Should You Replace The Carpet When Selling a House

Written by Posted On Friday, 14 October 2016 03:57

Carpet cleaning or replacement?

When on the verge of selling or letting out your property, did you wonder if you should replace your carpets or leave them as they are? You probably did. Have you considered carpet cleaning instead of replacing them? It is way easier to handle, yet there are still pieces that simply cannot be revived and should be replaced, whether you like it or not.

Few Things to Consider:

Before going deeper, there two things you really need to consider:

1) Your carpet must be in neutral color. For example, beige is a neutral color. If your carpet is too dark, white, blue, or green it can reduce the value of your house, as these color are more personalized and may not suit the taste of the most buyers.

2) If you have successfully completed part 1, then have your carpets professionally cleaned before you consider your home for sale. There are two main methods of carpet cleaning – hot water extraction (known as steam cleaning) and dry compound cleaning.

Carpet cleaning methods:

  • The hot water extraction method uses pressurized water which is ejected into the carpet fibers. Nearly all the moisture along with the dirt is extracted afterwards, leaving your carpets clean, fresh and just slightly wet. They will need 4-6 hours to be fully dry. 
  • The dry cleaning can be performed using powder, solvents or foam. Regardless of the solution, it is first rubbed, then left for a couple of minutes and then vacuumed. This method is suitable for carpets or rugs made from delicate fibers where the hot water extraction method would be too aggressive.

 

Some interesting facts:

1) Carpets and paint are the first things a potential buyer notices when he enters the property.

2) Carpet represents one of the cheapest ways you can increase the value of your home.

3) If your property is in top condition, but your carpet is stained or worn out, or simply in non-neutral color, the majority of home seekers will flag the house with “It needs some improvement”.

A bad carpet can destroy all of your previous efforts like a remodeled kitchen, installing a new water heater, and so on.

4) The majority of buyers will choose a house with a new paint and new carpet rather than to buy a house in which they can not move right away. You should give them the complete look if you want to sell or rent your property faster.

Don't get me wrong, you can still sell your house even with a bad carpet scraping paint, but it will reduce its value significantly. Do you want that? I thought so.

 

And here are some myths:

Buyers will put their own carpet that fits their style anyway.

While this can be true, it is more likely to happen when the house is underpriced. Every additional work that should be done on the property is an argument for the buyers to opt for a discount.

Actually, the buyers simply want to enter the house and not think about the carpet – this means the actual flooring works for them. Then, you can focus their attention on other things, that otherwise will be left outside of the spotlight because of your messed up carpets. Things like: performed upgrades, property layout, and surrounding neighborhood.

I will sell this house “as-is” no matter what

Yes, you probably could but this applies only when your house is priced under its market value. Take this as a rule of thumb, buyers will always want a discount if they know they have to do some additional work. Not only that, these fixes will cost them time, that is sometimes even more valuable than money.

If you are still thinking whether to replace your carpet or sell it as it is, eliminate your second choice. Your least effort is to clean it thoroughly or get it professionally cleaned. Replacing your carpet will result in a better resale value of your house.

Final words

Why let a buyer to ask for a discount off the final price, when you can make some efforts in dealing with the final touches, such as:

  • Light fixtures
  • Paint
  • Carpets
  • Outlets and switches
  • Faucets

That said, now go deep clean your carpet or go for a replacement one if it is already too late. One with a neutral color!

Article brought to you by Andrew Rutherford, part of Go Cleaners - a company based in London, provider of regular domestic, one-off, and professional carpet cleaning. Stay tuned for more cleaning tips and boosting home value articles.

Rate this item
(1 Vote)

Agent Resource

Limited time offer - 50% off - click here

Realty Times

From buying and selling advice for consumers to money-making tips for Agents, our content, updated daily, has made Realty Times® a must-read, and see, for anyone involved in Real Estate.