Replace carpet with a neutral and paint the wall Bm simply white

Replace carpet with something new. It does not have to be expensive. When painting it is important to see the color in different light.
Paint color can change depending on the direction the light comes in as well as artificial light. I have seen sellers pick what they believe to be a neutral only to have the color appear to be pink or peach in certain lights. To really lighten and brighten as well as update, please painted all oak woodwork white. I realize this is a lot of work but the impact is hugh. My professional opinion is that you should invest in a
staging consultation. The return on investment is as high as 200%. A certfied stager can guide you on how to best invest your money and efforts. Once your house photos are on a multi list sight you cannot go back. Today's buyers shop on line first. As a seller you get only one shot online to make an impression. Your first 30 days listed are the most important.

I agree with both. Even though some buyers will "want" something like hardwood, they will "see" the stains and get a grossed out. You want to avoid that like the plague! A client who feels "dirty" while standing on stained carpets will not want to purchase.

Trim painted, walls painted and fresh carpet installed and you are ready to sell. A home that is "read" to move into is a faster sell than a home that NO ONE wants to move into...even with a flooring allowance.

Of course local markets are different. There are areas that will sell quickly with or without new paint/carpet. There are areas where the market is still depressed and where every sale is a "huge win" for both seller and realtor alike! Talk to your realtor. Get a few ideas. S/he will want to help you make the choices that will get BOTH OF YOU the best price possible in the quickest amount of time possible.

Gray carpet. White trim (gloss) and white satin walls (can be same colour but different gloss level) will do everything you need it to do = look fresh and ready to move in. What the new buyers do after they get the keys is up to them.

Not everyone wants hardwood floors, especially upstairs in the bedrooms. Putting down new carpet will definitely help you sell your house faster. I would paint the woodwork a bright white semi-gloss and paint the walls a light taupe or gray. When someone buys your house and moves in, they will make the changes they want anyway. I'm slowly changing the house we purchased last year.

While it is true that many buyers today (at least in the Southern Cali) do prefer hardwood floors, it is not necessarily the majority that feels that way.

Regardless of the buyers preference, I would agree with Cancork Floor Inc. that you should definitely not leave the stained carpet for sales, as that will turn away most buyers; most people cannot look past what is in front of them even if that means they would get money back/deductions.

Good Luck!

I know when my husband and I were looking at houses last year, I stayed away from houses that were dirty, had grungy looking carpet, or smelled bad. I was lucky when I found my house because of how clean it was. I just do not like all the interior rooms painted in white paint.

Offer a fund . Most people are going to want to change things to their own tastes. We just sold a house last year with a pink kitchen/ living room, green master, blue guest room and orange kids room. The buyer told us she actually only planned to paint the orange. I have to say that's weird, I hated it all. Mom's colors :) at any rate we sold in four days for 15 k over asking. The carpet is another story. While looking to buy this house we passed over any house with dirty carpet. It's a sign that the house isn't kept up.

You were very fortunate. Today most buyers want move in ready not pink kitchens.

Browse through Keller Williams listings, they do some of the best staging I've seen. Light, bright, tasteful, new carpet- feel good homes sell instantly.

Depending on the price range you are in, it might be worth considering installing hardwood in the stairs and hallways. I think carpeting in a bedroom is fine, but wall to wall in hallways and stairs is very, very dated.

Is the carpeting in the bedrooms in very bad shape? Is it possible it might make sense to leave that carpeting and install hardwoods in the public areas?

What kind of floor I g in in the rest of the house? Can you post photos?

Have you had the carpeting professionally cleaned? You might be surprised how nice it would look and the cost is quite reasonable.

Ink stains may come out with denatured alcohol and other stains can often be cut out and replaced with patches cut from scraps. If necessary, you might be able to hard surface an upstairs closet (linen closet?) to get material for patching into existing carpet. Your carpet may well be past help but before ask around for carpet cleaning services (preferably not one that advertises extensively) and have someone look at it before deciding it must be replaced.

I like a light blue gray because it goes well against both medium to dark stained trim and white trim. A light greenish gray also looks nice against the oak trim. If you paint the walls and still find that it needs more, then you can paint the trim white but it might not be necessary. Much of this depends on your local market and how your house fits in the marketplace. Talk to a couple local realtors for advice.

Found this on a real estate site

Staging Design. Not lucky. Yes the kitchen was rose pink. The house was also immaculate. It was in perfect condition. So were the gardens and garage. It was ten years old the inspector couldn't find the least thing wrong with it. We might have interesting taste in paint colors but we take pride in caring for our houses.

Thanks all for your quick responses! We already have hardwood downstairs and on the landing. I've had the carpeting cleaned many times (bit of a neat freak), but the nail polish remover actually lifted the color out, whereas the ink left a shadow stain. Sounds like we should replace it. Berber, though? That's what was in our living room in 1991! Is it back again or do you just mean low pile, low cost?

We'll get estimates with and without white woodwork. And I appreciate any specific paint color recommendations since I've always decorated for my personality...which is not neutral! Gray would look nicer with white woodwork; beige can go either way.

I'm very interested in a professional stagers advice, but wonder how to find a real pro vs an ego with a box of cookie cutter tricks.

Cheers!

There are some people about 10% that can see beyond dated decor. Although a clean and house that does not need work is a plus, the majority of today's buyers want move in ready and will pay more money for it. This has been proven over and over again. I do not know of anything that will give you a better return on investment.

As a person currently looking to buy a home.... I would say replace the carpet upstairs, make sure the walls are clean looking and leave the wood alone. I like carpet upstairs because of noise. Clean the wood and let the new buyer decide. Maybe I am just being contrary but I am really tired of seeing painted white cabinets and grey walls.