Which Is Worth More – An Extra Bedroom or An Extra Bathroom?

Home  Buyers naturally want their money to go as far as possible.  Often, they are faced with some interesting choices about which home configuration provides the best value.

If you are a single person living alone, I suppose a one or two-bedroom, one-bath home would suffice for your individual needs.  But be forewarned: you are severly limiting your potential market when you decide to sell.  You will only be able to market your home to those in your particular situation, rather than reach the larger market of available Buyers. 

A single person can live in a family sized home a lot easier than a family can live in a one-bedroom condo.

National Association of Realtors studies show a three-bedroom, 2-bath home as the most “saleable” configuration for a home.  It reaches the larget segment of the market – families with one or two children living at home.

Four bedroom homes come in next, probably because they allow for larger families, over-night guests, an in-home office, or an elderly parent residing with the adult children.

But while bedrooms are a luxury in many cases, bathrooms are more of a necessity.

Anyone with a teenager living at home will tell you that two baths are a big deal for a family situation.  But its not only to allow for the primping and marathon grooming that is evidently required to be a popular teen.  An extra bath makes it a lot easier for guests to feel comfortable in your home when they visit or for extended-family dinners.

As far as bathrooms go, one is an obvious necessity, two are considered a minimum by most families, two-and-a-half are the most desired, and three are considered a wonderful luxury by most Buyers.

Given the choice, I would rather have a two-bedroom, two-bath home than a three bedroom, one-bath home.  And please note: a “one-and-a-half bath” is just barely more desireable than its entry-level one-bath cousin.  Probably the best thing you can say about it is that you might be able to make it a full bath sometime down the road.

On the other hand, one less bath may encourage those pesky teens to move out!

Still, if I had the choice, I would always go for the extra bathroom.

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