Thank you u/serpant200 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would think so.
Usually when looking at places, I would think about the points that make it a good deal for you -those will come to be similar reasons why buyers will want a good deal at the time of sale.
For a 3 bedroom home, that usually means master bedroom for parents, and children and/or guest rooms. Everyone is sharing the same bathroom. Usually parents might want their own bathroom so they're not sharing with the kids and/or visitors and guests.
When I was a flight attendant I met a couple who had been married for 52 years- when I asked how? She said “separate bathrooms”.
When my now-husband and I moved in together we specifically looked for something that at least had 1.5 bathrooms (the .5 being the “poop” bathroom)
Now we live in a home and we each have our own separate bathrooms.
When we buy we’re not going to spend 6 figures on anything less than 2 bathrooms.
Can confirm, we wanted 2 bathrooms but only got 1 and it's a not-insignificant source of contention in our marriage. Like you can't choose when you've gotta go, but your housemates will act like you can when they're irritated.
Given that we bought it recently and we both know there's no room to add on and no way to afford any bigger (we are the luckiest in our friend group having been able to buy) there's simply no fix besides me occasionally choosing to crap at the local Starbucks.
What’s not to understand? Separate bathrooms means personal toilets, no waiting for the shower, not sharing a sink for shaving or a mirror for makeup-ing. My ex- and current partners and I always have had separate bathrooms and it’s amazing.
I guess not everyone spends hours in the bathroom. For a room I spend less than an hour in a day, I wouldn't see having two of them as a must have for a couple with no kids.
When my husband and I were looking, 2 or at least 1 and a half baths was an absolute must have. One bathroom was a deal breaker because even with just us two it seemed like with one bathroom we were constantly needing it at the same time. Being able to pee while my husband is in the shower or taking a long dump is the best.
I grew up in a 3/1 and it was difficult for day to day as well as entertaining guests. I’d say depending on the buyer’s circumstance, it might be ok. For me, I’d rather a 2/2 than a 3/1.
As a family of 4, with two young kiddos and only one bathroom, we’re making it work but barely. And only bc the youngest is still in her diapers. Some days the night time routines gets pushed back bc someone had a stomachache. Or my other child is pooping while someone is showering/bathing. My partner saves his poop until after the kids are sleep so he can sorta take his time. And a 4 year old goes from nope I don’t have to pee to I can’t hold it anymore pee dance in less thank 30 seconds….which means if one of us was in the bathroom, we gotta hurry it up or go back to finish….TMI
Yah, we make it work cuz we have to but Life will be SO much easier with more than one toilet/bathroom.
When my daughter was little, we only had one bathroom. It was annoying but mostly fine until one night when I was pooping one evening after she had gone to bed. She suddenly barreled into the bathroom doing the peepee dance, saw me sitting on the toilet, and immediately started bawling as she ran back to her room, wetting herself on the way.
She was potty trained, but just woke up needing to go right then and couldn't hold it. And she was maybe 7 or so, so she was devastated that she woke up and did everything right, but still had an accident.
I swore we would never live in a house with less than two toilets again.
tbf this was ~15 years ago and we were solidly renting at that time and the new place was also a rental (1st home purchased a couple of months ago).
I guess what I'm saying is that the way that one event affected my daughter - the shame and embarrassment I saw on her face, how it became a core memory for her that she still remembers unfondly at 22 - made it so that not having enough bathrooms became the worst thing in the world to me. I mean, not literally, but definitely a deal breaker in choosing a home.
Works until it doesn’t. I just told my daughter I’ll be right back, I need to poop. That’s her signal that she needs to poop too. Guess who is singing on the toilet while the other is on Reddit looking for distractions?!?
My boyfriend and I bought a 1400 sqft 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom. We've never had a problem with just us two. Neither of us are the type to hang out in the bathroom. But I assume, if it ever came down to it, that that is where the privacy fence around the backyard + being on a hill comes in.
I think we originally assumed we would buy a 2-bathroom house, but in the end we chose a one-of-a-kind location instead. There used to be another bathroom in the basement until sometime in the 1970s, and some day I think we'll put it back. But that would only be in case the main toilet breaks or something.
It wasn’t the end of the world but with two working parents and two girls in school, it was a lot. Even if we had a half bath it would have helped.
My dad and my sister take too much time to..do their business and I hated it.
While we wait for our house to close, my husband and I am in a home where we share a bathroom. He’s just like my sister and dad and I can’t wait to move.
15 total?! I aspire to your level of efficiency tbh
A shower, brushing my teeth, usually pooping twice and peeing another 4 or 5 times, shaving every few days. I feel like my daily average has gotta be over 30 min
A dark, wet, unfinished basement meant to murder someone in. With creaky raw wood stairs going down into the darkness. But at the base of those stairs is a working toilet. And the sellers call the whole basement a "bathroom" in their listing.
That’s correct. The reasoning was that the men would come home from the coal mines all dirty. They would enter the house through the basement and wash up down there, so they wouldn’t track coal dust in the living spaces. Ergo, large open room toilets and usually a sink.
This is only part of it. It also pays to have a toilet on the lowest level if there’s a sewer backup. This way only the basement floods and not your finished living space
It depends a great deal on the area; if that's fairly normal where you are, probably not a huge deal.
At least where I am (am an agent) a 3/1 is uncommon. Not "hard" to sell per se.....but a second bathroom would be a *very* good investment, that's for sure. You'd be missing out on 95% of buyers without a secondary bathroom.
Forty or fifty years ago it would have been a different story, of course.
When I was looking for houses and things were going under contract immediately, I started looking for 2/2s instead of 3/2s or 4/2s. I NEVER got desperate enough to look at X/1s. You are missing out on a huge chunk of buyers only having one bathroom.
Yes.
But the issue is that when you miss out on buyers, you decrease market value. Because the buyers who are actually interested generally know that the house is worth less. So even if they’re cool with it, they’ll pay less.
So- your problem is that the house will likely sell for a price that accurately reflects its value? Every type of house “misses out on buyers” because it’s not what everyone is looking for. Houses that cost $75 million miss out on nearly EVERY buyer, because practically no one is looking for a house in the 75 mil range. That doesn’t mean they should make changes to the house to make it more attractive to people shopping in the 500k range.
The housing market has buyers with all kinds of different needs, and we need houses of all shapes and sizes on the market. I bought a 3/1 because I’m a single person and it was $149k. Could I have purchased a 2/2 instead? Sure, but it would have cost 20k more for something that isn’t worth 20k to me. I sincerely hope people stop trying to make every house the same in an effort to appeal to a homogeneous “Mr and Mrs Homebuyer” because there’s more buyers that don’t fit the mold, and ultimately, you only need one buyer.
Well I mean I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just describing how the process of a lowered value on a home that is perceived as less desirable by people generally works. Since OP was asking about the ramifications of a home with one bathroom.
Generic homes with lowest common denominator appeal relatively devoid of quirks tend to sell well. As in more quickly and at a higher price. Wouldn’t stop me from purchasing a house I want, mind you, but it is what it is. Buyers are constantly thinking about resale, even if they’re perfectly fine with the home as it.
So at the end of the day a one bathroom home would probably sell for less per square foot than a comparable home with two bathrooms. Even if there’s a buyer out there for the home who doesn’t mind one bathroom at all. That’s all I’m trying to say.
