How bad does it look? Is it clean and fairly neutral? Or, is it mauve, green, navy blue and/or worn? It is continuous throughout the house? Would cleaning it help?

Yes, we plan to clean the carpeting in every room.

The familyroom carpeting is dark green - Karastan - in pretty good shape, but green!

The carpeting in the two smaller bedrooms is a light taupe, not threadbare, but it was cheap to begin with (it is the only original carpeting left in the house -- we never got around to replacing it because we barely use those rooms -- no kids.) Last night I took a wire brush to see if I could pull up the nap a bit on it and it helped but no one could ever call it pretty.

The rest of the carpeting is also Karastan -- lovely, pale, palomino color, barely worn because we have always been careful to not wear shoes on it. I personally think it still looks beautiful. Second realtor did too, but the first one thought we should just replace everything so it would all match.

Thanks.

Kit

The matching if for house-flow. It will make the house seem larger, more cohesive, to flow-better, etc., etc. Some people love that, some people want each room to be room specific and don't care about "flow".

Do you have any pictures? The light taupe, regardless of how cheap, probably will not bother anyone especially if it is clean and not worn. Is the palomino a gold or a white, or a true combo? The green.... ummm.

As long as it is clean and doesn't look worn out I wouldn't replace it. You never know what someone will do when they get the place. A"turn off" to me would be odor, stains, wild colors, and traffic pattern but if it is decent; leave it!

IMHO, I think it depends on who would be the target market for your house.

If your house would be considered a "starter" price range, then most first-time buyers probably want new, since they probably don't have extra to redo the carpet after closing. They might not have the ability to see past the older carpets even with a credit.

If your aren't in a starter price range, I would probably do a credit at close or something like that.

Personally when I was a first-timer, I wanted everything sparkly and new. I couldn't really see past outdated stuff to see how the house would look with updates.

Now that I have bought/sold many houses, I would rather take a credit or a lower price on the house and choose my own flooring.

Good luck either way!

What homes are selling in your area? In my area only bargain priced homes are selling. Well staged up to date homes are sitting while bargains are selling quickly. So if you were in my area, I'd say make the home clean and presentable, declutter, fresh paint is cheap, and leave the carpet as is, pricing the home accordingly. However, if homes are moving in your area, you'll need to compete with the homes that are selling and you may want to give a carpet allowance as an incentive. Either way, I don't think I'd replace the carpet, just price accordingly or give a carpet allowance.

Leave it. I would be buying the new roof etc. And you say your 30,000 lower than any other home in the neighborhood? I think the leave realtor is right, there will be people who want that neighborhood but can't get in at 300,000 that will take a sound mechanically updated house and worry about carpet later.

I'd go with Realtor #2. I'd ignore the worn cappeting and only reduce the price or offer a carpeting allowance as a bargaining tool. I'm not saying elevate your price, but don't even mention the carpeting unless it comes up in an offer.

Thanks so much for all of your responses so far. You are all making me feel better.

xamsx, the majority of the carpet is similar to this Karastan: http://www.karastan.com/carpet_detail_info.asp?carpetID=4548

twotogo: no odors (again, we will clean it thoroughly anyway), but one of the little rooms with the light taupe has a small stain or two that were there when we bought the house -- I think it is a couple of drips of stain from when the original owners stained the woodwork in that room.) I couldn't get the stains out with scrubbing but it didn't bother us, because the bedskirt covers the area.

teelag, we have an unusual neighborhood -- houses are semi-custom and all different. Most young first buyers buy farther away to get more house but they endure long commutes (and the traffic here has horrible over the past 20 years). I'd say that 60 - 75% of the buyers are 40+ and all have been prior homeowners. Nice mix of people -- middle managers, small business owners, teachers, contractors, engineers, retirees, accountants. Most people stay for years and many on our street have put serious dollars into additions because they hope to be here forever. Our smaller (1800+ SF home, while not the least expensive in the neighborhood is definitely in the bottom 25%. Within the first weeks after newcomers move in, we usually see all sorts of items from their homes out by the curb -- like old carpeting, appliances, cupboards, etc.

cordovamom, you're right -- only bargains are selling -- that was why the second realtor seemed excited to get my home on the market. Our neighborhood is desirable and nothing is available under $300,000. Houses over $300,000 are taking big hits to get sold, but the ones that were priced under $300,000 since last fall have all sold.

