Need advice

[nickers]

I'll try to keep this brief. We paid $110,000 for our 1350 sq ft. home. Great starter home - 3 bd, 1 bath and the neighborhood it is in has all comparable homes. However, thinking about resale - the 3 bedrooms are very small. Two of them are 10 x 11 and the other is 10 x 10. Very small. One of the "features" of the homes in this area is that the washer and dryer are usually in the kitchen but we are lucky enough to have a small room in the garage for the W & D. I have some questions about options we might have to adding to the value.

1. We can adjust where the W & D are and make a small 1/2 bath by cutting a door in the den wall. This makes it a 3bd 1 1/2 bath.

2. Do we convert the 1 car garage (already a converted carport) which is about 11 x 19 into a larger bedroom with a 3/4 or even a full bath with the W & D on the back side? (note: we do not use the garage except for minimal storage - we live in the south and deal with very little weather.

3. Do we make our house a 2 bedroom / 2 bath by knocking out a wall b/t two of the bedrooms and make it one larger bedroom with a second bathroom?

The ideal solution would be to add on but financially that is not really an option. I know 2 bedroom homes are not as desirable but this is a well established "starter home" neighborhood with either young couples or retirees - not too many families in between.

I need a seasoned real estate person to tell me what the "best" option is as far as the future sale of our home would be concerned. When we bought it, it had been on the market for about 2 months longer than the typical home in this neighborhood. It has a lot to do with the outdated decor which we have changed, but it could also have had a lot to do with no real master bedroom and only one bathroom.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Duncan Pollock]

I don't think you can reach the right/best answer without also dealing with the monetary side of the possible changes. If, for example, you spend $10,000 in alterations, will your asking price be able to get it back for you or even, heaven forbid, fail to do so?
So your starting point is perhaps to ask some local listing agent for his/her opinion of your present market value and how much -- if at all - it could/would increase if you went to two bedrooms instead of three and two baths instead of one.
In general, you're usually better to let potential buyers make whatever improvements they want. The argument for anticipating them rests mainly on either your own added convenience or the likelihood of increasing the salability (and not necessarily the price) of your home.

Duncan

[nickers]

The den, by definition in this area, is a family room and is quite large and a well done addition. The only other room, besides the kitchen, is a formal living room/dining room combo. I'd have to check again, but if I remember correctly, most of the 3/2 houses sell for around $15K or more than what we paid.

We are/will update all landscaping - it's a very important feature in this neck of the woods. It looked nice before but I know we can do a little better.

I am leaning towards the 1/2 bath addition - having a second toilet seems priceless, even with only 2 people here now.

Plus, it shouldn't cost too much because the water line and electrical are there already b/c of the washer/dryer.

Thanks.

[kensmith]

You need to contact a top lister in your area for this answer. I could tell you what would work in the Chicago area, but that wouldn't do you much good. A half bath is always a big help in selling a home, even better if there is direct access from the master bedroom. Look aroung your neighborhood and see who has the most signs up or talk to the agent you used to buy the house.
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