Adding up all the benefits of bedrooms

THIS week it’s all about bedrooms. In particular, I want to talk numbers and try to put to bed the age-old debate about the importance of the bedroom count and how it can have such a strong influence on the marketing of apartments and houses.

Next time you are looking for a property, one of the main criteria for most purchases is the bedroom count.

It is the most simplistic way of establishing if the size of a home meets your needs.

Like anything in property, the most popular searches, and bedroom counts, depend on where and what market you are buying and selling within.

City/urban locations may be all about one and two bedrooms, while in family areas, you might want four bedrooms.

But what do you do if your home does not offer a typical bedroom count for the price range and area?

Could you potentially be missing out on possible buyers?

Even when searches are undertaken by price range and area, the bedroom number is often a prominent part of the listing. It can mean you as a buyer may simply skip that potential dream home.

Alternatively as a vendor, potential buyers may skip your listing – certainly not ideal scenarios either way.

I am often asked for solutions to questions relating to bedroom counts; for example, is converting a garage to a bedroom a good idea?

How about dividing a large bedroom into two, losing a bedroom to add a bathroom or extending to add bedrooms?

In general, bedroom numbers are vital to the desirability and value of any residential property, but they are only part of the story.

That bedroom number must be linked to living room and bathroom counts, along with the property type, market and typical buyer profiles.

So here are a few of my general bedroom number rules:

Converting a garage to a bedroom does not add value if you lose the ability to park cars under cover. It becomes a lifestyle choice.

Converting large bedrooms into two may add a little value if new room sizes are not too compromised and feel like “real” rooms.

However, in a family area where four bedrooms are the norm, five may help, but adding a sixth is unlikely to be seen as a real advantage.

Extending the home to add bedrooms usually is a valueadder providing it is undertaken with sympathetic design.

Losing a bedroom for another use, such as providing another bathroom, is often a neutral impact on values and demand.

The gain of any bathroom may outweigh the loss of a bedroom, unless the new bedroom count is below “typical” numbers.

In some situations and markets the “occasional bedroom” can be a value-adder and sometimes even a desirable feature. In urban areas a recess area or room off another can be seen as flexible or a guest bedroom space.

It’s not an official bedroom but explains the “2/3” or “1/2” description you see on some listings. No built-ins or even windows are necessarily required.

To be a true bedroom by most buyers’ definitions you will need 8sq m to 9sq m as a minimum size, a direct source of natural light and ideally some built-in storage.

The bedroom count is a vital part of your real estate but remember that in the context of your local market and property type, just adding bedrooms does not simply add value in all situations.

For buyers, when searching please consider one bedroom less than your ideal, which will add to your options, then review the floor plan to see if another could be added later. Andrew Winter hosts Selling on Lifestyle