Replace carpet or not?

rowan222

Briefly our situation is this.

We inherited this house a couple of years ago. Now trying to sell it. Its a 1930's semi detached on a desirable road going out of town. Other similar properties in the area which have been modernised go for £600,000 or above. Ours has not be modernised and needs some work but is structurally solid. So we are listing at £460 because it need some work.

We've had a couple of offers SSTC but have fallen through due to the buyers situation. We've spruced up the paint in the main areas but are reluctant to do much beyond that as most viewers talk about extending and putting their own stamp on it.

But whats really bad is the carpet going up the stairs. It's really worn and I mean really worn through in places to the raw wood on the edge of steps. If someone buys this they will probably replace the carpets anyway. So is it worth us spending the money to re carpet the stairs to make it look better anyway? If it gets up a sale maybe?

Thoughts please

_Penny_Dreadful

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6665367/replace-carpet-or-not

I wouldn't bother. The whole house needs modernising and as I prospective buyer I would expect to replace the carpets.

marcia_

No, if anything I would pull it up so it is bare rather than looking dilapidated

Dustyevsky

Many people go for bare stairs these days. They might be bonkers, but that makes the situation 'normal' if you decide to remove the carpet.

Either way, a tatty carpet isn't going to faze someone seriously considering an extensive refurbishment. It'll be the first thing in the skip!

Grumpy_chap

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6665367/replace-carpet-or-not

You are marketing the house at £140k below market rate to reflect the extent of modernisation required. That pays for a very significant amount of improvement.

In the scheme of that level of work, a new carpet is neither here nor there. Buyer will probably replace all carpets throughout while doing the substantial refurbishment.

If you feel the stairs carpet is too worn and now unsafe, simply lift this carpet and bin it, leaving bare floorboards.

Are you certain the reason for no sale is not connected with reducing the price by too much? It may be so low as to infer uninhabitable property or structural defects and putting people off.

GrubbyGirl_2

Having bought a house 5 years ago that was a doer upper I had it completely renovated. If someone is buying a house that needs doing up trust me they wont be looking at the carpets. Having old carpets down was actually quite useful for the builders because they didn't have to worry about the floor getting dirty as they were simply taken up and out in the skip.

If the house needs modernising there is no point doing much work before sale, the buyer will be looking at structural things and for damp, not decor. I bought my house for £110k less than similar houses in good condition was selling in my area. I spent a total of £130k renovating it so it was pretty much a new house. The estate agent who sold it came to have a look when completed and he didn't recognise the house and valued it for £40k more than my total spend.

If the house is priced right it will sell though the market is very flat at the moment so may not sell quickly

RelievedSheff

Save your money. The new buyers will only rip them out anyway!

Albermarle

Other similar properties in the area which have been modernised go for £600,000 or above. Ours has not be modernised and needs some work but is structurally solid. So we are listing at £460 because it need some work.

Seems a big discount off the price- a buyer could do a lot of work for £140K !

Probably the kind of price a developer would want to pay, as they want to make a nice profit as well. However I would have thought a normal buyer would still be interested if it was listed at £500K +, although it does depend on what exactly needs doing.

theartfullodger

Get 3 different agents round, ask their views on price and if anything worth doing.

I've sold 3.5 houses in last 6 years. Three tatty but worked terraced houses in Scottish Highlands and (with sister) late brothers large semi in Sale, Cheshire, largely untouched since he bought it 1971.

In all cases agents gave views on price and advised not worth doing anything.

unknownuser2u

I’d probably sort the carpet if it’s that worn, especially if it’s showing bare wood on the stairs. Even if people plan to change it, it can still put them off a bit when they first walk in and make the house feel more like a project than it actually is.

You don’t need to spend a lot though. Just something simple and neutral to tidy it up is usually enough. It’s more about removing a distraction than adding value.

From what you’ve said, it sounds like buyers already expect to update things themselves, so I wouldn’t be putting money into anything major. But something small like that can help the place feel more presentable and easier to picture living in.

First impressions count more than people realise, especially on viewings.

rowan222

I take on board all the comments saying dont bother replacing which is where we are leaning (most) of the time.

However….

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81974541#Comment_81974541

I do wonder about first impressions. Initially we got a lot of feedback along the lines of

"great house, great garden but too much work to update"

Even one saying "too dingy for the price"

Yes as noted above there's been little done here since the seventies!

So we picked up quite a lot of paint for free on Facebook Marketplace and did thje enttrance hall and stairs area and that seemed put a stop to that and we got offers. Just a shame they have backed out. So we do wonder about that stairs carpet if we can find some remnants cheap.