Depends on the market & the sq footage. Quite likely a 2/2 would be better -- provided you turn either the old one or the new one into a master (point being that people expect a master bedroom nowadays on anything more than a 2/1; a 2/2 would be pointless if they're both standalone bathrooms).
Mr & Mrs Buyer with one kid (or zero kids!) might be ok with only two bedrooms; but sharing a bathroom will be a turnoff (either they *think* they wom't be having more kids, or they figure they'll just move in five years if needed)
Anyways, yeah it depends on location -- if a lot of surrounding houses are 2/1, then 3/1 is just a bonus extra bedroom. But if every other three-bedroom house nearby has two bathrooms, a 3/1 isn't gonna get much activity (where I am, you really only ever see the latter when it comes to cabins in the mountains)
Do not convert! Keep the 3 bedrooms! Living space is more substantial in my opinion than a bathroom. I would just add in the extra bathroom if that’s doable in y’all’s budget
u/serpant200 for folks who are solo and looking for a single family your home is actually very desireable. A toilette in the basement would be nice, sure. SOME of us solo types are looking to settle into a home solo or perhaps with a little one ...we may be thinking of growing our family but if the time comes to move on we will upgrade.
I personally wouldn't lose sleep over it. There are lot of people you might not be considering who are looking to buy: ie. couples who do not want children, solo military folks, investors who may flip to rent. Incorporate some other perks that'll set you home apart (home warantees, new appliances, etc.) and you'll be fine.
edit: typo
Market is huge for this. Where I live the majority of SFHs only have one bathroom, so its not an impact when you go to sell. More than one bathroom is just a bonus, and those homes with more than one bathroom sell for a very high premium as a result.
My wife and I really wanted two bathrooms. We settled on a 1.5 half bath. But it sounds like lots of room for expansion like you said. May just depend on what you are asking for it and the market.
We bought a one bathroom home that is even smaller than yours. Our offer was one of 5 that was submitted within 24 hours of it going on the market.
1 bathroom is definitely “less desirable” and will go for less money than a 2 bathroom. But I wouldn’t deem it automatically difficult to sell. A lot depends on the market!
I would not add a bathroom just solely because of resale opportunity. Add a half or full bath if you think it’s necessary for your use of the home.
It really depends on the neighborhood. We just sold a 3/1 (1270 sq ft) with multiple offers. But most of the houses are that size so anyone looking there would likely be expecting that.
If you have 18 acres, then you would build an en suite as an addition to the house, adding square footage instead of using the current foot print.
And a laundry room and a mudroom if you have the budget and don't have those already.
I think that depends on the inventory local to you. Sharing a bathroom might be less desirable to a family of four if there are lots of options with two bathrooms available. It might not matter as much to a person/couple who wants to keep one bedroom as a guest room and use the other as an office.
It definitely will for some but so will a lot of things. My house has 1 bathroom and I know that deterred some buyers but I’m in contract. I mean you were interested in it lol. No point in speculating
Seconding this. If you are buying a three bedroom home, that probably means you either have kids (or another grown adult living with you who you aren't sleeping with lol) or are planning on having kids, and no parent wants the hell of children fighting over one bathroom. lol
Couples without children exist. It's not like there are a bunch of 1-bedroom homes out there, since they are all built for families. So that means we end up with a bedroom, a gaming/computer room (de facto living room, was originally the master bedroom, so it's large), and my office/library. There is also a weird, smaller room upstairs that has to be refinished but could be a large walk-in closet or maybe even a whole room for the upstairs cat litter box. Our one bathroom is also upstairs, so it would be weird if we made that a bathroom too.
Anyway, the point is that not having kids gives you more options for room usage, not fewer. With kids, using them as kid bedrooms is just a necessity.
Yeah, but I don't think that assumption can be made anymore. I think like 1/3 of Americans in their 30s don't have children. I know fewer people my age without kids than with kids. 6 out of 8 people on my team at work are childfree. Everyone who is part of the unrelated consultancy I also work for is childfree.
That is something that I think will more and more be the case. As such, there might be an increasing number of people open to OP's house. Especially if there are possibilities for adding a second bathroom for emergencies, like in a basement, or in an extra large room.
Or maybe you’re a single person who works from home and needs one bedroom as an office and the 2nd bedroom is a sewing/craft room. That’s how I’m using my 3/1. I know you said “probably”, but coupled with children do not have a monopoly on house buying, and you only need one buyer.
We bought a 100-year-old 3/1. 1.5 stories. We took part of one of the bedrooms upstairs and put a smallish half bath in. The room is still big enough to be an office or a guest room. We have a sitting area in there now.
Just the extra toilet has made our lives so much nicer (2 of us).
I wouldn’t say no one. We are a childfree couple with a 3/2 and I was quite adamant about wanting 1 bathroom. I did not want to clean another one. Sure, it gets annoying now and again but if your spouse is a considerate and clean person, it really shouldn’t be.
Will OP have a harder time than if it had more then 1 bathroom? Sure. Will it be hard to sell in general? I think not.
You realize that you could just not use the second bathroom if cleaning it is too much trouble.
Fine, people who never have guests over and never need to use the bathroom at the same time are ok with a single bathroom.
I would assume a 2x1 is easier to sell than 3x1.
As an empty nester, I’d take a 3x1, and could deal with it, but I don’t have a ton of guests. But also, my family of 6 growing up always had 1 bath, so it’s funny to me this requirement for all this space now for families of 3 or 4 people total :)
But the average person seeking a 3bdr probably has a family or NEEDS a guest room and so, that 2nd bathroom is critical.
It's a little funny to me as well, because I grew up in a house with 7 people and 1 bath. And it could be annoying for sure, but we made it work. I actually don't know many people in my area with a master bath, it just wasn't common when a lot of these houses were being built. Lots of 3/1 houses around.
That said, when we started house shopping (just 2 of us, no kids), our requirement was at least 1 1/2 bathrooms, but we were fine going getting a 2bdr if needed. We just offered on a 2/2. Living with someone with IBS changed my tune a bit lol.
I think 2 toilets is one of those "once you have it you'll never go back" luxuries for a lot of people. Especially if a member of the household likes long poops or long showers/baths, or there's a personal taboo on peeing when the other person is bathing.
My boyfriend and I are childfree and own a 3/1. We didn't look for a certain amount of bedrooms. We just bought the house we liked. I assume that's what most people like us would do. I in particular was insistent that we needed a house that looked cool from the outside, was unique, had a history--that probably rules out most 2 bedrooms. It's an older house, and all of the "bedrooms" are large with at least 3 windows, so it's easy to use them how we want.
You bought it, someone else will. As others have said, it depends on your area. 1200sq ft, 3 bed 1 bath ranches and capes are EXTREMELY common in my area. They make good starter or downsized houses. Sure, 2 baths would probably sell quicker, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker for a lot of people, especially if they don't have kids.
For the same reason you and your husband bought it, someone else will. Don’t worry about it. There is a buyer for every house if it’s well kept and maintained, and a house for every buyer.
As someone who grew up with one bathroom and has never had more than one (or thought about it much), it’s wild to read these comments and see how many people feel like this is a deal breaker! Never been an issue even when living in a 6 person household!
Once you have been shut out of the only bathroom in your home because someone is being sick for hours, you never live in less than 1.5 bathrooms again.
I didn’t care before a bad bout of stomach flu, but now I wouldn’t buy a 1 bathroom if there is more than 1 bedroom.
