Carpet Allowances - The Short Discussion
July 1, 2007
Question: The carpet is _______ (gross, stained, dirty, ripped, smelly, non-existent): Should I offer a carpet allowance when I sell my home?
Answer: No. Replace the carpets.
Buyers almost always overestimate the cost of replacing the flooring. Have it replaced yourself before you put the house on the market. Yes, it’s a hassle, especially if you still live there. Do it anyway. Trust me on this one, I work with people buying and selling real estate here in Tucson every day. Oh, and replace it with something simple and neutral. My buddy Andy over at Castle Flooring has a series he calls “Realtor Beige.” A smart man, that Andy.
Other Information That Might Be Helpful
- <SomeItem> is Broken/Old/Worn/Ugly/Stained. Should I Fix It Before I Sell My Home? (June 30, 2009)
Yes.
I know it isn’t fun.
No, we’re not going to offer an allowance instead. Trust me. I’m looking out for your best interests.
Let me know if you need help finding people to help you. I know all kinds of helpful folk. - Don’t Depend On The MLS Comments (November 1, 2007)
”Seller will give a $2000 flooring allowance at close of escrow.”
…but only if you buy it for full price.“Roof will be placed prior to closing.”
…but not if you buy it at the ‘as is’ price.“All fogged windows will be corrected before closing.”
…and by that, we mean we’ll give you money and you can go fix [...] - What Should I Do To Improve the Value of My Home? (September 25, 2007)
I get asked this quite frequently. Friends and clients want to know what improvements they can make that will add value to their home.
There’s 5 big areas:Kitchens
Bathrooms
Flooring
Landscape
Structural Changes and ImprovementsIf you’ve watched any show on HGTV, you know that kitchens and baths sell homes. It’s difficult to go wrong by improving either of those [...]
- Top Ten Things to Know about Tucson Real Estate - Escrow Closings (June 29, 2008)
Number 8 - Escrow Closings
While in many states, all parties and their lawyers come together at a closing table to work out final details, sign documents, and transfer keys, this isn’t the case in Tucson and in Arizona at large.
Arizona is an escrow state. We take all of the house sale documents, all of the [...] - Checking Your Agent’s Official Record (May 19, 2008)
I think it’s always important to know who you’re dealing with, especially when you’re making the kind of big decisions that go along with buying and selling and renting real estate.
I was trying to help some of my clients out the other day - they’re investigating renting their home, but my company doesn’t deal in [...]
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Agreed. Completely. The seller will almost always save by getting new carpet installed vs. offering an allowance.
Nice talking to you the other day BTW…
We had a little office poll about 2 years ago, asking agents if the allowance or just replacing it was better, in their experience. Replacement was the way to go, overwhelmingly. Some buyers just can’t see past bad carpet, allowance or no.