OK...Scott and I have been frustrated lately. Our home in AL hasn't sold yet so we are paying 2 mortgages on his salary alone. I'm trying to get my tutoring up and going, but tutoring can't pay a mortgage.
Anyway...long story short...we are looking into replacing our carpet, or doing something to make the house sell. (We honestly don't know why it hasn't sold...people just keep saying "It's not the floor plan for us". ugh. It's marked WAY below market value and we'll only make a few thousand, if that.)
We have 1820 sq. ft. and I wanted to know just how expensive carpet is? I looked online and it seemed like it's way out of our league. Paying $6,000 just isn't in the budget. Does that sound right for that square footage?
And...if any of you know anyone who is looking for a house in Madison, AL here is the website:
MadisonRanchHouse.com
If you look at the kitchen picture, maybe we should look into changing that wallpaper...it's so bad. LOL

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 01:20 pm:

We looked into recarpeting our home last year before our baby was born - the whole thing (about 1900 sq. ft) and for the upper range in the medium priced carpet it was going to cost us over $5000 for everything...install, pad, carpet, etc. We ALMOST did it becuase they were having a great free-financing deal for 2 years and we thought we'd just pay it off over that time, but we decided against it.
As far as a potential home buyer, I wouldn't look at wallpaper as a big issue unless it was papered EVERYWHERE.

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 01:23 pm:

PS: I went to your website - your home looks beautiful! What is your neighborhood like? Nice, updated, keep the homes up, etc. I think it's adorable. If I were thinking of buying it I wouldn't think twice about your kitchen wallpaper..it's change-able! And even for rent...before we bought our home 5 years ago and were renting, my dh and I would have rented this in a heartbeat! I'm sorry it's not selling for you.

By Debbie on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 01:27 pm:

That sounds about right for carpet. We had our basement refinished recently and it is 750 sq. feet. We paid $2,500 for berber carpet that was a middle grade carpet. We had friends that were in the same situation as you. They couldn't sell their house and they were paying 2 mortgages. They decided to replace the carpet and paint all the rooms neutral colors. The house then sold within a month. Now, their carpet was teal and very stained, so it made a big difference. From the pictures, your carpet looks like a neutral color. Is it in really bad shape?? The wallpaper is a little wild, but I don't know if it is worth taking it out. When my friends had a hard time selling their house, their realtor called several of the realtors that showed the house and got feedback. They painted and replaced the carpet based on the feedback they got.

By Conni on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 01:28 pm:

I am curious why you arent leasing your home if you are having trouble making the 2 pymts? We have many friends who leased their homes until they were sold... Not trying to be nosey- was just the first thing that popped in my head. lol

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 01:46 pm:

Thanks, Deanna...we are having a hard time finding a reason why. I just think that new homes are very cheap in AL, but you have to live 15-20 out of town. This is in an all cul-de-sac neighborhood where everyone keeps up their lawn, landscaping, etc. I just think that it's higher priced because it's in a great location. It's within walking distance to every store you can imagine.
Thanks, Debbie, for the affirmation on the carpet price. It's not in bad shape, just a litte worn in the hallway.
Conni- We own both homes but trying to lease or sell our AL home. (I think that is on the website too. Sorry for the confusion.) It would be best to lease since we refinanced last year and don't have much equity, but on the other hand, it's a hassle to have property in another state and keep it up to date.

By Cat on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 02:46 pm:

Shoot, Heidi! If we were moving to Huntsville, I'D buy your house!!! It looks great! I love the yard. How big is it? (the yard, I mean) I'd leave the paper in the kitchen. If you change it you always risk the chance the people that buy won't like what you change it to anyway. I have no idea how much carpeting is. One of my daycare dads would know. That's what he does! I can ask him this afternoon and post either tonight or tomorrow if he can give me a guestimate off the top of his head. How many square feet are you looking at? You said the house is 1820, but I imagine the kitchen and baths are included but not carpeted (could be wrong, my mom's kitchen is carpeted). Anyway, I'll see what I can find out for ya. Btw, dh talked to the guy that works for the company with the job in Huntsville, and he thinks that job was filled. He'd actually like dh to take a job for that company that would be here. It'd be nice--we wouldn't have to move. I just like the cost of living in AL compared to here! lol We'll see...