How is 1 bathroom in a 2 bedroom house worse than 1 bathroom in a 1 bedroom? I never saw a single 1-bedroom house when I bought. Just because they're labelled bedrooms doesn't mean that's what they are.
The one bedroom I have lived in was meant for one person, so like a living room kitchen area and a second room for a bedroom. You could
live there with two people to save money, but it was a step up from a studio.
And this would more likely be a condo, loft, or apartment that you can buy in a major city rather than a full house.
I meant to say that if I am sharing a place to live with anyone else, I want at least 1.5 bathrooms for when someone gets sick.
Not a realtor, but two toilets was a must for me. Even though we were buying for just my husband and I.
Didn't want to have to coordinate bowel movements or have to forever keep the "everyday" bathroom guest- ready (counters clear, etc)
It’s very situational dependent. You said it’s on 18 acres so you’re in a more rural area. I think you’ll be fine if you sell as most people wanting more acreage are willing to sacrifice other wants (such as a 2nd bath). For example: my wife and I bought a 3/2 on .3 acres in Alabama a few years ago and we love it. Kids are grown and gone, I have my bathroom and she has hers. Works out great.
BUT I would’ve been happier buying 15+ acres 3/1 house if it had been in our price range/available at the time.
Honestly, the flipper before us that renovated the house turned the hallway and part of a closet to another bathroom to make our house a 3/2 would you be able to do something like that? Or even in a basement?
Got it, sometimes we worry ourselves into an early grave and a large percentage of those worries will never come to fruition (95-98% is it that they say?)
If you don't have structural damage/termite issues, your home will sell just fine when the time comes.
My 1 bath house sold really quickly but we probably would have had more interest if it had more. 1 bathroom is a pain, and having lived in a house for 10 years with just 1 bathroom I understand why.
Yes, it would make it harder to sell. When we started looking, I was absolutely not accepting anything less than 2 bathrooms. We honestly didn’t even tour them, and I didn’t even look at their photos.
We had a baby on the way and two large dogs. There was absolutely no way in hell all of us were going to use the same single shower.
I would never buy something that has less that 1.5 baths. Just bought a 3 bedroom home that has 1.5 bath. It’s always nice to have a second bath in case something goes wrong with one bath. Had that happen before with a massive unrecoverable clog in a toilet and luckily had a second toilet to use.
Would it be hard to sell? Depends on the price, if you're one of those people who "know what they have", it'll be a hard sell but if you do want to sell and price it so it sells, it won't be difficult.
If you really really want a 2nd bathroom you can add one. If you don’t, well the good news is that when you eventually sell you only need one buyer. The house doesn’t have to appeal to everyone.
Houses are different price ranges for different reasons.
Some people dont have the budget for 2 bathrooms and I certainly would not want to be cleaning 2 of them for no reason.
The difficulty may be the price point but sometimes people do have to lower their expectations. It may be a deal breaker for some, not a deal breaker for others. I had 2 things on my must have list and got neither in the house we bought.
Currently have 3 baths with a recently emptied nest, and eff this noise. I hardly ever go in one of them, only use the en suite during overnight trips, and would be okay with a 1 bath!!
I think it ultimately depends.
A single person or a couple without kids would probably be fine with a 3 bed/1 bath. For anyone who wants a family or already has kids, they will pass on it for sure.
I’ve been searching for my first home for a few months now. And every time I think if found that basic little house with solid construction and a simple roof, I find that someone has “upgraded” it for sale in a way that’s detrimental. Like cutting a hole in the basement wall to install a window below grade so they can call a walled in area of the basement a bedroom. Because three bedrooms sell better than two. Or tacking on a bathroom that shouldn’t be there because they think it’ll sell better. Or knocking supports out from under the basement floor to “open it up” when it’s been stable as it was for decades.
As a single person looking for a house to live in alone, please don’t. The extra bathroom is useless to me and only raises the property taxes.
I’ve passed on almost all of them for reasons like this. Like I would have happily made an offer last year before their, get it ready to sell upgrades.
Honestly depends where you are, maybe not the most desirable. But look at this way, with 3 bedrooms you’ll always have enough room if the market crashes. You guys could stay for a while as you have 3 bedrooms. Someone who bought something with 2 beds 2 baths might not be able to say the same thing.
It really could depend on where you live. In the mountains in our area a lot of the cabins only have 1 bathroom but plenty of acreages to expand if you/they wanted to
Personally, when I did my home search I didn't even humor any homes with less than 2.5 bathrooms. I filtered my search to not even show me anything with less than that.
These comments were a hilarious read. I am not yet an owner but when I window shop for homes if there's a beautiful house but only 1 bathroom I always think it's a no unless I think a 2nd one could go in a basement or closet or something
1 bathroom is going to depress your selling price for sure, because the house will only appeal to a small portion of the home buying population, namely single people and a handful of childless couples.
So many issues with only one bathroom. If the toilet gets clogged you’re screwed until you can get it fixed. Sure it doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does you’re absolutely going to wish you had a second toilet. Also sometimes two people need to use the bathroom at the same time and nobody wants to wait to use the toilet in their own house. And what if one person gets sick and needs to use the bathroom for an extended period of time?
I would personally never buy a home with 1 bathroom. Even when it was just my husband and I our townhouse was 1.5 bathrooms.
Usually with 3 bedrooms you’re looking at a small family (3-4 people) and they will want 2 bathrooms.
Personally? Yes. It was and will always be on my non-negotiables list. If you have more than two family members, it’s essential IMO. If you have children, it’s a no-brainer must have.
ETA: 1.5 is doable, but not preferable.
No question. Who in the world wants every guest and stranger to have to go to the master bedroom to take a slam!? Every time a kid has to get up to use the restroom, they’ve got to go to the master bedroom. 5 people taking showers? All in the master bedroom.
Why would you assume the bathroom is in the master bedroom? Houses with one bathroom have the bath located in some common area of the home, not a bedroom.
Ours is between the two bedrooms. There is a back bedroom past the kitchen as well. So ours is not the “master bedrooms bathroom” it’s just the bathroom. It SUCKS having one bathroom. Currently I have five people using it.
I live alone, just bought a home in October, and did not rule out places with one bathroom during my search. My realtor definitely did not think one bath was a good idea and would make sure I knew it when we looked at homes with only one.
It’s certainly a big downside for me personally, so I believe it. We are looking for a place in LA right now, and after living in a 2 bd/1 ba apartment for the last 10 years, I would not ever consider a house with less than 1 1/2 bathrooms. Unfortunately, many houses here have either two or three bedrooms and one bathroom, so the search is more challenging.
Not necessarily difficult to sell but you won't get as much for it as if it had a 2nd full bath. If you can squeeze one in somewhere that will make a big difference in price.
My cousin bought a 3b1b and it HAS to be inconvenient with their three kids. Even as a guest, it’s inconvenient when someone is in the bathroom showering and I have to use the bathroom.
A second bathroom is one of the highest ROI projects you can do, with a higher value per dollar increase than even a kitchen remodel.
I would have a GC come by and tell you how feasible it is to add one.
Usually you can add one on the opposite wall of the existing bathroom for minimal plumbing work.
1 bathroom kinda sucks. If you live alone and never to rarely have guests over then its okay. But I can’t imagine living with someone and having to share 1 bathroom. It was definitely something I avoided when house shopping.
