March 12, 2008 Portland, Oregon

Home sales may be down but they are certainly not out. As more “for sale” signs pop up across the nation, savvy homeowners are finding they need spend a little more money to make their homes more appealing to potential buyers. Adding extra value to a home may be the only way for some to sell a home in today’s weakened real estate market.

A fresh coat of paint, new window treatments and beautifying the yard are a just a few of the more common and less expensive do-it-yourself projects that can add value and curb appeal to any home. But few projects can add a bigger “wow” factor to a home like new carpets, says Alan Fletcher founder of www.Abccarpets.com a free consumer carpet information website.

“I receive hundreds of questions from consumers who are in the market for new carpet, but in the past few months I’ve seen an increase in questions from homeowners who are planning to sell or having a hard time selling their homes” Fletcher says. Some questions I’ve received lately have been “What color carpet will help my home sell faster?” and “I’m selling my home soon, what grade of carpet should I select and how much should I spend?” 

To help sell a home with worn carpet some realtors suggest offering homebuyers a carpet “credit” or suggest lowering the price of the home just enough to cover the cost of carpet replacement. “That’s not a positive approach, says Fletcher. To help sell a home faster and for a higher price I recommend replacing worn or pet damaged carpets with a new medium-grade, neutral-color carpet.”

There are currently several television programs designed to help home sellers address issues like “enhancing curb appeal” or “how to stage a home.” These popular programs show how sellers can go to great lengths to make a home look more appealing and prevent potential buyers from having negative thoughts or concerns. “A matted down or pet damaged carpet is very unsightly and unsanitary and certainly does not provide a positive reaction. In fact, a worn out carpet may even send a signal that the seller may be financially distressed. If this happens, sellers may only receive “low ball” offers.” Fletcher warns.

“In the 90’s, selling a home was quick and easy here in Portland. Even without good curb appeal many homes sold the same day they were listed. Even if the carpet was worn out and pet damaged it didn’t seem to matter, people were buying up homes and fixing them up as fast as they could. “Those days are gone for now, says Fletcher. With the dramatic increase in fuel prices I think people will be investing more money fixing up their homes and enjoying more time at home.” Fletcher suggests that consumers who are considering buying carpet should do so more sooner than later as more carpet price increases are on the way. "By doing a little “carpet homework” folks can find a fair and square carpet deal and won’t have to spend a fortune to get a decent carpet.” said Fletcher

With 30-years in the carpet business and author of “The Complete Carpet Buying Guide“, Fletcher claims that buying carpet today is more costly, confusing and time consuming than ever before. “There are so many unscrupulous carpet dealers and carpet scams to watch out for, and honest and experienced carpet salespeople are getting harder to find” says Fletcher. Some carpet retailers are gouging consumers with $70 per yard prices for carpets that typically sell for less than $35 elsewhere. While I firmly believe that home sellers should not lose a sale due to the cost of new carpet, that may well depend on which carpet dealer they buy from.”

Alan J. Fletcher is the author of The Complete Carpet Buying Guide available at www.AbcCarpets.com. Visit Alan’s Preferred Carpet Dealer Directory to find locally owned carpet retailers in your area. ©2008 email Alan at alan@landlordfloors.com.

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