Carpet upstairs before going on market or not?

[PansyPink]

Had two valuations today, have a 3rd next weekend (house currently empty after relocation, we live hours away).

Big difference between the 2 valuations and the higher EA said that carpeting upstairs (currently reasonable quality oak-look laminate; nothing fantastic but nothing offensive either) would increase the value by about 10k. The lower quoting EA said don't bother.

Don't mind spending money on carpeting if the first EA is right, but it's an absolute nightmare trying to get work done from afar and all the while we are haemorrhaging money whilst the house is stood empty, so would only do it if it really would make a big difference.

House has a 200ft garden and DH thinks this will be the deal-breaker for potential buyers (people would either love that much garden, like we did, or wouldn't want the upkeep and would run a mile) rather than upstairs carpets being a deciding feature. I'm not sure, can kind of see that carpets in bedrooms might make an empty house seem more cosy.

Thoughts?

I wouldn't. It would be useful if you could stage it a little though. Maybe a double bed and a rug? But it wouldn't put me off

I’m a carpet lover but it wouldn’t sway me. I’d be more than happy to choose my own new carpet.

I'm house hunting at the moment, viewed lots of properties and the flooring really doesn't put me off, even stained carpets, saw one with singes all over and that wasn't the reason we didn't go for it. In fact, I am much more put off by the empty properties with brand new cheap grey carpet in every single room. I don't want cheap grey carpet (it's always grey!) I don't want carpet in every room, I want to choose myself and I don't want to rip out brand new carpet because that would feel so wasteful. The only flooring that does make me want to pay more is real wood floor.

Well in this house you would have to rip out the laminate. So cheap carpets or cheap laminate - it’s still going to be ripped out by discerning buyers.

I'd like the laminate. If there was carpet I would be ripping it out and putting laminate down so it would be a huge waste of money for you and the buyer if they want laminate upstairs!

@user686827

I'm house hunting at the moment, viewed lots of properties and the flooring really doesn't put me off, even stained carpets, saw one with singes all over and that wasn't the reason we didn't go for it. In fact, I am much more put off by the empty properties with brand new cheap grey carpet in every single room. I don't want cheap grey carpet (it's always grey!) I don't want carpet in every room, I want to choose myself and I don't want to rip out brand new carpet because that would feel so wasteful. The only flooring that does make me want to pay more is real wood floor.

@user686827: it IS always grey... don't sellers realise that grey is so 2017..

New carpet would make it more appealing .
I’m not convinced it would increase the price

I wouldn't bother. For me it's not a problem viewing a property with slightly tired flooding that I could live with for a bit then replace when i get round to redecorating, a far bigger issue and a deal breaker for me is seeing brand new flooring (99.9% of the time grey carpet, as others have said above
always grey! 😂) and thinking I'd be paying more for something brand new that I didn't like and would feel bad for getting rid of.

At least grey carpet is better than the cream carpet that used to be ubiquitous. Now that was a complete pain in the arse.

A £10k difference for spending a few hundred on carpets? I would want a cast iron guarantee tbh, seems rather a lot?