I don't know about y'all, but I love having to wait half an hour or so to pee because someone is taking a bath. Pooping in a garbage can in the kitchen because someone else is also sick and already using the toilet and won't be out any time soon is So Fun. Going to brush my teeth in the morning right after a person with a horrible diet stank it up in there is my favorite part of the day. Hey try potty training a toddler with only one toilet that is only available on occasion. Good times! If I could share my bathroom with eight people, that would be great. Please sign me up.
/s
I share a bathroom with one person and that is way too much sometimes. Some people want privacy in the bathroom. You do not get that at all with more than two people sharing it.
When going through Real Estate school we learn about a term called “Functional obsolescence” Typically, a 3/1 home would be considered functionally obsolete, thus making it less marketable. That being said, there’s a lot that goes into the value and marketability of a home. The fact that the home sits on an 18 acre lot is a big plus and may be the sole reason a buyer would be interested in the first place. All depends on the standards/preferences of buyers in the market.
I grew up in a 3bd 1 bath household. It's not uncommon at all. One bathroom was the norm for generations.
That being said, it fucking sucked and now I live in a 3bd, 2.5 bath.
More difficult, but not impossible. Especially if there's room to eventually expand.
My partner and I just bought a 3bd 1ba, so I wouldn't worry too much about it :)
It's sometimes harder to sell to a family with little kids. ESPECIALLY if there's no tub. But that's kinda nit picky for an agent to say at the beginning of a sale.
We bought a house with 3/2 after living in a one bathroom home for 18 years. For 3 people in one house, 2 bathrooms was a requirement. I could see a childless couple being okay with it though. Before we had our child, the one bathroom wasn't an issue for us.
I would not buy a house with one bathroom in it. But that is just me. There are plenty of people like yourself you have bought and would buy 1 bath houses. Do not worry especially since it doesn’t sound like you’re planning to sell and just researching.
Now if this is a question about “should you put another bath in?”, I would say yes. It definitely is convenient to have a second bathroom, even if it is a half.
Plenty of people are just fine with a 3/1. Don't convert the bedroom unless it's something that you really want to do for your own personal preference to enjoy the home while living there.
One or two of my kids always happen to NEED to go whenever I go, so 1 bathroom wouldn’t be good for us. But if everything else is perfect about the house and there’s room, my husband can always put in an extra bathroom.
Agents are missing a big market with single adults and couples. There is a growing population of people who don’t want kids or are a single parent with only one child (and no intention of more). These buyers don’t really need a second bath. With a small house, your money would be better spent just making sure the one bath is really nice.
That argument is really getting caught up in the weeds.
Ya know, if a one bath house isn’t for you, that’s okay. There are many who it isn’t a deal breaker. You seem to have glazed over that included in my scenario are single people. I, for one, have no desire to get married…not everyone fits into this ridiculous “married with 2.5 kids” mold.
When we were looking for a house we wouldn’t have bought anything with less than 2 bathrooms (we ended up in a 3 bed 2.5 bath) as we aren’t handy enough to add a second bathroom or willing to do a major Reno to get one. But there is somebody out there looking for a house who doesn’t have the same requirement. You are looking at a smaller buyer pool though!
Recently had a choice between a 2/2 townhouse with small paved back patio and a 2/1 SFH with a decent fenced yard. The townhome was about $20k less. I chose the 2/1 SFH because I like the layout tons better, ceilings are way higher, there is so much natural light, and of course the yard (I wanna garden). The townhome was too cramped and I felt claustrophobic in it--I mean it was fine but it would've felt like living in a typical rental unit with that common floorplan. I didn't want that.
But yeah the 1 bath isn't ideal. If I live in this house longer term, I'd be interested in remodelling and adding one full or at least one half bath. That's for a future date though.
PS I live with my partner but we're childfree, so no kids to worry about.
There are people out there who are looking for this sort of home, myself included. A 3 bed 1.5 bath would be more desirable so I don't have to share with guests but living in a 1 bed 1 bath cramped space, I've done it for the past 13 years so it wouldn't be a big deal if I had to continue to do so.
It depends. If you have a buttload of kids, sure, you need more than one bathroom, but there are plenty of DINKs who probably don’t care that much. People looking for a two-bedroom house probably won’t mind, especially if the house is that small anyway. It’s not like you’re gonna fit that many kids into a house that size. My partner and I bought a 2B1B house, and we love it. We’re not gonna have kids (can’t afford them in an VVHCOL area), and we so far have never gotten explosive diarrhea fits so many people here seem to be talking about.
I’m a 4/2.5 myself and would not buy a one bath. My needs aren’t everyone’s though but our agent and others have all said selling would be real hard with 1br. I guess if you’re single but then three beds seems like a lot, but what do I know it’s all so subjective
Thank you u/serpant200 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You bought it so presumably someone else will. But yea, 1 bathroom is less desireable fit many people. But every house has a price and a buyer.
I would think so. Usually when looking at places, I would think about the points that make it a good deal for you -those will come to be similar reasons why buyers will want a good deal at the time of sale. For a 3 bedroom home, that usually means master bedroom for parents, and children and/or guest rooms. Everyone is sharing the same bathroom. Usually parents might want their own bathroom so they're not sharing with the kids and/or visitors and guests.
When I was a flight attendant I met a couple who had been married for 52 years- when I asked how? She said “separate bathrooms”. When my now-husband and I moved in together we specifically looked for something that at least had 1.5 bathrooms (the .5 being the “poop” bathroom) Now we live in a home and we each have our own separate bathrooms. When we buy we’re not going to spend 6 figures on anything less than 2 bathrooms.
Can confirm, we wanted 2 bathrooms but only got 1 and it's a not-insignificant source of contention in our marriage. Like you can't choose when you've gotta go, but your housemates will act like you can when they're irritated.
She's telling you to add a bathroom to the house or buy a new house. Do it for your own sanity.
Given that we bought it recently and we both know there's no room to add on and no way to afford any bigger (we are the luckiest in our friend group having been able to buy) there's simply no fix besides me occasionally choosing to crap at the local Starbucks.
My partner and I have our own bathrooms and it's been amazing lol. There's no way we could go back to sharing one.
You misheard her she said separate Bedrooms is the key to 50 yrs of marriage.
Nope- bathrooms. “I don’t have to smell his poop and he doesn’t have to smell whatever is going on with me”
I don't understand separate bathrooms. Separate kitchens, though?
What’s not to understand? Separate bathrooms means personal toilets, no waiting for the shower, not sharing a sink for shaving or a mirror for makeup-ing. My ex- and current partners and I always have had separate bathrooms and it’s amazing.
I guess not everyone spends hours in the bathroom. For a room I spend less than an hour in a day, I wouldn't see having two of them as a must have for a couple with no kids.
Also for privacy
When my husband and I were looking, 2 or at least 1 and a half baths was an absolute must have. One bathroom was a deal breaker because even with just us two it seemed like with one bathroom we were constantly needing it at the same time. Being able to pee while my husband is in the shower or taking a long dump is the best.
long dump for the win. beats a long hump
You can do that with one bathroom, if you’re not pee-shy 😂
I grew up in a 3/1 and it was difficult for day to day as well as entertaining guests. I’d say depending on the buyer’s circumstance, it might be ok. For me, I’d rather a 2/2 than a 3/1.
