Carpet in the Basement = Offers

I have a house for sale that had old carpet in the basement. It was stained from some pet and food damage (think spilled beer) but basically was acceptable for a basement. Trouble was, buyers said the basement smelled. They said it smelled like a litter box (there was one way in the corner behind a door) but the litter was always cleaned.

Then there was a back up in gutters and some water seeped in through a corner of the  basement, travelling to the carpet. Now the carpet was dirty and wet. And according to a lot of buyers, smellier.

Solution? The sellers went to Home Depot and bought low grade but nice carpet for the basement. They put it on an 18 month no interest charge knowing they would pay it off when the house sold. All of a sudden, we had about five showings a week and an offer. We are expecting a  competing offer.

And guess what, no smell. It was the carpet that was giving off a litter smell. Once it was changed, the smell was gone and the basement presented itself as great living space. This is especially important in a small house where families might outgrow the space on the main floor quickly.

It just shows that an investment of $1,000 - if it is spent correctly - can do the trick and get results!