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 03:58 pm:

LOL, Cat! The yard is huge...that was such a huge selling point for us and our 70 lb lab. I don't really know how big it is, but it did take Scott 2 hours to mow our yard. Sometimes longer.
You're right, the kitchen and bathrooms have nice tile in it. So, maybe it's 1600-1650 square feet that we're looking at? I might have an estimate done if someone can do it for free.
Isn't the difference in the cost of living AMAZING? Although, I was born and raised in CO and we've lived many places. Nothing compares to the weather and land preservation/parks out there. In Alabama, there is NO shoulder on the road (anywhere) so outdoor activities were always limited. (Biking is what I love!)
If you do end up moving there, I'd be happy to give you some places to look and let you know all about Huntsville. It's actually nice compared to most places we've lived while in the military.

By Conni on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 05:07 pm:

Well, I just looked at your site and your house is really nice!! I am surprised it hasnt sold. It looks to me to be a great deal! A house like that in my area would cost a little more I think.

One thing we did when we sold our old house was update it before we put it on the market. Fresh paint all rooms back to a neutral tone, new carpet, new tile in our kitchen (it was linoleom)... Sold it ourselves with no realtor and gave the buyer a savings there. It was sold in about 3 mos I think?! That was about 5 yrs ago and I also am not sure how much our carpet was. SO I am no help there.

Good luck! I bet the right person will come along soon and take it off your hands!

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 05:34 pm:

WOW a house that size here would cost upwards of $400,000! I suggest removing the wallpaper. It is too much of a particular style that a buyer will either love it or hate it. When you have nuetral rooms a buyer can start picturing their colors, etc. A bright or particular style can prevent anyone thinking beyond what is in front of them. Paint is cheap. I would remove the wallpaper and see if that makes the difference before investing in new carpet. You did have carpet steam cleaned though right?
Good luck!
Yvonne

By Jann on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 06:21 pm:

You have already done a great job of making your house nuetral. I would take down the wallpaper and paint it the color you have in your den (or the breakfast room if that's not wallpapered too.)
Definitely steam clean if you haven't.

By Cat on Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - 11:10 pm:

Heidi, the mom picked up tonight instead of the dad, so I didn't get to ask him about the carpet. I'll try again tomorrow. I wonder if things like that are subject to price differences according to the area you're in??? I know lumber is. Don't know about carpet.

By Cat on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 08:39 am:

Okay, dad dropped off this morning so I asked him. He said replacing the carpet would do a lot for selling the home, and it doesn't have to be really expensive carpet. He also said if you can use the existing padding that would save you money. He guestimated about $9-$10 a yard for the carpet, plus about $3 a yard for installation. So convert sq ft to yards, times $12-$13. I'll let someone else do the math. This mommy brain can't wrap around that this early in the morning.

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 11:43 am:

Thanks, Cat! I *really* appreciate you asked for us. We could use the existing padding I'm sure. I'll try to do the math today and see if it's worth it.
Thanks a million!

By Reds9298 on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 01:42 pm:

Is the carpet stained or something in many places?

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 03:48 pm:

I does have a tiny ink stain in the master bedroom. it's not terrible, just a little worn here and there. i wasn't there when they moved everything out so i'm just paranoid that our carpet is just awful under all those rugs!

Our realtor called us today and said that he might have an offer or two for us!! 2 couples have expressed interest. YEAH! Keep us in your prayers!

By Gammiejoan on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 06:52 pm:

That sounds good, Heidi! Maybe it will sell soon. I'll say a prayer for you.

By Katherine on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 07:10 pm:

I know I have be MIA for a while, but just as I glanced on here for the first time in months, the property in AL caught my eye.

Get rid of the wallpaper in the kitchen and the bathroom. Wall paper is really "OUT" and it makes your house look dated. The outside and the yard are gorgeous, but the wall paper really does a number on the inside. I would also try to paint the yellow dining room. It is just too much unless you are a big fan of yellows. We call it "builder beige", but it sells homes quicker because it leaves that palatte open for their own personalities. This is what I do for a living, so I think my opinion may matter.

Also, watch some of the shows on HGTV and Discover called "Sell this house" and House Hunters and they will give you lots of tips for how to entice your buyers.

Hope this helps!

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 07:59 pm:

Thanks! The dining room isn't yellow. The photo is a bad one and it's the same color as the whole house. (Vanilla Bean- very neutral)
We are changing the wallpaper. (I agree, very "out" but yet very hard to take off!)
Keep praying someone will put something on paper!!

By Imamommyx4 on Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 08:09 pm:

We have about 1900 square feet and replaced the carpet 4 years ago when dd was born. We got some better carpet and it was a little over $5000.

Two options:
1) Have a professional carpet cleaner go in and clean it really well. That might be enough.+

2) You might check in one of the discount carpet places in the town and get builders grade carpet and padding for a lot cheaper. I wouldn't put builders grade in my house to live in. But that's what was in our house when we moved in. It was okay for awhile. But if the carpet in the house looks really bad, the builders grade might be better than what is in it.