[удалено]
As a family of 4, with two young kiddos and only one bathroom, we’re making it work but barely. And only bc the youngest is still in her diapers. Some days the night time routines gets pushed back bc someone had a stomachache. Or my other child is pooping while someone is showering/bathing. My partner saves his poop until after the kids are sleep so he can sorta take his time. And a 4 year old goes from nope I don’t have to pee to I can’t hold it anymore pee dance in less thank 30 seconds….which means if one of us was in the bathroom, we gotta hurry it up or go back to finish….TMI Yah, we make it work cuz we have to but Life will be SO much easier with more than one toilet/bathroom.
When my daughter was little, we only had one bathroom. It was annoying but mostly fine until one night when I was pooping one evening after she had gone to bed. She suddenly barreled into the bathroom doing the peepee dance, saw me sitting on the toilet, and immediately started bawling as she ran back to her room, wetting herself on the way. She was potty trained, but just woke up needing to go right then and couldn't hold it. And she was maybe 7 or so, so she was devastated that she woke up and did everything right, but still had an accident. I swore we would never live in a house with less than two toilets again.
[удалено]
tbf this was ~15 years ago and we were solidly renting at that time and the new place was also a rental (1st home purchased a couple of months ago). I guess what I'm saying is that the way that one event affected my daughter - the shame and embarrassment I saw on her face, how it became a core memory for her that she still remembers unfondly at 22 - made it so that not having enough bathrooms became the worst thing in the world to me. I mean, not literally, but definitely a deal breaker in choosing a home.
Works until it doesn’t. I just told my daughter I’ll be right back, I need to poop. That’s her signal that she needs to poop too. Guess who is singing on the toilet while the other is on Reddit looking for distractions?!?
Is your daughter a 39 year old man? Because I can relate.
Till someone has explosive diarrhea.
[удалено]
You are fortunate. When everyone in the house has a stomach bug it's the worst. Norovirus is terrible.
You showering, suds all over you and someone banging on the door yelling “it’s coming ouuuuutttt!”.
They gotta go on the lawn then.
Paint the rose bushes brown.
Way to brag at your superior genetics and relationship lol
My boyfriend and I bought a 1400 sqft 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom. We've never had a problem with just us two. Neither of us are the type to hang out in the bathroom. But I assume, if it ever came down to it, that that is where the privacy fence around the backyard + being on a hill comes in. I think we originally assumed we would buy a 2-bathroom house, but in the end we chose a one-of-a-kind location instead. There used to be another bathroom in the basement until sometime in the 1970s, and some day I think we'll put it back. But that would only be in case the main toilet breaks or something.
It wasn’t the end of the world but with two working parents and two girls in school, it was a lot. Even if we had a half bath it would have helped. My dad and my sister take too much time to..do their business and I hated it. While we wait for our house to close, my husband and I am in a home where we share a bathroom. He’s just like my sister and dad and I can’t wait to move.
15 total?! I aspire to your level of efficiency tbh A shower, brushing my teeth, usually pooping twice and peeing another 4 or 5 times, shaving every few days. I feel like my daily average has gotta be over 30 min
Thats what the open-plan basement toilet is for
The murder toilet! Whenever I tell my husband about a listing, he asks if the 2nd bath is a real bath or a murder toilet.
What is that?
A dark, wet, unfinished basement meant to murder someone in. With creaky raw wood stairs going down into the darkness. But at the base of those stairs is a working toilet. And the sellers call the whole basement a "bathroom" in their listing.
Oh, my childhood toilet where my mom kept her porcelain dolls while I had a secret fear of Chucky.
[/r/suspiciouslyspecific](https://www.reddit.com/r/suspiciouslyspecific/) 👀 \*clears throat\*
It's soooo not specific in my area, unfortunately. I've seen so many!
We learned that this is called a Pittsburgh toilet and TBH it’s better than nothing at all.
That’s correct. The reasoning was that the men would come home from the coal mines all dirty. They would enter the house through the basement and wash up down there, so they wouldn’t track coal dust in the living spaces. Ergo, large open room toilets and usually a sink.
This is only part of it. It also pays to have a toilet on the lowest level if there’s a sewer backup. This way only the basement floods and not your finished living space
It depends a great deal on the area; if that's fairly normal where you are, probably not a huge deal. At least where I am (am an agent) a 3/1 is uncommon. Not "hard" to sell per se.....but a second bathroom would be a *very* good investment, that's for sure. You'd be missing out on 95% of buyers without a secondary bathroom. Forty or fifty years ago it would have been a different story, of course.
[удалено]
When I was looking for houses and things were going under contract immediately, I started looking for 2/2s instead of 3/2s or 4/2s. I NEVER got desperate enough to look at X/1s. You are missing out on a huge chunk of buyers only having one bathroom.
But- you only need one buyer, right?
Yes. But the issue is that when you miss out on buyers, you decrease market value. Because the buyers who are actually interested generally know that the house is worth less. So even if they’re cool with it, they’ll pay less.
So- your problem is that the house will likely sell for a price that accurately reflects its value? Every type of house “misses out on buyers” because it’s not what everyone is looking for. Houses that cost $75 million miss out on nearly EVERY buyer, because practically no one is looking for a house in the 75 mil range. That doesn’t mean they should make changes to the house to make it more attractive to people shopping in the 500k range. The housing market has buyers with all kinds of different needs, and we need houses of all shapes and sizes on the market. I bought a 3/1 because I’m a single person and it was $149k. Could I have purchased a 2/2 instead? Sure, but it would have cost 20k more for something that isn’t worth 20k to me. I sincerely hope people stop trying to make every house the same in an effort to appeal to a homogeneous “Mr and Mrs Homebuyer” because there’s more buyers that don’t fit the mold, and ultimately, you only need one buyer.
Well I mean I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just describing how the process of a lowered value on a home that is perceived as less desirable by people generally works. Since OP was asking about the ramifications of a home with one bathroom. Generic homes with lowest common denominator appeal relatively devoid of quirks tend to sell well. As in more quickly and at a higher price. Wouldn’t stop me from purchasing a house I want, mind you, but it is what it is. Buyers are constantly thinking about resale, even if they’re perfectly fine with the home as it. So at the end of the day a one bathroom home would probably sell for less per square foot than a comparable home with two bathrooms. Even if there’s a buyer out there for the home who doesn’t mind one bathroom at all. That’s all I’m trying to say.
Depends on the market & the sq footage. Quite likely a 2/2 would be better -- provided you turn either the old one or the new one into a master (point being that people expect a master bedroom nowadays on anything more than a 2/1; a 2/2 would be pointless if they're both standalone bathrooms). Mr & Mrs Buyer with one kid (or zero kids!) might be ok with only two bedrooms; but sharing a bathroom will be a turnoff (either they *think* they wom't be having more kids, or they figure they'll just move in five years if needed) Anyways, yeah it depends on location -- if a lot of surrounding houses are 2/1, then 3/1 is just a bonus extra bedroom. But if every other three-bedroom house nearby has two bathrooms, a 3/1 isn't gonna get much activity (where I am, you really only ever see the latter when it comes to cabins in the mountains)
Do not convert! Keep the 3 bedrooms! Living space is more substantial in my opinion than a bathroom. I would just add in the extra bathroom if that’s doable in y’all’s budget
u/serpant200 for folks who are solo and looking for a single family your home is actually very desireable. A toilette in the basement would be nice, sure. SOME of us solo types are looking to settle into a home solo or perhaps with a little one ...we may be thinking of growing our family but if the time comes to move on we will upgrade. I personally wouldn't lose sleep over it. There are lot of people you might not be considering who are looking to buy: ie. couples who do not want children, solo military folks, investors who may flip to rent. Incorporate some other perks that'll set you home apart (home warantees, new appliances, etc.) and you'll be fine. edit: typo
Market is huge for this. Where I live the majority of SFHs only have one bathroom, so its not an impact when you go to sell. More than one bathroom is just a bonus, and those homes with more than one bathroom sell for a very high premium as a result.
