What kind of percentage of the total price is that 9K? Are we talking about a $100K house or a $200K house.
I think that it would definitely be worth it to me to have that second bath. I wouldn't consider a house with only one bath, but I haven't had to live without at least 2 bathrooms since 1986.

Although a 2nd bath would be a must for our family, I would pass on your house. Both bathrooms are upstairs none on the main floor. NancyLouise

terriks, the selling price of the comps that sold in the fall were 320,000 and 327,000. The 327,000 house has some nicer finishing touches than ours. Both comps only have the one bath. The 320,000 house is more comparable to ours all things considered. Is there a general formula? a bathroom in this price point = approximately x number of dollars? The master bath is nothing real fancy but is there and decent looking. It was created and the original bath was remodeled by the previous owners in the the late 1990's. We did put a new shower in the master bath last year because the tile work wasn't done all that well.
Thanks.

Depends on a lot of things. Aa second bathroom might add another 25K in my area to the price just because it would be in line with other comps.

Basically a large 3br 1 bath house might be brought down by smaller Comps while adding the 2nd bath it gets brought up by larger comps.

Things to think of, it is difficult to add a bathroom to a second floor of a house. waste line, supply lines, electric could be worth a lot, also depends on how recent the bathrooms are. In my area, if you were paying someone to put in a 2nd floor bathroom, I doubt you could get it done for 9K even with cheap fixtures.

Mandogirl, there is an assigned worth to square footage, basement, baths, bedrooms, fireplace, condition of house, garage bays (and a bunch more I forgot). Even if you are selling FSBO have three Realtor's come in and give you their opinions on the comps. The Realtor's will do this because FSBO doesn't alway work out, and they will be hoping you'll give a call if you decide to use a Realtor. Or, you can have an independent appraiser come in and do it for you (it will cost you though). All areas of the country have different value amounts ascribed to each feature. That second bath in NYC is going to be worth a different amount then a second bath in Kansas City. Get in someone familiar with your area to give you the correct amount.

All the houses on the street are approximately the same size, same layout, same style. 1300 sq ft twins. No room on 1st floor for a full bath. Some have added teeny door-almost-hits-your-knees 1/2 baths with the teeniest sinks you've ever seen off the dining room. A neighbor friend came over to see our master bathroom set-up because she was thinking of doing something similar, but then she decided it would be way too expensive. The plumbing had to be completely reconfigured when the previous owners did this, and they had to create a soffit in the living room for the pipes. They did it because they had contractors in the family who could do it for them and give them a good price. It's generally not an improvement the average homeowner on our street would want to undertake, especially in houses this old. Hope this info helps. This is not a fancy bathroom. Basic ceramic tile floor, home depot-type vanity, tub/shower, toilet. But again, it's there, and it looks decent and clean. I'm trying to figure out how much more over the other house's asking/selling price we can reasonably ask. We'll obviously ask our agent, too. I'm just interested in your opinions. Thanks.

I wouldn't even look at a house with no bath at all on the first floor. The teeniest 1/2 bath on the first floor would appeal to me more. However I grew up with a house that sounds about like yours in Chicago and I know that its difficult to add a bathroom on the first floor. My folks added one in the basement. I think that calculating the value of the bath is the wrong way to hit the sale price. Look at what they are selling for and figure yours would be more attractive because of two baths, reflected in a quicker sale. That may be a value of only $2,000 or 3,000 because people who are going to spend $10,000 more might consider a different floor plan completely.

Definitely worth it to me. That's a small price to pay for an additional bath. I don't want to share a bath in the morning with my kids.... and wife. ha!

Yes, I agree there should be a half bath downstairs, but you need to look at the other houses in the neighborhood which the OP said there was only one bath to them. However you slice it, the OP's house is in a better position with an extra bath.

It may be easier to add a half bath downstairs, too. Good luck.

I have almost the same issue. I have 2.5 baths and the comps near me only have 1.5 or 2 full baths max. That extra .5 or 1 bath is important IMO. It has add some value when people are comparing houses.

if i wanted to live in your neighborhood? in a 1920s house like yours? extra bath would have been worth about 10,000 to me. bathroom off the dining room does not appeal to me, although i lived in a neighborhood like yours (they were single 1300sq ft 1920s homes)and several people had done that. we thought very briefly about a half bath off the back of the kitchen but it grossed me out. so we sold as a 3/1. the 3/2 houses in our neighborhood always went quickly. kren

Extra bathroom is definitely worth the money no matter which floor it's on. We have a half-bath and a full bath on the ground floor and a full bath on the lower level. I live with three males. You bet I LOVE having three toilets. :-)

One way to look at this is to find out what it would cost a buyer to put in that master bath *you* already have. Add some dollars for the surprises that always come up when remodeling older homes and something for the inconvenience of having to do it, too.

I think you are way low only adding $4K.

Do get three realtors to come through and give you their ideas on what you can SELL for -- not pie-in-the-sky listing prices. You already have a handle on what the neighboring homes bring, with just single baths. A realtor may also have some ideas for inexpensive things you can do to make your house more attractive.

We lived in a 1920s neighborhood from 2002-2005. So this was during better-than-average appreciation, but I think the general premise remains true. The bulk of the homes were 3/1, with some 2/1. Some of them had done away with part of the butler's pantry/breakfast room between the dining room and kitchen and put in a small 1/2 bath. Yes, it is a bath. But who really wants a bath there?

Anything with a second full bath had been renovated to add that bath, and it generally added square footage. But in our area (Birmingham, AL), square footage just isn't an issue. It's about neighborhood, schools, and style. There is no "price per square foot" comparison that everyone makes.

All that being said, in our neighborhood of homes worth 150K to 200K, I'd say a full bath -- particularly a master bath -- would be worth at least $15-25K.