Selling A House With Bad Carpet (Complete Guide)

Thinking of selling your house but worried about the carpets? It's true that worn-out or damaged carpets can make it harder to sell your house.

But it's not impossible. You can sell a house with a bad carpet.

In this post, I’ll break down everything you should know about selling a house with bad carpets.

#1 Assess The Condition Of The Carpet

Before you decide what to do, you need to check the carpet very carefully.

Go room by room and carefully examine every inch of it. Look for areas that are heavily stained, worn down to the point of being threadbare, or damaged in any way.

And don't just focus on the main living areas – check closets, under beds and furniture, and any other out-of-the-way areas.

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Those areas can sometimes be even worse than the high-traffic zones.

Also, pay attention to any musty or unpleasant smells that could be trapped in the carpet fibers.

Doing this really thorough examination will give you a clear picture of just how bad the carpet situation is. That way, you can make the best decision on how to handle it.

#2 Decide What You’re Going To Do About The Carpet

Once you've evaluated the state of your carpet, you'll need to decide how to address it.

Here are some options to consider:

Replace The Carpet

If your carpet is in poor condition – stained, ripped, smelly, and beyond repair – then replacing it with new, neutral-colored carpeting is probably going to be your best bet.

Getting new carpet can really freshen up the whole look and feel of your home, making it way more appealing to potential buyers.

But you have to weigh that cost against how much value it could actually add to your home sale.

It's a considerable investment, so make sure the numbers pencil out.

Professional Cleaning

If the carpet is still in decent condition but just a bit dirty, you may be able to get away with a professional cleaning.

This is a much cheaper option than replacing the carpet, but it won't work miracles.

Professional carpet cleaning companies have access to powerful equipment and special solutions that can really get down in there and revive that carpet.

Offer A Carpet Replacement Credit

If replacing the carpet is not in your budget, you could consider offering a credit to potential buyers for them to replace the carpet themselves after the sale.

That way, they get to pick out exactly what they want.

It's a nice compromise if the current carpet is a deal-breaker for them.

You can come up with a fair credit amount based on the square footage of the carpeted areas and the estimated cost of new installation.

But make sure to clearly disclose and document the carpet replacement credit in the listing and sales contract.

Remove The Carpet

This can be a good option if you have hardwood floors underneath the carpet.

Hardwood floors can make your house look more modern and stylish. Plus, lots of buyers love real wood floors, so it can make your house more appealing.

However, you need to check if the subflooring is actually in good condition first.

Sometimes old floors get damaged or worn out.

So, take a small peek under the carpet and see if the wood looks good.

If it's beat up, fixing it might cost too much money. But if it looks ok, refinishing it can make those floors look brand new and add value to your house.

Sell As Is

If the carpet isn't a huge issue and your budget is super tight, you can always just sell the house as-is with the existing carpet.

However, you'll need to lower the listing price accordingly too.

#3 Sell The House With Bad Carpet

Once you've decided how to handle the carpet situation, you can proceed with selling your house. You can either sell it with a real estate agent, or sell it to a cash buyer.

Let me explain a bit about both:

List On The Open Market

If you've taken care of the carpet situation by either replacing, cleaning, or offering a credit, you can go ahead and list your home on the open market.

You can do this by hiring a real estate agent to handle the listing and marketing for you

Make sure you really play up and highlight the improvements you've made to the carpeting in your listing description, property photos, virtual tours if you have them, and of course during any in-person showings and open houses.

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Don't let those carpet upgrades go unnoticed!

Sell To Cash Buyer

If you've decided to just sell your home as-is with the bad carpet, selling to a cash buyer is a good option to consider.

Cash buyers could be individual investors or companies that purchase properties in whatever current condition they are in, with no expectations of repairs or upgrades being made first.

These people are usually much more willing to overlook cosmetic issues like bad carpeting compared to typical retail buyers.

And the big advantage is they can offer a truly fast, simple sale process with no headaches of listings, showings, repairs, etc. You literally just pick up and go once the sale closes.

The only downside is that their offers are a bit lower than the market value.

Bottom Line

Regardless of the approach you take, it's absolutely critical that you are completely upfront and honest about the condition of the carpeting from the very start.

Don't try to downplay any issues or problems - be transparent and lay it all out there.

Doing this builds trust with potential buyers right away. They'll appreciate your honesty, and it will make the sale go smoother with no surprise hang-ups over the carpeting down the line.

A little transparency goes a long way.