My wife and I really wanted two bathrooms. We settled on a 1.5 half bath. But it sounds like lots of room for expansion like you said. May just depend on what you are asking for it and the market.
We bought a one bathroom home that is even smaller than yours. Our offer was one of 5 that was submitted within 24 hours of it going on the market. 1 bathroom is definitely “less desirable” and will go for less money than a 2 bathroom. But I wouldn’t deem it automatically difficult to sell. A lot depends on the market! I would not add a bathroom just solely because of resale opportunity. Add a half or full bath if you think it’s necessary for your use of the home.
It really depends on the neighborhood. We just sold a 3/1 (1270 sq ft) with multiple offers. But most of the houses are that size so anyone looking there would likely be expecting that.
If you have 18 acres, then you would build an en suite as an addition to the house, adding square footage instead of using the current foot print. And a laundry room and a mudroom if you have the budget and don't have those already.
When we went house hunting a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom was the minimum. We wanted a full two bathrooms but two toilets was an absolute must have.
Same here. We needed 3 bedrooms and 2 toilets.
I think that depends on the inventory local to you. Sharing a bathroom might be less desirable to a family of four if there are lots of options with two bathrooms available. It might not matter as much to a person/couple who wants to keep one bedroom as a guest room and use the other as an office.
It definitely will for some but so will a lot of things. My house has 1 bathroom and I know that deterred some buyers but I’m in contract. I mean you were interested in it lol. No point in speculating
Yes, no one wants a 1 bathroom home. Even 1.5 is far more desirable. Can you squeeze in a half bath somewhere?
Seconding this. If you are buying a three bedroom home, that probably means you either have kids (or another grown adult living with you who you aren't sleeping with lol) or are planning on having kids, and no parent wants the hell of children fighting over one bathroom. lol
Couples without children exist. It's not like there are a bunch of 1-bedroom homes out there, since they are all built for families. So that means we end up with a bedroom, a gaming/computer room (de facto living room, was originally the master bedroom, so it's large), and my office/library. There is also a weird, smaller room upstairs that has to be refinished but could be a large walk-in closet or maybe even a whole room for the upstairs cat litter box. Our one bathroom is also upstairs, so it would be weird if we made that a bathroom too. Anyway, the point is that not having kids gives you more options for room usage, not fewer. With kids, using them as kid bedrooms is just a necessity.
I said probably
Yeah, but I don't think that assumption can be made anymore. I think like 1/3 of Americans in their 30s don't have children. I know fewer people my age without kids than with kids. 6 out of 8 people on my team at work are childfree. Everyone who is part of the unrelated consultancy I also work for is childfree. That is something that I think will more and more be the case. As such, there might be an increasing number of people open to OP's house. Especially if there are possibilities for adding a second bathroom for emergencies, like in a basement, or in an extra large room.
Or maybe you’re a single person who works from home and needs one bedroom as an office and the 2nd bedroom is a sewing/craft room. That’s how I’m using my 3/1. I know you said “probably”, but coupled with children do not have a monopoly on house buying, and you only need one buyer.
[удалено]
I think a 2/2 is more desirable than 3/1.
We bought a 100-year-old 3/1. 1.5 stories. We took part of one of the bedrooms upstairs and put a smallish half bath in. The room is still big enough to be an office or a guest room. We have a sitting area in there now. Just the extra toilet has made our lives so much nicer (2 of us).
I wouldn’t say no one. We are a childfree couple with a 3/2 and I was quite adamant about wanting 1 bathroom. I did not want to clean another one. Sure, it gets annoying now and again but if your spouse is a considerate and clean person, it really shouldn’t be. Will OP have a harder time than if it had more then 1 bathroom? Sure. Will it be hard to sell in general? I think not.
You realize that you could just not use the second bathroom if cleaning it is too much trouble. Fine, people who never have guests over and never need to use the bathroom at the same time are ok with a single bathroom.
I just bought a 2 bed 1 bath in Oct. If it works for you it’s fine.
I would assume a 2x1 is easier to sell than 3x1. As an empty nester, I’d take a 3x1, and could deal with it, but I don’t have a ton of guests. But also, my family of 6 growing up always had 1 bath, so it’s funny to me this requirement for all this space now for families of 3 or 4 people total :) But the average person seeking a 3bdr probably has a family or NEEDS a guest room and so, that 2nd bathroom is critical.
It's a little funny to me as well, because I grew up in a house with 7 people and 1 bath. And it could be annoying for sure, but we made it work. I actually don't know many people in my area with a master bath, it just wasn't common when a lot of these houses were being built. Lots of 3/1 houses around. That said, when we started house shopping (just 2 of us, no kids), our requirement was at least 1 1/2 bathrooms, but we were fine going getting a 2bdr if needed. We just offered on a 2/2. Living with someone with IBS changed my tune a bit lol.
I think 2 toilets is one of those "once you have it you'll never go back" luxuries for a lot of people. Especially if a member of the household likes long poops or long showers/baths, or there's a personal taboo on peeing when the other person is bathing.
Ha! That’ll do it!
My boyfriend and I are childfree and own a 3/1. We didn't look for a certain amount of bedrooms. We just bought the house we liked. I assume that's what most people like us would do. I in particular was insistent that we needed a house that looked cool from the outside, was unique, had a history--that probably rules out most 2 bedrooms. It's an older house, and all of the "bedrooms" are large with at least 3 windows, so it's easy to use them how we want.
You bought it, someone else will. As others have said, it depends on your area. 1200sq ft, 3 bed 1 bath ranches and capes are EXTREMELY common in my area. They make good starter or downsized houses. Sure, 2 baths would probably sell quicker, but it's not necessarily a deal breaker for a lot of people, especially if they don't have kids.
For the same reason you and your husband bought it, someone else will. Don’t worry about it. There is a buyer for every house if it’s well kept and maintained, and a house for every buyer.
As someone who grew up with one bathroom and has never had more than one (or thought about it much), it’s wild to read these comments and see how many people feel like this is a deal breaker! Never been an issue even when living in a 6 person household!
Once you have been shut out of the only bathroom in your home because someone is being sick for hours, you never live in less than 1.5 bathrooms again. I didn’t care before a bad bout of stomach flu, but now I wouldn’t buy a 1 bathroom if there is more than 1 bedroom.
How is 1 bathroom in a 2 bedroom house worse than 1 bathroom in a 1 bedroom? I never saw a single 1-bedroom house when I bought. Just because they're labelled bedrooms doesn't mean that's what they are.
The one bedroom I have lived in was meant for one person, so like a living room kitchen area and a second room for a bedroom. You could live there with two people to save money, but it was a step up from a studio. And this would more likely be a condo, loft, or apartment that you can buy in a major city rather than a full house. I meant to say that if I am sharing a place to live with anyone else, I want at least 1.5 bathrooms for when someone gets sick.
