<p>I would definitely replace the carpets. You might want to consider getting hardwood. Definitely paint. I would stage the house midcentury style. Go with what you have and it works, not with what you wish you had. In parts of Los Angeles this would be a wonderful commodity.</p>
<p>I would not get the hardwood; too expensive. Let the buyers do it.</p>
<p>Do check the price of hardwood, especially if your realtor tells you that it would help sell the house. We put a floating engineered hardwood upstairs last fall, and it was not more expensive than carpet. Nail down was in the same price range as well.</p>
<p>^^ You must be talking about those clip on floating floors sold in Costco and other places. For the real engineered floors with tong and grove locking system you need to pay $3/sqft for labor alone to install(nail down or glue down).</p>
<p>I can get decent apartment grade carpet for about 1.75/sqft including padings installed. This guy we use is a wholesaler who does good job installing as well. Stairs are always extra.</p>
<p>If the last occupants were heavy smokers, make sure you get rid of any lingering cigarette odor. If necessary: yank drapes, carpet, paint, scrub, clean and remove cigarette film build-up on inside of windows, clean ducts, etc. Most home buyers will not seriously consider buying a home that smells like an ashtray. Too, if there are any other brothers or sisters in on the deal–make just one person chief for decisions with the house to avoid delays with house matters. How come house sat unoccupied 4 years?</p>
<p>It seems like you’d want to fix anything that might prevent approval from buyer mortgage company, so it would be good to seek expert advise.</p>
<p>The accessible bedroom addition might appeal to a small but eager group of buyers.</p>
<p>Hardwood install in my area is $2 ft. click or nail down. Maybe our guys are just hungrier.</p>
<p>I dislike carpet to begin with, and cheap carpet is even worse, but thinking it over, it really depends on your likely buyers. Are there young families that want that school district and want to move in tomorrow? Then go with new carpet. I love my hardwood, but people with a gang of kids might be driven insane by the way sound carries in the house.</p>
<p>My realtor friend says buyers’ attitudes are changing. A few years ago, she says, buyers with young families wanted everything already done–granite countertops, hardwood floors, staged like a model home. (She calls them the Pottery Barn buyer!) There was seemingly no vision of what they could do with good bones. Today, it seems this is changing and they want more voice in the renovations of these older homes. I’d be curious to know if this is a trend others who know real estate have noticed or if it’s a regional thing.</p>
<p>Buyer’s expectations depend heavily on the neighborhood. $400k on Long Island is not huge, so I would ask a realtor what would be best to get the place sold at a competitive price. You may not need to stage it, however spending $5000 on new formica countertops and carpet or new floors could likely get you $10,000 or a 100% return. A rule of thumb I heard once is that every month on the market is worth 1% of selling price. This may be a bit lower in today’s interest rate environment, but time = money. </p>
<p>It really depends on your target buyer. A young couple with a few kids may want a house that is move-in condition and they can live in a few years before tackling a major upgrade. </p>
<p>While you may not smell the carpets, others with very sensitive noses might. (The sense of smell typically dulls with age, plus you may be used to how the house smells). At a minimum, I would replace the carpets and countertop.</p>
<p>I would NOT suggest hardwood…for the bedrooms. While nice, there are some folks (we are included) who prefer carpeting in the bedrooms. Our WHOLE first floor is hardwood but our bedrooms have carpet.</p>
<p>You want it to look nice, you do NOT want to do a total redo of the place. Let the new owners do that in their taste. Just leave them a nice blank palate to work with…and have the price reflective of this. Talk to the RE person for how to do this.</p>
<p>I don’t prefer carpets upstairs, but realize some people do. In your shoes I’d paint the whole house and take a good look at those carpets. Old carpets make a house look so tired and they may still smell a bit. I’d replace them with something inexpensive and neutral and I might change out kitchen counter tops if they are in bad shape. I think you are always better off if there aren’t too many obvious - we have to fix this before we can move in items. And yes neaten up the landscaping. </p>
<p>All that said the advice to talk to a realtor first is spot on.</p>