Why homebuyers are looking for homes with two primary bedrooms
If you’re in the market for a home with two primary bedrooms and you keep coming up short, it might be because you’re not the only one.
The demand for homes with two primary bedrooms has risen in popularity recently for the flexibility, convenience and privacy they provide for a variety of different living situations.
While this trend is not entirely new, today’s tough housing market, the need for more accessibility in homes and the ever-changing aspects of luxury living has pushed it to the forefront in recent years.
Here are why homebuyers are searching for homes with two primary bedrooms.
For aging generations
Similarly to the demand for first-floor bedrooms, those looking for homes with two primary bedrooms are doing so to make sure that they can safely age in their homes.
“I do hear it a lot. You’re getting it from people that want to downsize, and for anybody that’s looking to build new, you’re hearing that too because it allows people to stay in homes longer. If they can manage steps now, they’re thinking that they might not be able to in 10 years,” said Max Stokes, a partner of the Fox & Stokes team at Compass Real Estate. “It’s kind of textbook, like you can deal with stairs now, you like being upstairs, but then as you get older, you can shift to that downstairs primary bedroom and be okay to stay in your home for a much longer period of time.”
Stokes said that in places like Bergen County, homes were built for baby boomers who, at the time, weren’t thinking about getting older and having changing needs. He said over time, more accessible home styles, like ranches, were knocked down to build the larger colonial homes we see more often. Because of this, having two primary bedrooms is not only a trend among younger generations looking to stay in their homes long-term, but it is popular among older generations looking for their next and final property.
Jill Lapham Rotta, a realtor with
Green Pond Real Estate along with her mother, Marilyn Lapham, said she often sees the demand for this among older generations who are looking for the home they’d like to retire and stay in.
“This is definitely a trend that’s come up probably in the last like five to ten years, and I think it’s because we have baby boomers starting to retire and starting to think about the next season of life,” she said. “They’ve seen their own parents kind of aged out of homes like bi-levels and split levels and homes with lots of stairs. Now, they’re looking for a home that they can retire in and a home that is a draw for their kids and grandchildren, and yet they don’t want to leave that home until possible assisted living sometime down the line.”
To accommodate visiting family members
Rotta said the need for two primary bedrooms among older generations is also to better accommodate children or grandchildren that may come to visit. Similarly, she said younger generations looking to buy a home may search for those with two primary bedrooms to accommodate their older relatives that may come to stay with them.
“A lot of our market is second homes up here in Green Pond. We’re a lake community and there’s a lot of young families who love the idea of a primary on the first floor for their parents or grandparents that come to visit,” Rotta said. “Then, if they have children, they want a primary on the second floor because they want to be closer to their children.”
For multigenerational households
Multigenerational households are also interested in homes with two primary bedrooms. Stokes said that there are cases where children are taking in their parents, whether it’s for financial reasons or to help care for them. Because of this, having two primary bedrooms will ensure everyone has their space and privacy.
“It gives people privacy because let’s just say your parents are on the first floor and you’re upstairs. You’re not crossing hairs all day long and everybody can meet up in the kitchen or the heart of the home,” he said. “Financially it’s great because if you got two people splitting a mortgage, it really works out nicely. Especially if someone in this market can sell their home for a premium and move in with their kids, there’s a lot of benefit there.”
Joshua Baris, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Realty’s Global Luxury Division based in Fort Lee, said that we’ve more commonly seen in-law suites in lower levels of the home, like the basement. He said that it’s not practical to have older family members living in these parts of the house in multigenerational households, so having a second primary bedroom on the first floor is a better solution.
For different sleeping habits in couples
Another big reason having two primary bedrooms has become increasingly popular is because many couples have found themselves wanting separate spaces to sleep due to different habits.
Baris said that ever since the pandemic, when people were spending more time at home, more couples have found themselves wanting their own space. This makes having two primary bedrooms the ideal solution because couples can get their space, and they don’t have to worry about waking one another up with different sleeping habits.
“Interestingly enough, they started to notice that having that second room or primary suite as an office really kind of turned more into, ‘I need my own space. I’m seeing you all day long and you’re snoring at night and I’m not getting any sleep,’” he said. “And then now, when you’re leaving early to go to the office you don’t want to wake up your significant other. So, sometimes it’s easier to say OK, we’re going to sleep in separate rooms.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy , and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.