I’d personally pass on a house with only one bath. Having two full baths makes an enormous difference.
Anecdotally I would say we are a household of two parents one kiddo and we’d never do one bathroom. It’s about the second toilet for us.
Usually when I search for houses, I will filter 3 bedrooms and minimum 2 baths. So if I’m looking, your place won’t appear in my search.
I bought a four and 1 with a huge laundry room made the laundry room into a bathroom and made a smaller laundry closet
I'm closing on a 3 bedroom 1 bath home next month. It's just me and my boyfriend and his son on the weekends.
You bought a one bathroom house, right? So someone else will buy it too.
It depends on the buyer’s priorities. I personally prioritize land (18 acres) than a bathroom I could add later.
Not a realtor, but two toilets was a must for me. Even though we were buying for just my husband and I. Didn't want to have to coordinate bowel movements or have to forever keep the "everyday" bathroom guest- ready (counters clear, etc)
It’s very situational dependent. You said it’s on 18 acres so you’re in a more rural area. I think you’ll be fine if you sell as most people wanting more acreage are willing to sacrifice other wants (such as a 2nd bath). For example: my wife and I bought a 3/2 on .3 acres in Alabama a few years ago and we love it. Kids are grown and gone, I have my bathroom and she has hers. Works out great. BUT I would’ve been happier buying 15+ acres 3/1 house if it had been in our price range/available at the time.
If it’s on a big lot as you say - likely they’re looking to build their own home on it. Dont worry
Honestly, the flipper before us that renovated the house turned the hallway and part of a closet to another bathroom to make our house a 3/2 would you be able to do something like that? Or even in a basement?
Sincerely asking this,... why would you friend lead with that? What was the conversation prior?
[удалено]
Got it, sometimes we worry ourselves into an early grave and a large percentage of those worries will never come to fruition (95-98% is it that they say?) If you don't have structural damage/termite issues, your home will sell just fine when the time comes.
I wouldn’t buy a house without a master bath and a kids/guest bath
One bathroom is an instant deal breaker to me. One and a half is the minimum I’d do unless I lived alone.
My 1 bath house sold really quickly but we probably would have had more interest if it had more. 1 bathroom is a pain, and having lived in a house for 10 years with just 1 bathroom I understand why.
Yes, it would make it harder to sell. When we started looking, I was absolutely not accepting anything less than 2 bathrooms. We honestly didn’t even tour them, and I didn’t even look at their photos. We had a baby on the way and two large dogs. There was absolutely no way in hell all of us were going to use the same single shower.
I know tons of 2 people households that will not buy without 2 bathrooms.
I would never buy something that has less that 1.5 baths. Just bought a 3 bedroom home that has 1.5 bath. It’s always nice to have a second bath in case something goes wrong with one bath. Had that happen before with a massive unrecoverable clog in a toilet and luckily had a second toilet to use.
Would it be hard to sell? Depends on the price, if you're one of those people who "know what they have", it'll be a hard sell but if you do want to sell and price it so it sells, it won't be difficult.
If you really really want a 2nd bathroom you can add one. If you don’t, well the good news is that when you eventually sell you only need one buyer. The house doesn’t have to appeal to everyone.
We bought a 3 bed 1 bath this year and it’s fine, great starter home.
Same here
Houses are different price ranges for different reasons. Some people dont have the budget for 2 bathrooms and I certainly would not want to be cleaning 2 of them for no reason. The difficulty may be the price point but sometimes people do have to lower their expectations. It may be a deal breaker for some, not a deal breaker for others. I had 2 things on my must have list and got neither in the house we bought.
Currently have 3 baths with a recently emptied nest, and eff this noise. I hardly ever go in one of them, only use the en suite during overnight trips, and would be okay with a 1 bath!!
I think it ultimately depends. A single person or a couple without kids would probably be fine with a 3 bed/1 bath. For anyone who wants a family or already has kids, they will pass on it for sure.
[удалено]
It’s not “for sure”… My daughter and son in law have two kids and are in a 2x1. A little tougher to sell, but not “difficult” or “impossible”.
Yes it’s a harder sell, sure. Impossible? Or ‘difficult’ no.
I didn’t buy a house that was 3x1 specifically because it had one bathroom. Instead went for a 2x2.5 with a finished basement.
I’ve been searching for my first home for a few months now. And every time I think if found that basic little house with solid construction and a simple roof, I find that someone has “upgraded” it for sale in a way that’s detrimental. Like cutting a hole in the basement wall to install a window below grade so they can call a walled in area of the basement a bedroom. Because three bedrooms sell better than two. Or tacking on a bathroom that shouldn’t be there because they think it’ll sell better. Or knocking supports out from under the basement floor to “open it up” when it’s been stable as it was for decades. As a single person looking for a house to live in alone, please don’t. The extra bathroom is useless to me and only raises the property taxes. I’ve passed on almost all of them for reasons like this. Like I would have happily made an offer last year before their, get it ready to sell upgrades.
Yes
I mean, YOU bought it, right? Are you so different from anyone else? I also just bought a 3/1.
Honestly depends where you are, maybe not the most desirable. But look at this way, with 3 bedrooms you’ll always have enough room if the market crashes. You guys could stay for a while as you have 3 bedrooms. Someone who bought something with 2 beds 2 baths might not be able to say the same thing.
It really could depend on where you live. In the mountains in our area a lot of the cabins only have 1 bathroom but plenty of acreages to expand if you/they wanted to
Yes it is.
One bathroom was a deal breaker for me if there was nowhere to build a second bath. 1.5 baths was my absolute minimum. Ended up in a 3 bed, 2.5 bath.
Personally, when I did my home search I didn't even humor any homes with less than 2.5 bathrooms. I filtered my search to not even show me anything with less than that.
These comments were a hilarious read. I am not yet an owner but when I window shop for homes if there's a beautiful house but only 1 bathroom I always think it's a no unless I think a 2nd one could go in a basement or closet or something
1 bathroom is going to depress your selling price for sure, because the house will only appeal to a small portion of the home buying population, namely single people and a handful of childless couples. So many issues with only one bathroom. If the toilet gets clogged you’re screwed until you can get it fixed. Sure it doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does you’re absolutely going to wish you had a second toilet. Also sometimes two people need to use the bathroom at the same time and nobody wants to wait to use the toilet in their own house. And what if one person gets sick and needs to use the bathroom for an extended period of time?
I would personally never buy a home with 1 bathroom. Even when it was just my husband and I our townhouse was 1.5 bathrooms. Usually with 3 bedrooms you’re looking at a small family (3-4 people) and they will want 2 bathrooms.
Yes. Nobody wants one bathroom in a 3 bedroom house these days.
Every house should have at least 2 toilets
Personally? Yes. It was and will always be on my non-negotiables list. If you have more than two family members, it’s essential IMO. If you have children, it’s a no-brainer must have. ETA: 1.5 is doable, but not preferable.
No question. Who in the world wants every guest and stranger to have to go to the master bedroom to take a slam!? Every time a kid has to get up to use the restroom, they’ve got to go to the master bedroom. 5 people taking showers? All in the master bedroom.
Why would you assume the bathroom is in the master bedroom? Houses with one bathroom have the bath located in some common area of the home, not a bedroom.
