If the carpet and paint look worn, faded or out of style, then by all means make the changes. The thing to keep in mind though is that you will not recoup the monies on these changes.

These changes are being done for the primary purpose of making your home more marketable and to help with that all important first impression.

You should put in new neutral carpet with upgraded padding and paint anything that a choosy buyer would say is less than perfect. You are in a beauty contest and you want your house to be the winner. The winners get more money and sell quicker. Professional quality wide angle photography and lots of high quality pre-approved buyer showings is the best way to show off your best features.

I vote "YES." Paint & carpet, while probably the most inexpensive types of repair/remodeling projects that you can perform, make a dramatic impact and good first-time impression with prospective home buyers. If you also happen to have pets and children (like I do), then I am certain that both the floors and the walls have taken a beating and are ready for a facelift.

Painting: If a property needs substantial work, and will even be viewed as only a tear down, painting can still be a wise choice. Paint is inexpensive, particularly if you can do the painting yourself. Even in a property that needs everything.....new kitchen, bath, etc. painting can present the home in a way that it appears fresh and clean. Even and fresh paint will make the rooms seem larger, clean and bright. In a home that is in very good condition, reapaint and touch up any rooms on an as needed basis. I can't Rah-Rah enough for paint being a good choice.

Carpet replacement is a tough call on a forum. Without seeing the property, and knowing the neighborhood, it becomes difficult to tell. In some areas, the trend may be leaning toward hardwood floors, tile, or a different type of carpet than you choose. If, however, there is one particular trend that dominates in your market, following that trend may be the right decision. i.e. Berber carpet in a neutral tan or cream is represented in most homes in your area.

The other factor to weigh on the carpet decision is what is the condiditon of the rest of the home? If a buyer may likely rip out a wall and reconfigure some rooms, it does not make sense to put in carpet.

The steam cleaning suggestion is a good one.

Sight unseen on a forum, here's the bottom line suggestion:

There would need to be compelling reasons not to paint, as paint is a good thing in more cases than not. There would need to be compelling to put carpet in, as it can be costly and may justify the action.

In the case of both paint and carpet, you may not recoup the investment by a higher sale price, but the presentation of the home may secure you a sales contract, and sooner versus later.

Katrina....I would say yes. Having fresh paint and new carpet always makes the home fresher. If you are working with a Realtor I would consult them for another opinion. Good luck and happy house selling.

Hi Karina,

If you're working with a Realtor, they should be able to give direction with that. If you don't have a Realtor, I'd be happy to stop by and let you know what I would suggest.

One thing I would suggest if you are going to paint to use "Pottery Barn" colors. There is actually PB paint, but using another brand with similar color palette is fine. That is popular in this area.

Feel free to contact me!

Cathi Weaver

Good Afternoon Karina:

As the other agents have already pointed out, the current state of the market really demands that a home show as well as it possibly can. This is done so that the home will at least attract some attention and hopefully an offer or two.

Without knowing the actual condition of the carpeting and the paint, it is difficult to comment on the necessity for their replacement. However both items you have discussed are relatively simple fixes. Please remember that you only get one chance to make a first impression.

But bear in mind that if you spend a $ 1000 to make these changes, there is no guarantee that you will recover the full investment. The primary intent is to attract a buyers attention. Generally speaking, you are trying to make a home as close to move in condition as possible with the understanding that there are no guarantees that your updates will be fully appreciated by a potential buyer.

If a home looks unappealing or does not compel a buyer to make an offer, the two main reasons for most disinterest are either price or condition. Assuming that your home is priced properly, the items you have proposed will certainly help.

Good Luck with your changes and their benefits.

Mark Christensen
NW Village Realty, Inc.

If it does fall within your budget Karina, I would recommend replacing the carpet and repainting the bathrooms or maybe even the entire interior of the house. In this buyer's market, you do not want to give potential buyers anymore ammunition to negotiate if you're looking for a top dollar sale. By taking care of the little things you can make a huge difference and make a completely different first impression on home shoppers. You can also consider doing other small detail improvements that make a big difference such as: repainting peeling cabinets, replacing outdated fixtures, patching up holes, oiling squeaks, polishing the metal handles, cleaning the windows, de-cluttering the house before presenting, etc.

However, if you need to cut some corners and the shape of your carpet isn't in bad condition, the color is not outdated, then I wanted to add that you could also consider steam cleaning the carpets. I saw a before and after instances where steam cleaning the carpets made a huge difference--it was a much more affordable option than replacing everything but it still gave the homeowner and the potential home buyer a feeling of a clean and well-maintained house.

Hi Karina,

I say yes, anything you can do to make your home more desirable and/or stand out in this market will benefit you. The less work that needs to be done, the less a buyer will subtract from their offer.

Hi Karina:

Have somebody come over and give you a second opionion is a great suggestion. A couple of reasons, depending on the area and pricing of your house, the recommondation might be different, and also depending on the condition and decor of your house, it may or may not make sense to do the two things you suggested.

I had a couple of listings where the whole house is original. The paint and carpet were outdated, but in good shape. If my clients repaint the house and put in new carpet, he would have to paint the trims, doors, change the curtain, paint the counters, the stair railing, the tile, ...etc, to bring them up to speed with the new paint and carpet.

But yours might be just need reparinting and new carpet. If you do that, then like Stephen said, some little things you might want to change also, such as light switch plates, more modern lightning, ..,etc things that don't cost a lot but make a huge difference.

To stretch the topic a little more, for an older home, one of the good investments for sellers might be to order a termite inspection to find out and fix any potential problems on the house so they won't be come a negotiation point late.

Best of luck,
Sylvia.

If your considering selling the home and the carpet and paint are outdated, a good Realtor can give advice on to if there would be a good return on investment (ROI) for the money that you would spend on the replacement.

In addition, they may be able to advise you on any other items that might need attention. If you can find a Realtor who is a home stager, they can advise you on how to move furniture and other small adjustments you can make to the home to make it more saleable. If you'd like some names of Realtors that can give you some staging advice, send me an email and I'll put you in touch with some in your area!

For general info regarding return on investment for various projects check out his link: http://neohiorealestate.blogspot.com/2006/11/remodeling-revi…

Carpet is a big expense for some homes and I think you should have someone, like a Realtor, come in and evaluate your home to see where time and/or money is best spent before you start anything. It is time well-spent in most cases. I see so many people pour money into projects where the return may not be what they think it is and miss the BIG visual items that buyers usual target.

Because I have seen the condition of the carpet ... it is hard to say. If it involves pet odor, you might consider replacing the carpet where necessary or all together. Pet odor is often in the padding and hard to eliminate by even the pros.

Bathroom repaint, if it is a loud color scheme and needs freshening up, I would say it would also be a good idea. I do think it is nice to update bathroom hardware and lights (if budget allows) and a fresh coat of paint and if applicable, a new shower curtain and liner.

I would say YES. Property has to show well and not give buyers motive to offer less.

However, if it's not in your budget then try to at least paint.