If the floors are stained, torn up, smell like pets, or are the first thing people mention after a showing, replacing them is usually worth it. Buyers see worn carpet and cracked tile and start subtracting money in their heads.
If the floors are just dated but clean, you may be better off leaving them. The goal isn't the nicest floor in the neighborhood. It's a clean, neutral floor that doesn't give a buyer a reason to walk, put in fast and for the least money that gets the job done.
We've done a lot of listing prep for Jacksonville sellers, realtors, and investors over 30+ years. Here's how we'd think about it.
The most common mistake we see is a seller picking the floor they'd want to live on. You're not living on it. The buyer may tear it out anyway. What you want is a floor that looks clean and new in the listing photos and matches what the other houses in your price range have.
For most Jacksonville listings, that means:
Every week the house sits is another mortgage payment, another utility bill, another week of keeping it show-ready. Flooring is often the step that holds everything else up: the painter is waiting, the cleaners are waiting, the photographer is waiting.
That's why we steer sellers toward in-stock carpet. There's no waiting weeks for a special order to come in, so it can often go in within days. See how fast new carpet can be installed for what affects the timeline.
If you're doing paint and floors, do the paint first. Then floors, then cleaning, then photos.
A lot of the listing prep we do is for people who don't live here anymore: an inherited house, a parent moving into assisted living, a job transfer. You don't have to fly in to get floors done. We can measure a vacant house, text you photos and samples, give you a written price, and send you pictures when it's done. Your realtor or a neighbor can let us in. More on that in do I need to be home for flooring installation.
One thing to know on vacant houses: carpet in a house with the AC off can ripple in a humid Florida summer. Keep the AC running while it's listed.
Leave the floors alone if they're clean and in decent shape, if you're selling as-is to an investor, or if the house needs so much other work that new floors won't change the offer. In that case, a deep clean of the carpet you have may be all it needs. We'd rather tell you that than sell you a floor you don't need.
“We got TWO offers on the house and SOLD the house within a week.”
— Kenneth, sold an empty house in Mandarin from 700 miles away, Google review
“House was clean. Carpet was vacuumed. No debris left and extra rolls left neatly tucked in the hallway always a great experience and reasonable prices great guys and they do a fantastic job my sellers and landlords are always pleased.”
— Katrin, property manager, INI Realty, Google review
Replace it if it is stained, damaged, or smells like pets, because buyers mark down the whole house for it. If it is clean and just dated, it may not be worth it. Neutral in-stock carpet is the usual listing choice, at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot installed with pad.
For most Jacksonville listings, neutral in-stock carpet in the bedrooms and budget-tier vinyl plank in the living areas and kitchen. Match what comparable houses in your price range have instead of going higher.
Three bedrooms and a hall of carpet (about 500 square feet) runs about $750 to $2,500 at Gator Carpet and Tile. About 800 square feet of vinyl plank runs about $6,400 to $10,400 all-in. Removing old carpet is free when new carpet replaces it.
Yes. Gator Carpet and Tile works with out-of-town sellers by phone and text: we measure the house, send photos and samples, give a written price, and send pictures when it is done. A realtor or neighbor can let the crew in.
Often, yes. Buyers pay for a clean, neutral floor, not a top-of-the-line one, and many will change it anyway. Spend what it takes to remove the objection, not more than the neighborhood supports.
Call 904-262-7304 or book a free measure. We'll give you a written price and tell you honestly what's worth doing before the photos.
Get a Free Estimate Call 904-262-7304