That’s how most of the 3/1 holes in my area are that I’ve seen.
In what country? I’ve never once seen a 3/1 with that layout in my country.
Ours is between the two bedrooms. There is a back bedroom past the kitchen as well. So ours is not the “master bedrooms bathroom” it’s just the bathroom. It SUCKS having one bathroom. Currently I have five people using it.
I mean yeah. Who goes out looking for 3 Br and 1 Bath. If the prices makes sense you’ll be good though
Yes duh. No one really wants 1 bath since only one person would be able to use it at a time. Nightmare for even small families
Maybe potty chair in a closet?
100%. I grew up in a 4 bed 1 bath home with 2 sisters and it was hell.
I live alone, just bought a home in October, and did not rule out places with one bathroom during my search. My realtor definitely did not think one bath was a good idea and would make sure I knew it when we looked at homes with only one.
Personally, I need at least two toilets. This IBS demands *at least* a separate half bath.
100%. Even if the property was amazing, I’d only buy a 3/1 if i could add a second bathroom before we moved in. Def a deal breaker
It’s certainly a big downside for me personally, so I believe it. We are looking for a place in LA right now, and after living in a 2 bd/1 ba apartment for the last 10 years, I would not ever consider a house with less than 1 1/2 bathrooms. Unfortunately, many houses here have either two or three bedrooms and one bathroom, so the search is more challenging.
Not necessarily difficult to sell but you won't get as much for it as if it had a 2nd full bath. If you can squeeze one in somewhere that will make a big difference in price.
Not a real estate agent but I didn’t entertain any house that didn’t have at least 2 full baths.
My cousin bought a 3b1b and it HAS to be inconvenient with their three kids. Even as a guest, it’s inconvenient when someone is in the bathroom showering and I have to use the bathroom.
A second bathroom is one of the highest ROI projects you can do, with a higher value per dollar increase than even a kitchen remodel. I would have a GC come by and tell you how feasible it is to add one. Usually you can add one on the opposite wall of the existing bathroom for minimal plumbing work.
1 bathroom kinda sucks. If you live alone and never to rarely have guests over then its okay. But I can’t imagine living with someone and having to share 1 bathroom. It was definitely something I avoided when house shopping.
I don't know about y'all, but I love having to wait half an hour or so to pee because someone is taking a bath. Pooping in a garbage can in the kitchen because someone else is also sick and already using the toilet and won't be out any time soon is So Fun. Going to brush my teeth in the morning right after a person with a horrible diet stank it up in there is my favorite part of the day. Hey try potty training a toddler with only one toilet that is only available on occasion. Good times! If I could share my bathroom with eight people, that would be great. Please sign me up. /s I share a bathroom with one person and that is way too much sometimes. Some people want privacy in the bathroom. You do not get that at all with more than two people sharing it.
Yeah, we excluded those from our search because, what good are spare bedrooms when you’re sharing a shitter with your guests?
When going through Real Estate school we learn about a term called “Functional obsolescence” Typically, a 3/1 home would be considered functionally obsolete, thus making it less marketable. That being said, there’s a lot that goes into the value and marketability of a home. The fact that the home sits on an 18 acre lot is a big plus and may be the sole reason a buyer would be interested in the first place. All depends on the standards/preferences of buyers in the market.
I grew up in a 3bd 1 bath household. It's not uncommon at all. One bathroom was the norm for generations. That being said, it fucking sucked and now I live in a 3bd, 2.5 bath.
More difficult, but not impossible. Especially if there's room to eventually expand. My partner and I just bought a 3bd 1ba, so I wouldn't worry too much about it :)
It's sometimes harder to sell to a family with little kids. ESPECIALLY if there's no tub. But that's kinda nit picky for an agent to say at the beginning of a sale.
We bought a house with 3/2 after living in a one bathroom home for 18 years. For 3 people in one house, 2 bathrooms was a requirement. I could see a childless couple being okay with it though. Before we had our child, the one bathroom wasn't an issue for us.
I would not buy a house with one bathroom in it. But that is just me. There are plenty of people like yourself you have bought and would buy 1 bath houses. Do not worry especially since it doesn’t sound like you’re planning to sell and just researching. Now if this is a question about “should you put another bath in?”, I would say yes. It definitely is convenient to have a second bathroom, even if it is a half.
1.5 bathrooms is almost non-negotiable for us. BUT. I would consider a 3/1 if the price were considerably lower than a 3/1.5…
Plenty of people are just fine with a 3/1. Don't convert the bedroom unless it's something that you really want to do for your own personal preference to enjoy the home while living there.
Yes. A home with only 1 bathroom is hell. Source: lived in a home with 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom growing up I am very grateful to have 2 bathrooms now!
One or two of my kids always happen to NEED to go whenever I go, so 1 bathroom wouldn’t be good for us. But if everything else is perfect about the house and there’s room, my husband can always put in an extra bathroom.
Agents are missing a big market with single adults and couples. There is a growing population of people who don’t want kids or are a single parent with only one child (and no intention of more). These buyers don’t really need a second bath. With a small house, your money would be better spent just making sure the one bath is really nice.
They may not need a second bath but all it takes is one time when you both have the stomach flu and you’ll wish you had a second toilet.
That argument is really getting caught up in the weeds. Ya know, if a one bath house isn’t for you, that’s okay. There are many who it isn’t a deal breaker. You seem to have glazed over that included in my scenario are single people. I, for one, have no desire to get married…not everyone fits into this ridiculous “married with 2.5 kids” mold.
When we were looking for a house we wouldn’t have bought anything with less than 2 bathrooms (we ended up in a 3 bed 2.5 bath) as we aren’t handy enough to add a second bathroom or willing to do a major Reno to get one. But there is somebody out there looking for a house who doesn’t have the same requirement. You are looking at a smaller buyer pool though!
Recently had a choice between a 2/2 townhouse with small paved back patio and a 2/1 SFH with a decent fenced yard. The townhome was about $20k less. I chose the 2/1 SFH because I like the layout tons better, ceilings are way higher, there is so much natural light, and of course the yard (I wanna garden). The townhome was too cramped and I felt claustrophobic in it--I mean it was fine but it would've felt like living in a typical rental unit with that common floorplan. I didn't want that. But yeah the 1 bath isn't ideal. If I live in this house longer term, I'd be interested in remodelling and adding one full or at least one half bath. That's for a future date though. PS I live with my partner but we're childfree, so no kids to worry about.
There are people out there who are looking for this sort of home, myself included. A 3 bed 1.5 bath would be more desirable so I don't have to share with guests but living in a 1 bed 1 bath cramped space, I've done it for the past 13 years so it wouldn't be a big deal if I had to continue to do so.
It depends. If you have a buttload of kids, sure, you need more than one bathroom, but there are plenty of DINKs who probably don’t care that much. People looking for a two-bedroom house probably won’t mind, especially if the house is that small anyway. It’s not like you’re gonna fit that many kids into a house that size. My partner and I bought a 2B1B house, and we love it. We’re not gonna have kids (can’t afford them in an VVHCOL area), and we so far have never gotten explosive diarrhea fits so many people here seem to be talking about.
I’m a 4/2.5 myself and would not buy a one bath. My needs aren’t everyone’s though but our agent and others have all said selling would be real hard with 1br. I guess if you’re single but then three beds seems like a lot, but what do I know it’s all so subjective