If you're planning on selling you're home, you're probably debating on whether or not you should replace the carpet. Here's how to tell if it's a good idea.

Thinking about putting your home up for sale soon? Before you do, there are a number of home improvement projects that you should consider taking on first.

From putting a fresh coat of paint up on all the walls to remodeling the kitchen, you can do all kinds of things to make your home more appealing to buyers. You can also command a higher price tag when you've made certain improvements to your house.

You might be asking yourself, "Should I replace carpet before selling my home?", after hearing that. And the answer is: "It all depends!"

Here are some questions you should ask prior to deciding whether or not it makes sense to install new carpeting in your home.

How Old Is the Carpeting in Your Home?

The first thing you should think about when you're considering replacing the carpets in your home prior to selling it is the age of your carpets.

Generally speaking, most modern carpeting is only designed to last for between 5 and 15 years. If your home's carpets are older than that, you should try to replace them before selling your house.

You might have older carpets in your home that have been well-maintained that still look great. But the fibers in them could be on the verge of falling apart at any minute because of their age.

Rather than risking a buyer noticing how old your carpets are, you should replace them with newer carpets that look and smell good. By doing new carpet installation, you'll automatically make your home look updated.

Is the Carpeting in Good Condition?

Just because your home's carpets are only a few years old doesn't mean you shouldn't consider replacing them. Your carpets might still be relatively new but be in terrible condition when you examine them further.

Walk around the inside of your home and check out the condition of any carpets that you have in it. You might think the carpets are in great shape, but upon further review, they could have tons of stains set into them and other wear and tear put on them.

This is especially true for those with pets. As any dog or cat owner will tell you, owning a pet can take a huge toll on your carpeting, even if you don't realize it. You should replace carpet in your home if you've had a pet running around inside it for years now.

Is the Carpeting Going to Be a Negative in the Eyes of Buyers?

If the majority of your home has hardwood flooring or another high-end type of flooring in it, buyers might be surprised to see that one of the rooms only has carpet in it. It could deter them from wanting to put an offer in on your home.

If you believe that the carpeting in your home could be seen as negative to buyers for one reason or another, you shouldn't hesitate to replace it. Further, you should consider switching it to some other type of flooring.

You want people to be impressed with every aspect of your home, including whatever flooring you have in it. If they're not going to love what you've done by putting carpeting in a room, they're going to see it as a project they'll have to do on their own later. This could stop them from buying your home.

Is the Carpeting a Nice Neutral Color?

When you're painting the walls in your home right before listing it for sale, most experts will tell you to choose nice neutral colors. The last thing you want is for a buyer to be too distracted by the bright-orange walls in your bathroom to see the value in the space.

The same goes for carpeting. While you might love the bright red carpets in your bedroom, most buyers are likely to cringe when they see them. They're going to wonder why in the world you would install that color carpeting in your home.

You should replace any carpets like this with carpeting that is a nice neutral color. This might be boring to some people, but it's the easiest way to appeal to the largest number of buyers.

Is It Going to Cost a Lot of Money to Replace Carpet?

Many people will choose to replace carpet in their home above taking on other home improvement projects because of how inexpensive it is. It won't cost you an arm and a leg to replace carpeting in most cases.

But if you have carpeting throughout every single room in your home, it could be a different story. Having carpets professionally installed costs somewhere between $3 and $6 per square foot on average these days.

As a result of this, you could pay way more than you planned to improve your home by installing new carpeting throughout it. You would be better off leaving the old carpeting behind and letting a buyer figure out what they want to do with it when they buy your home.

Just make sure you crunch the numbers before discounting the idea of replacing carpeting. Even if it does cost a pretty penny to re-carpet your whole house, it could pay to have it done if it's the only thing that's going to make it difficult to sell your home.

Replace The Carpet and Your Home Could Sell Faster

Most people see the value in replacing their carpets prior to selling their houses.

Run through the questions we've listed here to see if it makes sense for you to replace carpets. Your answers should help you decide if it's going to be the right move for you to make.

Would you like to find out about some of the different types of carpeting you can have installed in your home if you choose to replace it? Browse through the carpet-related articles on our blog to get some great advice.