I purchased carpet just a few months ago and found plenty of light colored options. I did not find ours at Lowes although I did look there. I ended up going with a carpet from a small flooring store as I was looking for a 15' width with soft back that Lowe's didn't carry.
Whatever you do, please don't stick your buyers with carpet made of polyester or polypropylene (olefin). The former loses resiliency and shows heavy wear within a year or two of install. The fibers in olefin wear and clean up well but tend to attract oily soil which mats it down between cleanings.

Do choose a 6 strand nylon over a good pad. It won't cost much more than the a poly or olefin carpet and won't cause your buyers to speak ill of you within a year. :)

Thanks Jewel. I did not know that about the types and we will definitely go with the latter. Thank you!

A taupe tweed! It hides the dirt and goes with just about every color.

Unless the carpet is badly worn or filthy I would not invest in new. Think about it........if they want the home they are not going to let carpeting or paint stop them from buying that home. If you put to much money in it you will never get your investment back and the new owners may change everything anyway. The realtors are the only one I have found that complain and want you to update everything. People around me have updated and never got their money back.

I would not change it either, but make sure to have it cleaned so that it is looking pristine. If it is that badly worn than go ahead and replace it. Or put in an allowance for the buyers to get the carpet of their choice.

Unfortunately, it is badly worn and soiled. It's 11 years old, which isn't that old, but when one of our cats was nearing his end, he got sick a lot. We also had my son's puppy for awhile (not house trained) and his two cats. Due to my medical condition, I was experiencing extreme apathy and couldn't even manage to call in carpet cleaning companies, much less address the issues on time myself (thank goodness for medicine changes!).

The main floor of the house shows beautifully. The basement is completely finished but the carpet was taken out. We may or may not replace the carpet down there. But the upstairs has to be replaced. Two bedrooms are fine, one is bad, and one is so-so. The hallway is terrible.

I would like the house to look move-in ready when we put it on the market. I have conceded on repainting three bedrooms. One is green (I call it mint ice cream green - not my fav). The others are varying shades of blue. I wanted everything neutral but I've already got so much other painting to do that unless I find myself twiddling my thumbs at the end of the fix-up period, they will have to stay those colors.

I will take a look at the taupe tweed, thanks for that suggestion.

Please, please, oh pa'lezzzzeee - if you replace the carpets, PLEASE paint the sub floors with shellac to prevent the animal stink that will rise up otherwise.

Nightowlrn, we had waterproof something or other put between the pad and carpet (or maybe it was part of the pad) so other than discoloration, we're good to go. However, I'm glad you mentioned it so we can double-check.

Also -- spend an extra 50 bucks and go around and screw down squeaks before you carpet again. Good luck.

I agree with the taupe tweed, I wouldn't worry too much about bedroom paint colors as long as the main living areas are neutral. Also try to match the tone of the neutral wall color to the carpet. If you have a yellowish beige, don't pick a carpet on the pinkish beige side.