Thanks all. I really do feel more confident now in showing the house with the old carpeting and will remain prepared to lower the price a bit in negotiations. I just didn't want anyone to be immediately turned off.

Kit, that carpet seems quite neutral. If you get horrible feedback on the dark green, change it at that point.

kit, don't replace the carpet. The house I bought had put in brand new carpeting and I immediately ripped it out to put in hardwood floors. They had put in a new vanity in the main bathroom and I ripped it out to combine two little bathrooms and a closet into one big bathroom.

They could have saved their money and I would have still bought the house in a second because of the location. Well, at least they didn't put granite in the kitchen since I ripped out the kitchen, too :-)

Joanna

If the dark green is going to be in photos, I would replace it and not touch the others. Is there a wood floor under? Would it be cheaper to refinish it, or if it's in decent shape, throw some wax on it and be done.

Our carpet in the dining room & hall could use to be replaced but we didn't because it is still decent & neutral. What I did was offered a decorating incentive, so they could use it on that or what ever. I did buy a shampooer and shampoo the carpets as needed

I also think you should check out my post below & interview one or 2 more agents to see what they say.

Also, don't waste time to get it listed. Where I am the spring season is almost over if it goes like it did last year. We listed the end of May, the buyers had already bought. Make sure you ask if they have enhanced listings on realtor.com and what they are going to do to market your home. Marketing is very important in this market.

Here is a link that might be useful: Agent Interview Questions for sellers

Karastan is a famous name. I wouldn't put it in the listing, but maybe on an information sheet, I'd point out that it's durable carpet.

And I'd be hyping that new roof, and the price.

I wouldn't wait, and wouldn't replace carpet, not just to be able to put the word "new" in front of the carpet.

I agree. Don't replace the carpet. Have it professionally cleaned & call it a day. Last year, some people got sales by doing light remodeling & staging. That seems to have stopped & price is driving the market today. You need as much room as possible to negotiate on price.

/tricia

I would clean the carpet and offer a flooring allowance if necessary. I am allergic to carpet and to me it is irrelevant how old the carpet is because it has to be removed.
I would much rather see clean carpet than dirty carpet regardless of the age of the flooring.

Another vote to NOT replace the carpet. WHen I moved into my current house, there was wall-to-wall beige carpet. I promptly tore it all out.

I also agree that things like the roof, etc. are more important.

I wouldn't replace it if it's clean.

My mother just sold her townhouse and the realtor suggested she replace the carpet throughout. She didn't, and the house ended up selling to a couple who own three very large Saint Bernard dogs. I doubt new carpet would have been a selling point for them.

Thanks again for all comments/suggestions. You have convinced us that we should just go ahead with a thorough carpet cleaning and wait to hear from buyers. We agree that keeping the price low is most important. I'll post back and let you know what feedback we get from potential buyers -- we won't have the house on the market for at least two more weeks. Thanks again.

Definitely don't replace it if it's still in great shape. You're keeping the price low and that's what really matters. People might pass on your house if your carpet was stained/smelly/threadbare but it's doubtful they'll pass just because they don't like the dark green if the price is right, and from what you said, your house will be a bargain.

Good luck!!!

Have you thought about offering an allowance/credit for new carpeting? A home in our neighborhood has new cabinets, granite, new bathrooms etc... (built in the 80's) but is offering $4000 cash for new carpet/flooring. It may not cover all of it but it certainly is an incentive to see past outdated/warn carpet.