How to stage former bungalow with loft conversion for selling

[Treadington]

Planning to put home on the market soon. It was formerly a detatched bungalow, now viewed by estate agents as a detached house due to significant loft conversion. Naice area - good schools etc.

Ground floor: 2 double bedrooms sited at front of property - not possible to reconfigure layout and has never been an issue to us but do wonder how estate agent will show people round - straight into the bedrooms or show other rooms first?; lounge; dining room; kitchen; family bathroom; large garden.

First floor: 2 bedrooms; small bathroom; box room - could fit a small single bed in - not a great view so think not a study.

Seeking advice on how to stage the property. Do I 'lose' one of the ground floor bedrooms and make it a sitting room? Make the box room into a children's bedroom?

Bedrooms appear to add value to a property and potentially I have 5. But does this work if layout is unusual (2 bedrooms on lower floor and one tiny)?

And what order to show viewers around to create best impression.

All thoughts welcomed.

If you market it as a 5 bed, that creates expectations in terms of number of reception rooms, and garden size, so would it be better as a spacious 4bed with study than a cramped 5bed?

how extensive was the loft conversion? Does it look like a purpose built house now, or does it still look like a bungalow with a loft conversion?

I only ask, as if it is the latter, two bedrooms downstairs/at the front will be what people expect to see anyway.

4 bed with dressing room?

How about two bedrooms and nursery/kids room upstairs and stage one of the two downstairs bedrooms as a wfh/guest bedroom with a desk and sofa bed? Demonstrates that most families could all sleep on the first floor and signals flexibility around how the ground floor rooms are used.

Growing up I lived in a 6 bed (configured as 5+ study) bungalow for 15 years and am very fond of them. However, I have a young family and I’m not a fan of bedrooms split over multiple floors and this layout wouldn’t work for us. I agree with PP to market as a 4 bed (you have a bathroom on both floors) and the box room marketed as a study, dressing room or nursery.

And I would show the living space first

Show downstairs living space first. Suggest market as 4 beds + Study/5th bedroom. Stage the boxroom with a small single bed ( 2' 6" x 5' 10") and a small desk & chair with laptop on desk. Keep it very minimalist. Most people can envision using a small bedroom as a study but need to see a bed in it or they just think it's too small for a bedroom. You can fake a small single bed with cardboard boxes,padding ( duvets and sleeping bags) and a big bedspread.

Agree with this. I had a couple of viewings yesterday. We have living room plus teenage DS’s room by front door and it would have been weird not showing his room initially due to proximity to living room but I emphasised it being flexible and could be a reception room. If it were in a different location downstairs I would have done all the living areas first.

From outside property looks very much like a bungalow with a loft conversion.

Good point about families with young children wanting to sleep on the same floor. Hadn't considered that.

Had thought of putting a small single bed in smallest room but hadn't considered also adding a small desk and laptop.

Appreciate your comments.

Any other thoughts?

Don’t put a small bed in a small room. It just emphasizes it’s a tiny room and whoever has it has truly got the short straw. I would make it a hobby room or work room. Then market as 4 bedrooms. Show ground floor living space first. I wouldn’t like it but it might suit some people. What’s the garden like? If large, it might be redeveloped?

I think I'd market as 3/ 4 bed "flexible layout" house.
It's tricky, as for 4 beds I'd expect a least 2 reception rooms, a utility room, at least 3 toilets etc.
I'd not over promise as some people won't view the floor plan, and your time will just be wasted facilitating viewings for a home that's not what they're expecting.

4 beds don’t necessarily have 3 toilets if there is a downstairs bathroom. The bigger issue is people preferring all the bedrooms upstairs. The downstairs bedrooms take up valuable living area which makes such properties less desirable and this has all separate rooms downstairs so will feel quite small I think.

I think sometimes it depends on your area. Where we are it is quite common to have downstairs bedrooms. Maybe have a look and see if anything else similar has sold recently amd how they presented it .

Ours fell through last Friday as buyer couldn’t get a mortgage and we had a viewing on Saturday which led to an offer yesterday - they are moving in with their parents and having the option of a downstairs bedroom for parents was what swayed them.

These days, I'd show the smallest bedroom staged as a nice office and no bed as its increasingly important for people to have a wfh space, but list the house as 5 bed since some people will be filtering by 5 on RM etc and wouldn't see your house if you list it as 4, even if they are looking at 5 to have a study

Don't "stage it". Market it as you live in it , just clean and tidy; beds made, lav shut, no visible dirty/wet towels/ laundry/dishes. Serious buyers are not interested in viewing strangers' curtains and multiple pillows/cushions.

For a house that size your target buyer is not inexperienced FTB. You're aiming for more experienced buyers, and an experienced househunter is far more interested in the layout, floor plan and room measurements, not the seller's furnishings and decor. What will get them through the door to view, is the adaptability of the current layout to their own needs , and the online or print brochure should underline that.

Upstairs is "a potential granny or teenage apartment". The tiny room, "offers scope for a study, nursery or hobby room"

I do all my own viewings and I show the largest most appealing downstairs room first. Then a fairly brisk walk through the kitchen diner (open doors to utitity and pantry) then bedrooms and bathrooms, then outside to garden and garage.

Make the smallest an office. We recently bought a 5 bed with a study. The previous owners used one bedroom as a second living room and marketed it earlier as a 4 bed plus study plus second living room. They said it was because it’s a townhouse l, so the downstairs is only the size of a 3-4 bed house, while advertising it as a 5 or 6 bed might make people expect a much bigger downstairs than it had.

I’d probably advertise as a 3/4 bed with a study. Plenty of people will want a choice of how to use the rooms - for example, we’re happy with more rooms upstairs than downstairs space because we wanted a study and a playroom, not lots of bedrooms, so other people will like the flexibility of your house.

I'm veering towards marketing as 4 beds with the box room presented as a study.

Can see I'll need to focus on the flexibility of the layout and probably show some rooms as having dual purpose such as guest bedroom / WFH environment.

Very helpful 😊

I think it’s time estate agents stopped marketing property by number of bedrooms.
Years ago I remember viewing a new house with 5 beds and at least 3 en-suites.
Both bedrooms and en-suites were tiny. I would rather have fewer loos and bigger rooms.
Overall size is more important.
Good luck with your sale.

Are you planning to market with a high street estate agent? if so these are all questions that you would be paying them to have the answers to tbh. Get a few valuations and take advice about how many bedrooms and how to stage the house (you don't have to stage it before the valuations, they mostly value compared to similar properties nearby before they even cone round anyway). And let them worry about the viewing order.

FWIW we viewed lots of bungalow conversions last year. agents will normally show the living areas first. Agree with pp that families with young children won't want the kids on a different floor from the parents. I would make the box room into a study - I disagree that a study requires a nice view!

DH and I (in our 60s) would have been interested in such a property. We downsized from a house and were looking for a bungalow where you could live downstairs if you had to. So downstairs bathroom and bedroom plus eat in kitchen and separate lounge.

Do you have stairs outside the property up to the front door?

If not that is a plus.

Mosaic123 Yes, a couple of steps outside

A couple is fine. We saw 'ideal' bungalows except for the 10 steps at the front and terraced back garden. Good luck with the sale.

Someone else might want to use your house to run their business from, imagine a physiotherapist needing a downstairs bathroom, s waiting room and a treatment room.
.