Probably better. How large is the house overall?

I agree. No true master/master bath is not a good thing.

Have a chat with the realtor you used to buy the house. They would know your neighborhood and the market.

Remember that dollars spent in home remodeling don't often add one for one to resale value. Do it if that's what you want as a result, not because it may provide an increased return when you sell.

it's about 2500 square feet

Mary Jane, are you in the Bay Area?

I think that there's no answer, means it's a "No" answer.

In our very expensive real estate market, there most certainly are 5000+ square foot homes around, the costs of which might buy a good portion of a residential block in many parts of the county. A home with 2500 sq feet is a good size. Bedrooms sizes are what they are.

As before, Mart Anne, you should pursue your project if that's how you want your home to be, without regard to what it does or doesn't do to its value. Master suites are in demand now, you're right.

I believe in the Bay Area 2500 is entirely common as a size. I just quickly googled that area and of course there are some very large homes but also many are 2500-3000 range.

I think making it a four bedroom and creating an obvious master is a good idea. Can you share a floor plan?

I don't know how it works affect the value, but it might make it easier and faster to sell. It also might lower your property tax. But check on that.

There are not a ton of families that have a need for 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, but almost every family wants a primary / master bedroom / bathroom set up. Go with the numbers

Do it!

I think retail value will go up converting to a 4 bedroom with a bigger master and a master bath and walk in. I'd guess there would be more people interested in the house with the upgrades compared to a 5 room hotel style house. No offense meant.

More California expertise from Minnesota? Have you ever lived in coastal California or the SF Bay area?

I don't know where bpath, just_janni, judianna20, and Kevin9408 live, but this forum is going to get a lot quieter if people are only allowed to comment on their area.

The San Francisco Bay Area does have a more than usual (by US national standards) number of extended families, and they do actually want 5 and even 6 bedrooms. It's quite common in my Sunnyvale neighborhood. Among recent sales in my neighborhood, nearly 10% (28 of 303) are 5 bedrooms or more.

I expect the answer is the same in California as Connecticut or anywhere else in the states... the answer depends on the specifics of your home.

In my area I would struggle to sell a home without a master suite, however, move my house just down the road a bit onto the college campus and I would be considering converting some of those baths to more bedrooms.

qam999, I just looked up market info for my first house. It was in Sunnyvale, about a 5 minute or less walk north of Apple's flying saucer. Like much of Sunnyvale, it's in a neighborhood of tract houses from the late 50s-early 60s. 1300 sq feet, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, on a lot of 6500 sq feet. The Zillow estimate is $2.1 million. There are some slightly larger houses on the street, some 4 bedroom, they're more expensive. Master suite? Ha, I recall the bedrooms were 12x12 at best or less. Owners of such places wanting more space sometimes build a second floor for a master bedroom or family room over the attached garage. Or, convert the garage to living space.

Of course there are a lot of multigenerational families in the area, typically folks who are Asian immigrants to Silicon Valley. A lot of the existing housing stock, is small in size. The older tract neighborhoods and other places are like that, with older homes (I'm thinking like the Rose Garden or Willow Glen in SJ). Like much of Sunnyvale, they don't easily accommodate middle class extended families needing many bedrooms but the houses have no problem maintaining ever-skyrocketing values because of their close-in locations. In those areas, with older homes, often the only solution is to add space or knock down and rebuild but many families may want to find something ready for move-in. And lots are often small. As you know, many such families are in places like the Fremont area, etc., where the housing tracts homes are newer and larger. In the older areas, where lot space allows, some build granny flats.

The Bay Area is quite different from other places, different from even other parts of California.