My opinion (as a layperson, not a real estate professional) is that it depends on your market and neighbourhood, and that you will have to price accordingly. I wouldn't put in cheap carpet because the new buyer may want to refinish the hardwood anyway. When I bought my current home, the gleaming hardwood is what sold me on the place. The greater issue may be trying to sell with a house full of kids and dogs! (I have two dogs, so can relate!)

"Leave the floors and offer a carpet allowance or put in cheap carpet."

Or have the floors refinished.

Get several estimates on refinishing the floors. You will take a huge hit on price even with a carpet allowance. people cannot see past ruined carpet.

I think I would look at having the floors refinished also.

My number one choice would be to refinish the hardwood floors. My number two choice would be to leave the floors as is. I would rather see hardwood floors that I could refinsh than to cover them with carpet that I might tear out.

Paint on floors can be cleaned up with some elbow grease and time depending on what was splattered and how large an area.
You might not have to do a full fledge refinishing job if it's just splattering that needs cleaning up.
We bought a house not so long ago that had splatters on the floor. A plastic bread clip, a few plastic scrubbies and some latex cleaner got most of it off the floor without doing harm to the finish.

I would price cheap carpet and refinishing, and do whichever is less expensive. If you put in carpet, the place will still look nice and you can say "hardwood underneath," which is attractive to many. Most people would expect that any wood underneath would need to be refinished to some degree, so you're not giving them something to dock you on price over.

Don't leave the floors as-is and/or offer a carpet allowance. Just make the fix one way or another. Most non-GW-ers find it hard to look past ugly.

A house that needs significant work is not going to attract as many full price buyers.

It attracts bargain hunters (I know because I do it as a business).

Find a beat up house, negotiate a lower price, then renovate and restore for re-sale.

I'm in the flooring business. I love hardwood floors but refinishing hardwood probably costs double what you'd pay to have cheap but halfway decent carpet put in. Plus refinishing is a mess. And takes more time. I'd put in some carpet right before you're ready to sell and then let them know there's hardwood underneath.

Four dogs. She has four dogs! No way refinished hardwood would last, unscratched, for two days.

No, with 4 dogs, I would not refinish anything.

"Four dogs. She has four dogs! No way refinished hardwood would last, unscratched, for two days."

If you keep the dogs mails trimmed scratching ids not an issue.

The nails are not supposed to touch a hard surface the dog is walking on.

brickeyee, I have two dogs & even with short nails, their play affects the floor. Do you have dogs?

"Do you have dogs?"

Just on e right now, but i had three Labrador retrievers till they died one by one from old age (the last was almost 15 years old).

You teach them not to play in the house and damage things.

Rough play is for outside.

Correct. We have had dogs on our hardwoods for years and nary a scratch. Their nails get trimmed regularly, but the concrete pad in the dog run helps too. But, yes, ours are also taught that rough play is for outside, or the dog park.

I would be more worried about people with sand / dirt on the bottom of their shoes walking on them, long-term. They're h*ll on hardwoods. No shoes in the house. (Although, friends with big dogs have designated 'house shoes' that are clean, keeps those newfs from breaking your toes if they step on them. lol)

OK, now I feel guilty for letting my dogs play indoors. They also play outdoors in our fenced yard, and at our cabin!

And they do sleep a lot... :-)

"Their nails get trimmed regularly, but the concrete pad in the dog run helps too. "

One of the problems with almost every dog ail cutter is that it leaves very sharp edges.

After trimming the nails you need to go over the edges with a nail file to round them.

I bet your concrete is doing the same thing, taking off the sharp edges.

"OK, now I feel guilty for letting my dogs play indoors."

I let them play rough indoors, but only on a rug.

Filings the nails after trimming is really needed.