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Interesting in this real estate market.

12 years ago

The owner of the house I am buying (should my mortgage be approved) used the house as an occasional pied-a-terre (maybe three nights a month).

The kitchen and 1.5 baths were renovated three years before the house went on the market. Feedback by potential buyers was that the half bath should be a full bath. The sellers took it off the market and did this, knowing they would not get any return on the investment at all. I was ready to offer regardless but since I will be renting the house out for a while it made sense to have them continue. I found it very surprising that in this market someone would remove a 3-4 year old half bath and convert it to a full bath based on some looker feedback.

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Comments (5)

plllog
12 years ago
Congratulations on finally finding a place to buy!!

The market is very different there, so I don't pretend to know what works. From what you've said, I think a lot of houses don't have a bathroom on every floor, and plenty only have one bathroom altogether. I'd think that an extra half bath would be a boon, and people would be happy to have the 1.5.

OTOH, there are a lot of working households where at least two people are up early for work and need to dress at the same time. Some folks work it out by having one shower after work, and others do it with one making breakfast while the other showers, and the other cleaning up, while the cook showers. This takes a lot of coordination, and works best with couples who are good at partnering, rather than roommates or generations.

If they were getting lots of "if onlys", and no decent offers, it might have really seemed worth their while to do the remodel to get their asking price and complete a sale rather than losing more than the cost of the remodel on waiting longer or accepting a much lower price.

'Course, they hadn't anticipated a thoughtful, design oriented, valuer of past modes and beauties like yourself to come along before they'd even finished. And even you appreciate the utility for your tenants. :)

Congratulations again!! How's the kitchen?
palimpsest
Original Author
12 years ago
The kitchen is tiny (again), but significantly bigger than what I have now and is white melamine, white laminate and white appliances. Inexpensive, inoffensive, and perfect for someone like me who will do it over anyway at some point.

The baths are white tile. Also inexpensive, inoffensive and perfect for someone like me who will do them over again. It seems rather wasteful but I was willing to buy the house without second full bath.

Materials are basic, inexpensive; quality of work is adequate not great, and they used greenboard behind the bath and shower surrounds which is inadequate.Steel tub and builder toilets and hardware. So not very guilt inducing. Plus although they are functional and attractive enough, not really in the spirit of the house which is 1963 modernist. I would not recreate 1963 by any means but it could be acknowledged a bit better.
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dianalo
12 years ago
Sounds perfect. You can do what you want, when you get to it. If it were not functional or hideously ugly, you would have to do things sooner or be unhappy. This way, you can take things slowly and not be miserable while you plan (and maybe save) for the reno. We lived with ugly for a while (almost 4 years) and it gets depressing.... Even unfinished is a step up from ugly at this point, lol....
User
12 years ago
I don't find it surprising.

It got them an offer, which is the whole point.

Also, it could be that at the price 2 baths might be expected.
palimpsest
Original Author
12 years ago
At the price point in this neighborhood two is a plus, but so is 1.5: one is often the norm.

Actually the house had two offers when it was accidentally put back on the market right after the half bath had been demo'd. (Somebody checked the wrong box when updating the website)

Both offers were for the house in its original state. I agree that it worked out for the best, but neither offer was from someone who gave feedback that lack of a second full bath was a dealbreaker.

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