AIBU to market this as a 4 bedroom house?

[MommaDuck]

Keeping this really simple, with an awful diagram…sorry!
I originally moved in to a 3 bed house, decent size living room and dining room. Very small kitchen.

I have now done some Reno work.

I have my 4 boys who are all upstairs- all bedrooms have had double beds, computers, wardrobes etc- good sizes. One room now has bunk beds instead of a double for little ones.

My room is now what was the old living room. Big room 3.5x3.5 fits my super king bed and fitted wardrobes etc. Has a double window that faces front garden (blinds and bushes for privacy).

Extension… old kitchen now utility area and downstairs shower and toilet (this is for me as boys have upstairs bathroom).

End of hallway is a large L shape kitchen/diner with living area (this is the old dining room).

So new kitchen diner is 6x6m has a large island 3x1.8m and a dining table that seats 8, plus room for a sofa down at bifold doors. So definitely big enough to be a kitchen/diner in its own right without being a squeeze.

The new living area- knocked the wall through so all open plan into kitchen/diner. A large sofa sits all 6 of us comfortably. Log burner, TV etc. a living room in its own right as well.

Now, I know how much mumsnetters have had to say when it comes to 3 bed houses marketed as a 4 bed when the fourth bedroom is tiny, or no window, or small skylight or is downstairs etc. Whilst the bedroom is downstairs, it is plenty big where it was the old living room, so surely size wouldn’t play a factor?

Husband says can absolutely market as 4 bed, as now has downstairs bathroom and the living area and new front room is all a completely separate space- I am unsure.

I know estate agent will market as 4 bed as they want to maximise their sale etc.

My floorplan drawing is shit… apologies. However, would you be pissed off if you came to view this marketed as a four bed- presumably you’d have seen the floor plan first? I don’t want to waste peoples time or drag it out.

You are not being unreasonable - Market as 4 bed.
You are being unreasonable- market as a 3 bed don’t waste people’s valuable time.

I get what you are saying but bed 4 is the lounge to me so it's a 3 bedder in my view.

I would use your ‘bedroom’ as living space as one room is not enough communal space for ‘4’ bedrooms so it’s a 3 bed and you know it-and so will everyone who looks at the floor plan, why bother?

Tough call but no I think I would market it as a three bedroom. Ours is 3 bedroom but the downstairs study is big enough to be a double bedroom which is what we use it for. Our kitchen, diner, living room is now all open plan and one big living space but I think if we ever sold the house we would market as a 3 bed. It was marketed as a 3 bed when we bought it.

In terms of or enough communal space. The total space in the kitchen/diner and living room is 10m long and then 6m wide. We have two sofas at each end of the room. A large dining table.
We actually have enough seats in these rooms 21 people. It’s actually really big for all so if and guests comfortably. The living space isn’t a problem (my drawing might be), but it’s the issue with the room being downstairs that concerns me, if that makes sense.

I’d see it as a three bed personally with good sized living areas.

It’s a 3 bed but you could ask the agent to put 3/4 on the listing and viewers can make their own mind up.

Where’s the front door? Where does it go in to? In any case, this kind of plan looks like a multi occupancy/student let set up where they use the previous reception as a bedroom but never offer a suitable substitute. So, no, sorry it’s a three bed no matter how you’re actually using it right now.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter how many you can seat in your kitchen, I would always want a separate living space. I don’t think you’re being unreasonable to market it either way, but the property you describe sounds like a three bed to me.

It is a 4 bed. I had to pay the "bedroom tax" on my house for that room.

Is there just one bathroom?
I wouldn't want all that open plan as the only communal space either.
It's definitely not a 4 bed house to me

I think the estate agent will insist it's a 3 bedroom with 2 reception rooms. I've seen plenty of listings stating things like 'a further reception room currently used as a bedroom' or 'a third bedroom fitted out as a home office'. What the current homeowners use a room for doesn't change the house floorplan, although it's all semantics really because clearly a room can be anything you want it to be.

If you market it as a 4 bed people looking for 4 beds will view and dismiss it as 3 bed. People looking for 3 beds won’t view because it is being marketed as a 4. So I would worry less about wasting people’s time and more about not getting to potential buyers who would like a 3 bed with a large livening space.

I would at best say a study/bedroom 4. Are you marketing it at a price that is reasonable for a 3 bed or are you pushing the price up to a 4 bed bracket?
if you are trying to push the price up and a mortgage valued for your buyer comes along and isn’t convinced, you are only going to have to deal with a down valuation.

I would market it as a 3 bed house as it is. The fourth bedroom is a reception room, we have actually done the same. I would be annoyed viewing, if it was advertised as a 4 bed.

Personally i wouldn't want a downstairs bedroom, and if i somehow missed that one of an advertised four bedrooms was in fact a downstairs room i'd feel i'd had a wasted visit and wouldn't do the whole viewing.

So this is the new front room which is off of the kitchen diner, so although open plan it’s definitely a living space in its own right.

4 bedroom.

And moreover it is ideal where there is one member of the family who is disabled and cannot get upstairs, or where granny is living with the family for example, or even an au pair.

personally I would absolutely by your house in a heartbeat if it was in my town because I am disabled and would love a downstairs bedroom with an en suite shower room.

Any bedroom on the ground floor could be disregarded as such by many people, and it could be more beneficial to class it as second reception room. It could also be a selling point for those with elderly or disabled people, but only if a bathroom near it on same floor.

I wouldn't market it as a four bed as lots of people won't be interested in a ground floor bedroom.

Market it as a three, but say that one sitting room is currently used as a bedroom.

Guess you put

Massive kitchen diner living area all open planned

Bedroom 4 /lounge

3 bedrooms upstairs

Well done on diagram. We love a diagram 🌟

Interesting responses.
So, to answer some questions. Front door into hallway.
Some people are saying EA won’t make as 4 bed… the 3 EA’s we have had round have all said it’s a 4 bed because of the size of the kitchen and living area.

Now I also think it would be a 3 bed, but my husband and EAs are saying it’s a 4 bed as it also has a downstairs shower room and toilet for that bedroom.

I’m open to all opinions though, after all it’s you the general public who would be buying it not the EA!

no I don’t think a true 4 bed as I would expect an en suite if its a downstairs bedroom.

That said, I always search for an extra bedroom than I need on Rightmove as I need an office space. is there any harm in putting it as a 4 bed? Would it put people after a 3 bed off?

A downstairs room that can potentially be used as a guest room would be a big plus for me. I like having guests but not upstairs in my personal space.

You can market it as 3/4 bed - the EA can suggest that it can be used as a bedroom, home office or living room.

It’s the sort of ‘4 bed’ that I am mildly irritated to click on, because a bedroom on another floor is useless to me.
It’s a 3 bed with large living kitchen/diner and separate reception room.

Agree that marketing as a 3/4 bed would be better. Loads on my street are marketed as 4/5 beds as we all have 3 downstairs reception rooms that some use as an extra bedroom.