Carpet Allowances – The Short Discussion
July 1, 2007 | By Kelley Koehler | Filed Under Home Selling
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.
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- Bye-bye, Home (June 23, 2008)
Today I finished up the last little chores at my old house, gathered up all our spare keys, and took home all the towels and fancy soaps and the candy jar from my home that I’m selling, due to close a bit later this week.
That’s a good house, and it was a little sad [...] - What Is Your Agent Thinking? (February 13, 2009)
Got a blog topic request from a regular reader that starts:
I often wonder what’s going through a realtor’s mind when we look at a house. I have a feeling that every trip, a realtor is having a silent conversation that ends up with a decision "yes, I’d buy this house" or "no, not in a [...] - <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.
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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.