Before we sell - new carpets? 'Dress' the house?

[isthesolution]

We are about to get our house valued with the hope of selling and going mortgage free.

House is a large old country cottage in the rural North England. We completely renovated nearly 10 years ago.

It needs paint touch ups, new carpets and generally sprucing up but I'm not sure how far to go. Really it's the upstairs carpets I'm debating - they are quite scruffy but I guess maybe £2000 just to replace them and then whoever buys will probably want to choose their own? But it doesn't look good for viewings if they are scruffy?

Also unsure on 'dressing' the house - we have quite plain walls and we don't have the beds 'dressed' etc. Do you think that will make a difference - is it worth doing?

The house has beautiful views, gardens, a lovely cottage kitchen and rustic reception room. Hubby thinks these selling points are all it needs. Any thoughts?

i wouldn't replace carpet. It's an easy job.

But I would touch up paintwork, declutter, put on nice bedlinen (i've either used stuff I currently own or bought new stuff for this purpose), made sure I had flowers or decent looking plants around. I also usually upgrade my toiletries for the time I'm selling (yes, I'm the cliche with the aesop at the sink).

All the properties I've dressed like this have sold really fast for more than the EA thought. I'm taking it as a positive that people like my style!

None of this costs much (or if it does e.g towels/ bedlinen you get to keep it!) but can make a big visual impact.

This is what ours did. We had had a huge carpet laid through insurance after it had been damaged. It had been down 2 months & the buyers came to measure up for their new carpets one day. Such a waste & I didn’t even pay for them!

Doing everything you can to make the house look lovely might not get you more money but in my experience it gets you sold quicker.

The first thing we do before we move furniture into a house we've bought is put all the carpets in a skip as we have children with asthma. Plus I don't like how they look.

I'd get them professionally cleaned instead and save the money. Many will want wood or laminate instead. Painting dirty walls a neutral colour is usually a good idea though.

Can you post a picture of room with worst one ? Personally I would replace, it will help the house feel well cared for.

Tbh I hate paying a premium for other peoples taste, so I'd always actually prefer (and have always bought) houses that need a makeover (or even full Reno).

I think most people want

Opps...

Most people want to put their own stamp of a new home so personally I think such "staging" activities are a waste of money.

What I do think is important is that the house is clean and tidy.

Don't go made de-cluttering (it needs to feel like a family home) but make sure you are showing the rooms to their full potential - so clear up that bedroom that's a dumping ground for example, make sure kitchen counters are relatively clear, windows are clean and views maximised.

Thanks everyone. Estate agent said don't bother with carpets.

He agreed with a lot of you - in a lower valued house it makes a difference but in a higher valued house he'd expect people to change the carpets anyway.

I'm still v embarrassed by the fake tan on the floor but he said 'that's nothing - believe me but put a rug over it if it's going to bother you but your house needs nothing doing to market'

I'll still be doing the touch ups and dressing the beds and some of the homely touches you guys have suggested though. Thanks.

Ah OP, I can see that you've updated - but what your EA said is exactly what we did.

We massively decluttered, put nice bed linen on and we painted everywhere white apart from the two bedrooms. The walls were due to be painted so were a bit grimy in places and a fresh coat of paint completely transformed the appearance.

My DD rubbed slime into their carpet and I've never been able to get it out so a cheap rug covered the crime. I'm 100% certain the buyers will want to replace the carpets anyway as they're about 15 years old!! So it was just to make it look acceptable for the sale - and make me feel less embarrassed!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

We sold in less than a week. Second person to view it. The house needs a new kitchen and bathroom, and new carpets, but the fresh paint, the decluttering and the nice presentation meant that it didn't look as knackered as it probably is!! 😅

Have the carpets professionally cleaned
Have a good tidy up and budget say £250 in Dunelm on some mirrors, pictures, inexpensive bedding and aspirational country style accessories to fill a few blank walls or add a splash of colour in the main rooms. Much better use of money. It won't put off anyone practical but it some people really can't see past first impressions, and they might see a tired house needing a lot of work.

A friend bought an executor sale house that had new carpets, new laminate and a quick paint job done.
All pale grey.
The pale grey walls have been repainted within 2 months, the carpet has to stay as they can't afford to change it and it's ok.
But the ghastly grey laminate they would love to chuck but they can't afford to so are stuck with it for a while.

I would say keep garden tidy and not overgrown -or they think it is a lot of work to manage.

No don't bother, if the carpets are ugly and dared toh could even pull them up so people can see what the floor boards look like. I preferred to see painted floorboards than new grey (always bloody grey!) carpets.