Do you get your money back on these items?

Question

I'm thinking of selling the house I'm living in. House will sell in Denver for about $445k.

It has service-able (but worn and slightly stained in places) carpet covering about 700 sq ft. Is it worth it to replace the carpet? I'm guessing this might cost $1500?

Same question for back yard zero-scaping - wood chips are a little bare....is it worth it to bring in a new load and spread them? I'm guessing this might cost $1000?

Same question for window covers - mixed light drapes around the house - worth doing better window coverings? I'm guessing this might cost $2000?

Thanks for any insight and I hope this was posted on the correct sub-forum.

Matt M. · Answer

1. Goto Sloane's carpet secret for new carpet. They are pushy, but you can get some great stuff for a deal. My carpet is Karastan $45 a yard stuff. I got it for $15 a yard. 2. Call a landscape place and have them dump new mulch. It is cheaper than you think and VERY easy to spread. My wife and I spread 3 tons in less than a day.3. Forget window coverings. Clean them really well.Good luck!

Cal C. · Answer

To me this is a no brainer. Unless everything is selling for above asking price then I would do the work and even if everything is selling above asking price I'd probably do the work and up my asking price. Also unless you're already pushing the envelope, I'd be trying up the price a little bit since it is spring.

J Scott · Answer

Look at the houses in your area that you'll be competing with at the price point where you anticipate listing it, and that will give you an idea of the condition you'll need...

Dylan Long · Answer

You may not get it back directly in a higher selling price (depends on the competition and market), but you MAY recoup the costs (or some of it) in selling it faster. It's really hard to know when it comes to a few thousand of what is a half million-dollar home because you really don't know what it would have sold for if you had gone the other route. Your asking price may not change between the two options, but the offers you get might. The upgrades you're thinking of are 1% of the overall price of the home. So yes, even though its still $4500 bucks, the fact that it represents such a low % of the overall value is going to make it a lot harder to determine the impact. At least in my opinion :).

Rodney Marcantel · Answer

This is easy. Do you want a lot of buyers who make offers and possibly get into a bidding war or do you want a small set of buyers who will low ball your asking price seeing the work that needs done. You're better off spending the $4,500 to get a stronger set of buyers and offers that at least hit your asking price. Or you take the risk of sitting on the property much longer which we all know is a huge negative to you and perception in the market about the property and that will drive offers down or force you to lower your price to get more qualified offers.We're about to put our residence on the market valued at $460K with 100% equity and all we need to do and is what I would do on any property I sold is make sure the paint is great and clean on every wall, paint the baseboards and door casings and if the carpet is in good shape, have them professionally cleaned. Also I do good landscaping to attract the buyers. My yard looks greener than anyone else in the neighborhood and I only use scotts weed and feed last week and others in the neighborhood use professional companies and pay a lot more than I did for my $45 in fertilizer. Planted flowers through our landscape company for $300.

Bill S. · Answer

@John Pruner so my take is that today you won't recover your cost. @Cal C. said don't do it unless every house is selling above the asking price. I just saw the MLS stats for March 2015 in Denver. Approximately 70% of the homes under $400,000 sold for above the asking price. This fall things might be different but you should make that decision then. I would clean the carpets unless you have had them cleaned before and the stains won't come out but that's it.

John Pruner · Answer

Thanks for all of the advice. I don't plan to sell it until Q4 of this year at the soonest, but am just trying to plan out expenses so I can save up for things. Appreciate all the help. :)

Jean Bolger · Answer

Even in today's Denver market (with houses flying off the shelf) I think I'd at least do the carpet. It's such a small amount relative to the price of the home, and old carpet is a real turn off.

Matt M. · Answer

Diya Sharp · Answer

I've found that new/refinished carpeting/flooring is must to get a good price on your property. If you can deep clean and get the stains out, then stretch it again it might work too - depending on the condition it is. Wouldn't bother with the drapes since it is almost entirely based on individual taste - some like blinds, some like natural fiber drapes etc. I'd make sure they are clean though. If you can mulch the back yard, that would help as well.