Ah, my favorite topic whether it's the house for sale my buyer with six kids must have or the house someone wants me to list it for me!
The property in question is almost always the 1900+/- square foot house that's a raised ranch or split foyer, whatever you'd like to call it. As you open the front door, you can go up about 7 steps to the living area or go down about 7 steps into the basement. As you go upstairs, you have the usual living room/dining room combination, kitchen, hall bath and in this case, 3 bedrooms, owner's suite has it's own bath, then there's a small sewing or craft room with an armoire in it that the sellers say is the fourth bedroom because Grandma stays there when she comes.
As you return to the entry and walk down the 7 steps to the basement, you face the laundry closet. To the right is a small room with a nice ceiling light fixture, carpeting, a half window and a pull out style daybed against a wall, no closet. "Bedroom number five," the owner announces. We turn left into what was originally designed as a rec room and closest to the window half of the room is a set of bunk beds, separated from the rest of the room by a bizarre rigging of a heavy sort of plastic accordion dooring for lack of a better description. I say nothing as the seller looks me in the eye, nodding and I can hear him say in his head "Bedroom number six." We keep walking to the back where the entrance should be to the garage. Sure enough, as we approach what was a storage area, I look where the seller was standing yet I see none other than Rod Serling standing in a fog of smoke, squinting, cigarette in hand saying, "Bedroom number seven."
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Wow, sellers think so much of their homes sometimes but this sounds like a rabbit warren. I guess it's always "in the eye of the beholder". ;-)
I had to chuckle! Just had one of these not too long ago!
Russell Lewis, Broker,CLHMS,GRI (AvenueOne Properties, Austin Texas Real Estate) Russel whether you are listing or Fielding a buyer call. The reality is always the same. They are counting everything as a bedroom! The buyers are always disappointed, and the sellers are always adamant!
Duane Murphy (Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group Inc.) This is a constant in real estate.
Jim...They are working under the Cheaper by the Half Dozen theory, I ask this type of seller what his tax card says the place is? Or the Approved number of bedrooms for the septic design...and that is all we can call it!
Seven bedrooms gee I guess mine is six bedrooms then. Some people???
Jim..You do have quite a way with words...Your Southern charm is showing even if you were raised up North...:0)
HELPFULHANNAH
Steve Loynd, Alpine Lakes Real Estate Inc., Loon Mt, NH. I do not know what the theory is. Every home on the street is identical, and they are all listed as a 3/2. Some sellers want the biggest bang for the buck. The buyers are always disappointed because no one in their household can sleep in a 6X8 room!
John Walters (Licensed in Slidell, Louisiana) (Slidell, Pearl River, Lacombe) I once saw an agent trying to tell a person that a room by the furnace room in the back of the basement...without windows was a bedroom!
Hannah Williams (Re/Max affiliates NE) Hannah, I'm on a mission to enlighten! :)
So it was not even close!
Crazy sellers
your friend in Charlottesville Virginia!
Charlottesville Real Estate - Your Trusted Broker Charles McDonald (RE/MAX Assured Properties - No one sells more Real Estate) Exactly!
Ok, I'm calling my walk-in closet another bedroom and my 3 car garage an extra living area. Also, if I can wrap the front porch with plastic, I can have a sunroom. Your seller is absolutely crazy!!! LOL!
Jim I guarantee they wanted you to price it like the other 6 bedroom homes in Alpharetta!! LOL
Kay Van Kampen, CDPE, Broker, Springfield Missouri Real Estate (RE/MAX Solutions) There are loads of them....and their agents are enablers!
Jennifer K Giraldi, Atlanta REALTOR® Atlanta Real Estate Expert (Solid Source Realty Atlanta) Exactly!
Creative marketing gone wrong! Sounds like the homeowner needs a serious reality check. Thanks for the very funny post.
The extremely large "Diva" closet -- it could be a bedroom, sure....
Irene Tron (FC Tucker/1st Team Real Estate in Valparaiso, Indiana) LOL! Funny but true!
John Basila (Keller Williams Realty Success ) Or just very wishful thinking.