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.

It's not the bedroom being downstairs that's the issue.

It's only having one communal space for 4 bedrooms.

If there was another room, a separate living room, it would be a legitimate 4 bed.

You need to market as a 3 bed. It'll get the top end price for a 3 bed due to the work you've done and it having 2 good living spaces (most people would turn the downstairs bedroom back into a lounge).

It'll command a much higher price than the 3 bed your house used to be before the extension.

As you say, people will just be frustrated if you market it as a 4 bed.

Ultimately you won't get any more money by marketing it as a 4 bed so why bother?

If I was looking for a 4-bed, I would dismiss it as that as soon as I saw the floor plan. It's a 3 bed house, with a reception room being used as a bedroom. You can obviously market it however you wish, but I imagine many buyers who truly want a 4-bed would not be interested.

I think you would be better to market as a 3 bed with a nice suprise rather than a 4 bed with a disappointment. That way people will see it and bid up, rather than missing your target market entirely.

That wouldn't be enough of a living space for many families who'd need 4 beds. It's nice but more of a snug/tv room than a main living room. Obviously you can put up with it as you're needed the extra bedroom but it's still a three bed to me. We have similar layout except that the living room still a living room and we need that to not all be in the same space downstairs most of the time.

Give the built in wardrobes I'd market it as a 4 bed. It sounds like it would suit someone who needs a bedroom downstairs, or who currently needs four bedrooms but won't once an adult child moves out. Then if someone only wants three bedrooms they can always use the downstairs room as an extra reception room. Just make sure a floorplan with measurements goes on the listing.

Is there much price difference between a four bed with open plan communal areas and a three bed with an extra reception room?

Interesting a lot of people wouldn’t want a downstairs bedroom… me and the hubby love it for a bit of space away from the kids and a bit of us time uninterrupted! It’s fantastic for us haha! I also love that I have my own bathroom down here- the smelly boys aren’t allowed in here so it stays clean!
It’s funny we all want and see different things!
your opinions are great guys, and helpful thank you!

I am also surprised by so many people saying they wouldn't want a downstairs bedroom.

I had a downstairs bedroom in my last house and absolutely would have again. We loved it.

I can see it as a 4 bed. Not everyone will love the idea of a bedroom on a separate floor, but as others have pointed out, it’s something that some families look for!

I’d make it was clear on both the written description and the floor plan as “Bedroom4/reception room” and make sure its priced competitively and not up there with the 4 beds that also have multiple reception rooms

I completely hear you! I’ve also been annoyed by seeming lack of transparency with rightmove ads!

@Blondeshavemorefun - I really like this suggestion thank you! And yes we do have more fun 🤩

People- like you- who like a single, huge open plan living space- will accept it as 4 beds. People who like a separate living space- no matter how big the open plan room- will see it as a 3 bed.
The living space photo with the sofa appears to have no window/ natural light so it couldn't be separated into a separate room if that's what buyers are looking for.
Whichever way you market it will rule out some potential buyers.

Even though it maybe fine to use as a Bedroom. I don’t think it be classed as any room without a window. Therefore I don’t think you could actually declare it as a 4 bed house.
However that’s not to say you can’t use it as an excellent sales point. Your Estate agent will be able to tell you how to word it

I wouldn’t want a downstairs bedroom because I need to be on the same floor as my non sleeping autistic child, so one of my other young children would have to go downstairs, and I don’t think either of them would want to be on a floor on their own overnight. I can see that it would work ok with teens.

A BS won't lend in it as a 4 bed. It's a 3 bed.

It's a 3 bed

It’s got a window.

ETA I mean the downstairs bedroom has a window.

We were going to seperate it like this pic, so it would still have all the natural light from the kitchen bifolds. We also have a 3x2 skylight so we get a ton of natural light. It would work. But I decided I didn’t want the doors up in the end- the pillars are there though so we future proofed it. I just love the open plan- although I know some don’t, it’s a family space though so ideal for a sociable family.

It’s the living room area being part of the open-plan space that’s going to make people doubtful. I completely see what you’re saying about it being big enough to be a living room in its own right. However, most people would see the downstairs bedroom as the formal living room and the current living room area as part of a lovely big open-plan kitchen/diner/playroom with room for a sofa. It’s great: I think people will love it. I think the majority will love it less if they lose a separate living room to a bedroom next to the front door.

I agree the lack of a window in that living space would be a problem as it limits what you can do with the space.

I completely hear you. Except when they come to view it, there is 3.5m of built in wardrobes, a super king bed, little sofa thing under a mirror etc. It is very much a bedroom and would need the wardrobes ripping out. But I guess to the right person they wouldn’t mind.

Lots to be said for the 3/4 bed, then everyone knows what they are getting. For me, just an open plan living area and no separate living space would be a real compromise if I were looking for a 4 bed house.

Ultimately you are looking to agree a sale price with someone. Insisting it's a 4 bed encourages you to push the price up and makes you look less appealing as a seller - maybe a bit greedier and less realistic or open to compromise. Whereas 3/4 bed is much more open and would be more likely to hit your target market. Your ideal buyer is perhaps someone who wants a 3/4 bed house - interested in the higher priced 3 beds and 4 beds with compromises.

I don't think you can market that as a 4 bed. Your living room is fairly small for a 4 bed and with it being open to the kitchen/no window it is more of a should be dining area or play area. I think most looking for a 4 bed would think 'this is a living room with a bed in it'.

I'd go for this and label the downstairs bedroom as bedroom 1/additional sitting room.

Someone asked about price in terms of marketing.
So we’re in a very sought after area and there’s actually not a lot of 4 bedrooms.
In terms of price, people have done similar and sold them for the equivalent of what 4 bedrooms go for around here- simply because of the area for school catchment and we’re a 5 minute walk to the seafront. Also because of the plot, my garden is still around 2-3 size of other gardens in the area, so they could extend further or do an outhouse etc as well if they wanted.
I don’t think price would be an issue- they’re are hardly any 4 beds so if someone really wanted a 4 bed they would potentially snap it up even if it were valued as a 4 bed instead of a 3- I think! We will obvs see!

It’s the other people who might not see it as a four bed (like most of you don’t) that might get pissed at a waste of their time viewing it and I think that may cause problems.

I like this, this makes complete sense.

Most people look at floor plans before viewing so I don’t think that would be a massive issue. They’d just discount it at browsing stage. I look at a floor plan before any other pictures! Decor etc can be changed easily, whereas it’s harder to change a floor plan.