I could very easily go several pages but in interest of brevity it’s a “possession is 9/10ths” thing. We’ve worked out a division of the assets that I won’t say I like (it’s not what my mother expressly said to many many witnesses including my sibs that she wanted) but I can live with it, and I keep most of the equity in the house for- I’ll just say “certain considerations”. Since I live there I’m responsible for selling it. (If you ever really want to teach your kids a lesson- die intestate, though I wouldn’t be the least surprised if it’s some $2 knick-knack rather than anything big that causes me and my sister to never speak to one another again.)
I’m going to get prices for carpets. How long does it usually take the new carpet smell or any fumes to die down?
I got used to the new carpet smell within a week. Is the smell your personal concern or are you concerned regarding the sale? Lookers will love the smell, but if you’re sensitive, you may want to camp out with someone for a while.
Of course, laminate (which I like, personally - at least the high-quality ones with a top-notch underlay…) doesn’t smell at all after you put it in. I’ll turn around and leave immediately if confronted with New Carpet Smell. It makes me feel quite ill. From the post above though, it’s obvious that other people really like the smell and consider it a bonus - as with all things, YMMV!
Carpet is an unattractive option to people with: allergies, pets, tendency to drip coffee all over the place as they meander from room to room*. Just something to consider.
And if you don’t like laminate, you can always chuck a rug over it… but that tactic sure doesn’t help someone who doesn’t like carpet.
I would’ve voted for not replacing the rug and offering cash for flooring but since you seem to be tending toward carpet, I’ll suggest an inexpensive Berber. I got the 5.49 one (or at least mine looks like it) - it’s tough, resistant to cat claws and kids (both used to live here) and the variations in colour suit various decors where a plain colour may not. And it still looks pretty nice.
I imagine my scenario is atypical, but just last week I got an offer on my house literally hours after it hit the market, despite the HORRIFFIC stained PINK carpeting and children’s murals in the bedrooms. My realtor was sure we’d NEVER sell it that way and all but begged me to replace carpeting. My attitude was give it a week or two and if everyone that comes through says means things about the ghastly carpeting then I’d do something. Turns out I didn’t have to.
I would replace with a cheap polyester cut pile. You will get a much thicker carpet than you would with nylon. The tradeoff for a homeowner is that it won’t wear as long, but that doesn’t concern you. Get a basic, middle of the road pad. Potential buyers won’t care if you have 7/16" rebond (which is a basic quality pad) or 20LB rubber pad. Let the homeowner go back through and upgrade in 6 months when it starts to show wear patters if they want.
Some people abhor berber, and that option would make the carpet an immediate replacement for them. Stick to cut pile, polyester yarn, neutral color, and a medium grade pad.
I ran a floor covering store in college, and you could have bought the above for around $13-15/sqyd. installed. Your local installation rates may be higher or lower, and I imagine the gas increases have upped shipping costs on carpet quite a bit since then too. The industry also was switching to square foot pricing right as I left, so that people saw smaller numbers when they were looking at prices.
If it was a more neutral color, I would shampoo it and let the buyers replace it with whatever color they wanted. But something like that seems like its pretty loud. When I was looking last year, one house had such god-awful carpet that we couldn’t think about the house without thinking about the carpet.
This is timely since I’ve recently been lectured about carpeting. According to my mom, who loves home design shows, carpet panels are becoming one of the flooring standards. I have no idea how they look when all is said and done, but it looks like they’re about $165 for 40 square feet from at least this retailer.
I sold my house about a year ago, and prior to putting it on the market, I replaced the carpet. I’d only been in the house three-ish years, but the carpet was already pretty worn when I moved in (and I was too lazy to do more than steam clean it, which pretty much just released the wet dog smell for weeks).
The new carpet was almost the cheapest you could buy, and I put a bit thicker of a pad underneath it so it would feel cushier. The smell went away within a week or so, and I think I had the carpet put in about three weeks before the place went on the market, so all was good. And the place sold in the first week on the market, to a psycho hosebeast who is apparently still threatening that she’s going to sue me for imagined problems with the house.
But the carpet’s okay, apparently. Good luck with the sale.
Not necessarily. I put in laminate in our last house (about 4 years ago) and the product, when I cut it for installation near the walls, had a STRONG corn odor. And the odor hung around for about 2 months.
Corn was actually used to make that brand of laminate floor. I don’t know how common it is in other brands.
Good luck with the sale.