer would have to set up the estimates, measuring, putting money down. All this without actually owning the house and having limited access. This will also cause a delay after closing/purchasing the house before the new buyer can move in.
Mortgage lenders, especially FHA and VA backed loans, typically won’t allow a flooring allowance. The FHA an VA want these houses move in ready and believe the seller may be taking advantage of the borrower. You could compensate for this by lowering the price or paying closing costs instead. The buyer can put the money they save towards the flooring.
Myths About Replacing Carpet
Well the buyer might not like the color I pick- A good neutral color like a light beige, taupe, or warm gray tone will work. Here’s real good information about carpet and flooring choices from Thespruce.com.
The buyer may want vinyl plank flooring instead- Vinyl plank flooring is going to cost $2 more per square foot. That may not seem like much in one or two rooms but adds up if your doing the whole house. You may have to install 1/4 round molding on the base boards which adds to the cost. If your a do it yourself kind of person it would actually be cheaper if you installed plank flooring yourself.
Nobody uses carpet anymore- Carpet is still widely used in homes and renovations especially in bedrooms. Just look at new home construction and you will see carpeted bedrooms and family rooms. Looking at new construction will also help your with carpet and wall color trends.
Carpet is bad for the environment- Like most home furnishings today, carpet can be manufactured from “green” materials. Because carpet acts as an insulator and retains room temperature, carpet installed in a home can reduce how much energy a family needs to use, which is good for the environment.
7 Tips For Buying and Installing Carpet
- Pick a neutral color- stay away from bright “colors that pop.” Remember your not replacing your carpet for yourself, it’s to sell. The prospective buyer has to picture their furniture and decor in the rooms, most everything will go with a neutral color.
- Buy what’s in stock- The price will be cheaper and the install time will be reduced. If the carpet supplier has to order the carpet, it could take several weeks before it comes in. If they don’t measure correctly you’ll be delayed again.
- Check out your local big box stores- Home Depot, Lowe’s and other big box stores usually only keep the most popular selling carpet in stock. They have limited space for carpet so they aren’t going to hang on to non-sellers. Also they have discounts (military), sales and deferred payment plans.
- There’s no need for the top of the line- Lower-end brand new carpet looks and smells just as good as more expensive carpet. The difference is durability’ thickness, and stain resistance. This isn’t a concern unless your selling a house for millions, then the buyer would expect it.
- Get samples- Bring carpet samples home to match against the paint and trim. Don’t try to remember what your colors look like when picking your carpet. You can bring paint and color samples to the carpet store also. Don’t wing this, it would be a costly mistake if the walls and floors clash.
- Don’t put carpet where it doesn’t belong- I know that’s a weird statement but people put carpet in bathrooms (70-80’s), kitchens and laundry rooms. Wall to wall meant wall to wall back then, it was a status symbol. Carpet in areas that can get wet and mold just doesn’t make sense.
- Carpet and flooring should be last- If you are painting or have repairs that need to be done the carpet should be the last thing you do before listing your house. Keep wall and trim paint handy, I have yet to see a carpet installer not mess up a wall or trim.
Related Questions and Thoughts
Do I need to replace the pad when replacing the carpet is a common question. The would also depend on how worn it is and if there are pet stains or mildew issues. When the carpet supplier comes to measure your house they can check for you. The cost of a new pad may be included in the price or “free” with an install.
You can save money by removing the carpet yourself. Watch out for the tack strips, they can hurt. If the strips are in good condition leave them, they can be reused. Make sure your installer knows you are removing the carpet so they can price the install accordingly.
Carpet installing is not usually a Do-It-Yourself remodeling job. Unless you have prior experience and can get your hands on the right tools I would let the professional do this. The amount of money you save may not be worth the hassle and paying someone to come re-stretch your carpet.
If your carpet isn’t in that bad of shape have a trusted carpet cleaner come and evaluate it. They can tell you what stain they can and can’t get out. Most carpet cleaners I have used can also re-stretch the carpet if needed.
As always consult with your Realtor early on in the process to get your house ready to sell. They should know current trends and what sells and doesn’t. They will know the market and how to advise you as you prepare your house to sell. After all that’s what they get paid for!