Is it worth fitting new floor to sell house?

andromedean

Basically, I have a house in a desirable area of the country, so I think it would sell easily at the right price. However it probably needs some work on decorations, particularly the carpet which the dog tore when he was a pup, and it's dirty and in quite a state anyway. Would it be worth fitting a carpet which the buyers might not like or just knock some money off the price so they can do it themselves?

The carpet goes all the way up to the landing and downstairs loo, so all of it would have to be changed. Of course there is a chance the dog could be sick on it, and he will certainly bring mud in, so it's not ideal.

The other option is to fit hard laminate or wood which is noisy and I hate, or vinyl, perhaps the same beige mottled stuff that's in the kitchen? I hear that laminate is becoming less popular now and carpets are coming back in vogue. Not sure about vinyl, which is perhaps the best option.

If I do sell it would probably be a young family or buy to let landlord who would purchase.

Detroit

Depends on the expectations in your area. A lot of people, particularly estate agents advise against cosmetic improvements when selling, but in my area unless a place has a show home type look, it tends to stick around a lot longer.

Go on to right move and see what the interiors look like of the houses that go most quickly and for the best price in your area. This will give you an idea of what people want.

If you're aiming at FTB or people on limited funds, the expectations can often be higher as they may not have the money to decorate and add new flooring. Reducing the purchase price may not be that helpful to them as while this means less mortgage, it doesn't give ready cash.

If you do decide to replace floors, go and visit some show homes the same sort of size and price as your house, and go with the same look.

Davesnave

It would be great if you told us what amount of carpet we're talking about in m2 and what sort of property.

However, if you're going to freshen-up the rest of the place with a re-paint, it makes sense to replace the carpet as well with something modestly priced and plain. Yes, the buyers may want to replace it in a year or two, but having just moved-in, they may have other priorities.

Doing cosmetic work doesn't usually achieve a higher price, but if it makes the property look better on the internet, you'll get more viewers, so it will probably help you sell more quickly.

AnotherJoe

As youve described it I'd carpet with something fairly cheap (but decent looking).
Reason being, lets say you spend £2k. Nothing for buyers to complain about when they see the carpet.

Otherwise buyer sees shoddy carpet, which leaves a poor overall impression (they might wonder what else has been missed) and also they think "that will cost us £5k" and will want £5k off the price.

Jimmy_Neutron

As Detroit (good name) says look on Rightmove but more at the houses which have been developed for a fast sale as they are doing the bare minimum to attract a sale. Grab a copy of the photos you like and show them to your local carpet showroom who will advise you.

Also think about giving the place a lick of paint and declutter.

martinthebandit

Jimmy_Neutron wrote: »

As Detroit (good name) says look on Rightmove but more at the houses which have been developed for a fast sale as they are doing the bare minimum to attract a sale. Grab a copy of the photos you like and show them to your local carpet showroom who will advise you.

Also think about giving the place a lick of paint and declutter.

This ^ seems the right answer but you may also want to have a think about the dog as well..........

katejo

andromedean wrote: »

Basically, I have a house in a desirable area of the country, so I think it would sell easily at the right price. However it probably needs some work on decorations, particularly the carpet which the dog tore when he was a pup, and it's dirty and in quite a state anyway. Would it be worth fitting a carpet which the buyers might not like or just knock some money off the price so they can do it themselves?

The carpet goes all the way up to the landing and downstairs loo, so all of it would have to be changed. Of course there is a chance the dog could be sick on it, and he will certainly bring mud in, so it's not ideal.

The other option is to fit hard laminate or wood which is noisy and I hate, or vinyl, perhaps the same beige mottled stuff that's in the kitchen? I hear that laminate is becoming less popular now and carpets are coming back in vogue. Not sure about vinyl, which is perhaps the best option.

If I do sell it would probably be a young family or buy to let landlord who would purchase.

If I were buying from you, I'd rather you left it as it is. I'd then have a choice myself. If you had laid cheap carpet or laminate, it would put me off. I'd feel that I couldn't justify ripping it up straight away but I wouldn't like it.

Why not just pay for it to be professionally cleaned before you advertise? I am not selling now but i am about to get a quote for my hall/stairs/landing.

melstar11

Change the carpet - you don't have to spend a lot, just go for something suitable for the area in.a neutral colour. It's just that kind of thing that looks scruffy and not looked after which makes prospective buyers look for other potential maintenance issues and start knocking money off the purchase price.

AnotherJoe

katejo wrote: »

If I were buying from you, I'd rather you left it as it is. I'd then have a choice myself. If you had laid cheap carpet or laminate, it would put me off. I'd feel that I couldn't justify ripping it up straight away but I wouldn't like it.

But would you knock money off for the old carpets? Whereas now feeling you couldnt?

If so thats achieved the aim for the seller. And for you you can move in and focus on other things first, carpets/flooring last thing you should do when decorating.

Hedgehog99

I moved this year and didn't replace the carpet in the property I sold. It was old, but neutral and functional enough to be used by new owner until if/when replaced. I didn't know whether I'd be selling to a landlord or resident - figured it was tax-deductible for former & personal preference for the latter.

If you do decide to go for vinyl, I've been very pleased with the wood-effect vinyls in my new property - very realistic & there's a good choice ranging from smart-looking to "industrial-effect" and it's easy-clean for a family / dog-owning household.

I wouldn't want to buy somewhere that had had cheap carpets done just to sell. Like katejo I would feel I had paid for something I didn't want.

By the time you move out, the new carpets would have your furniture marks (& dog vomit!), and the removals men & viewers traipsing over & over. I'd rather make do with your old one & get new myself when I'm ready.

exiled_red

Where is the rip/tear? Is it in a position that you could put an area rug over the rip?

When you say dirty and in a state what do you mean? would hiring a carpet cleaner and cleaning it make a significant difference?

These two combined could save you a decent amount of money if they would work, you should still tell the potential buyers that the carpet is damaged and should be replaced but in them not seeing the damage as soon as they walk in means that they are not put off by it. I would assume most people would probably want to replace carpets or change them to their own taste particularly if they are old. If you replace them I doubt you would get the price you pay for them in an increase in value from a buyer unless the situation is really putting people off the house at the moment.