House buying question

[kris356]

We are putting our house on the market next month, finally. We have already moved and we removed the carpeting in the upstairs because it was old and terrible. There is also carpeting in the finished attic, but that is staying.

The living room & dining room is old original hardwoods around the edges with plywood in the middle where an area rug would go. The entrance way is laminate and the kitchen is tile. The stairs are painted and would not be carpeted because I spent weeks removing all the staples from them after we removed the 60 year old carpeting. FWIW, the house is almost 100 year old four-square.


So, if we reinstall it will be cheap and neutral. Would you rather have cheap neutral carpet OR be giving a check at closing towards flooring?

[knx9211]

I'd rather have the check.

This reminds me that I ripped up the carpet in our old house and put in nice new carpet... the person that bought it said she planned to rip it all up and put in hardwood. I was displeased.

[kris356]

Mar 18, 2016 8:49:05 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

I'd rather have the check.

This reminds me that I ripped up the carpet in our old house and put in nice new carpet... the person that bought it said she planned to rip it all up and put in hardwood. I was displeased.

This is what I am afraid of, that it will be money wasted.

This is what I want to do, the husband is not totally on board.

[knx9211]

Mar 18, 2016 8:51:52 GMT -5 kris356 said:

Mar 18, 2016 8:49:05 GMT -5 knx9211 said:

I'd rather have the check.

This reminds me that I ripped up the carpet in our old house and put in nice new carpet... the person that bought it said she planned to rip it all up and put in hardwood. I was displeased.

This is what I am afraid of, that it will be money wasted.

This is what I want to do, the husband is not totally on board.

I'd change it out only if I thought it was so bad that it could deter someone from making an offer.

[isabel]

Have you talked to a realtor? I'd get their opinion. How's the market in your area?

[papie]

Plywood in the middle? That is so weird.  I refuse to have an area rug in the dining room.  I likely would not buy your house just based on that, but maybe other people would.  We just didn't consider any house that needed immediate work other than painting/removing wallpaper.  

Is that typical in your area? I would speak to a real estate agent and see what they say about getting it ready for sale.  

[TR]

Could you offer the option to buyers? Either you'll put in carpet before closing or give them a check?

[agnes]

I would rather have a check. But H and I are the type of buyers who can look past the ugly now for the pretty later.

[thatgirl2478]

I'd rather have a check. That way I can decide what I want throughout.

[sacattack]

So what is there now if you pulled the carpet? Plywood sub floor? Could you just do a quick paint job - I'm guessing it would  be cheap and make it look a bit more finished?

[kris356]

As for the market, it is a starter house, but it has a brand new kitchen and a brand new bathroom. The flooring is just something we never got to. We weren't planning on moving but a house came up in our desired location with acreage and we bought. We were actually in the middle of the kitchen remodel at the time and the bathroom was just completed. Some are plywood and some of floorboards.

The house has a ton of positives: new roof, windows, boiler, hot water tank, kitchen, and bath. Average schools district, not the best in the county but far from the worst. But it is super convenient to the city without the city taxes.

I have also considered giving an option.

Oh, and as for the plywood centers I didn't know about them until I moved in, but we have area rugs in both rooms anyway. With 12' ceilings and open space you need rugs. The homeowner had to be at the house whenever it was shown, but it was cheap and I could afford it. And I love old houses.

[kris356]

Mar 18, 2016 9:25:32 GMT -5 papie said:

Plywood in the middle? That is so weird.  I refuse to have an area rug in the dining room.  I likely would not buy your house just based on that, but maybe other people would.  We just didn't consider any house that needed immediate work other than painting/removing wallpaper.  

Is that typical in your area? I would speak to a real estate agent and see what they say about getting it ready for sale.  

Old and needs updated. Most houses are owned by olds who haven't done anything in 50 years. There is a lot of younger families moving in and the city neighborhoods surrounding it are pricing people out. I think at least 4 of the last houses that sold were all estates.

[Tacocat]

I'd prefer the check. We have tons of carpeting in our current house and I hate it. I'd much rather pick out the flooring I want.

[tulip]

Offer the check. TBH I'd replace the carpet with hardwood anyways so a check towards that would be a motivator to purchase.

[05heel]

I sold my house about 6 months ago, and I was advised against offering a check or allowance. I just put in new, neutral carpet and set my price accordingly. The realtors told me that in their experience, offering the check or allowance just left room for unwelcome price negotiations or further nitpicking at inspection. I was selling a townhome though, and townhome buyers are not known for their willingness to do a bunch of renovations or repairs upon moving in. And the market was full of new construction townhomes, so I needed to compete for those same types of buyers.

Your situation may differ, but I sold my house in less than a day.

[adhdfashion]

I would put in new carpet. I don't think it would show as well with the floor all messed up.

[cabbagecabbage]

I think a starter house would call for new, inexpensive carpet. When we bought young, we didn't have the resources to update quickly. Everything had to be done slowly and we needed a liveable home on move in day. I think many people are like this. I'd ask your listing agent though and trust their opinion.

[panicfoot]

Check. Cheap carpeting is the worst. I'd rather put that money toward something quality.

[FastHands]

We have a similar position with our floors -- we have old carpet and linoleum that pretty much all needs to be replaced. I don't see the point in replacing it with something that the buyer may not prefer, so we will do cash or whatever. Let them dream and do whatever they want.

[Gato]

I despise carpet so I would rather be given a check towards redoing the hardwoods.  I probably would not consider a house that had been newly re-carpeted because it would be such a waste to have to take it out.

I do love foursquares with a passion though!  Good luck - hope it sells quickly!

[DotAndBuzz]

Put in cheap carpet and advertise "brand new carpet." It will make it look nice, and SO many people can't see past the "pretty" factor (thanks HGTV). If they want to rip it up, that's on them, and it's not a waste of money if it helps your house sell quickly.

[muffin0]

Mar 18, 2016 12:05:44 GMT -5 05heel said:

I sold my house about 6 months ago, and I was advised against offering a check or allowance. I just put in new, neutral carpet and set my price accordingly. The realtors told me that in their experience, offering the check or allowance just left room for unwelcome price negotiations or further nitpicking at inspection. I was selling a townhome though, and townhome buyers are not known for their willingness to do a bunch of renovations or repairs upon moving in. And the market was full of new construction townhomes, so I needed to compete for those same types of buyers.

Your situation may differ, but I sold my house in less than a day.

This is what we were just told last week when we asked

[ginap]

I'd rather have the check.

[FastHands]

Mar 18, 2016 12:05:44 GMT -5 05heel said:

I sold my house about 6 months ago, and I was advised against offering a check or allowance. I just put in new, neutral carpet and set my price accordingly. The realtors told me that in their experience, offering the check or allowance just left room for unwelcome price negotiations or further nitpicking at inspection. I was selling a townhome though, and townhome buyers are not known for their willingness to do a bunch of renovations or repairs upon moving in. And the market was full of new construction townhomes, so I needed to compete for those same types of buyers.

Your situation may differ, but I sold my house in less than a day.

Yeah, I will say that you should talk to a realtor, OP. I had a friend in a townhouse who had the exact experience as 05heel, but our realtor said that in our particular neighborhood and price point, people tend to be pickiest about the flooring and she has found that they plan to rip everything out anyway, so giving them some money toward that is a huge selling point. I think at lower and higher price points, and older and newer homes, this is very much NOT the case. My neighborhood is old enough that everything is falling apart, but too new for that to be charming, lol.

[polarbearfans]

I would rather a check. I hate the carpet that was put in our house to sell it. It's new so not a high priority to replace. I also hate the "wood" floor they put in.

[penguingrrl]

New carpet is a huge turnoff to me. I can't live with carpet anywhere in my house (due to asthma and allergies) so it would be getting ripped out regardless and having to waste brand new carpeting would bug me from an environmental standpoint.

[kris356]

Thanks everyone. We will definitely talk to our agent before making a decision.

New hardwoods in the living room dining room isn't go to happen. It is a huge connected area, like half the house. So the best it gets is cheap area rugs, we have been told it was super common for the age and neighborhood. Plus, at the price point, hardwood would not be expected.

The upstairs is just two bedrooms and the hall. The third bedroom has vinyl tile that looks like wood. I just hate to spend the money to have it on the curb

[youhadmycuriosity]

When we bought our last house, we were able to put in the best offer in a multiple offer situation because, while the house was in great condition, the carpets were dirty and old. We were of the mindset that we'd rather pay a little less and do the work ourselves. It seems that others are of a different mindset, and we're scared off by the work.

I think I would consider the house overall and make your decision based on whether the flooring is THE ONE NEGATIVE and you are selling at a premium price- in that case, I would put in something cheap, but looks nice and new. If the home is in average condition, and would appeal to a home buyer like us that wants something with great bones but isn't scared of doing a little work, I'm leave it and offer the credit.