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Old 07-11-2017, 11:10 AM
 
Location: Saint John, IN
11,583 posts, read 6,674,344 times
Reputation: 14786

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Quote:
Originally Posted by emotiioo View Post
I would not bothered to look at it. I am not in the market for a 2 bedroom house, but thought that maybe the side by side nature of the 2 and 3 bedroom row houses might be a doable option. It was a waste of time. Why lie in a listing? Isn't there some obligation to represent the property accurately?


Call the listing agent and let them know that you did not appreciate wasting your time viewing their property due to the fact it is NOT a 3rd bedroom. I would then give them a definition of what a bedroom must consist of. You could also call the managing broker and tell them the same. It might result in the agent not listing homes like that in the future or it could be a complete waste of time, but at least you would make your point clear! And "yes" a bedroom in most states requires a window and a closet. The agent is misrepresenting the unit.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Somewhere in America
15,479 posts, read 15,518,262 times
Reputation: 28457
Quote:
Originally Posted by David A Stone View Post
Reminds me of a guy who bought a 670 sq ft 1 BR house to fix up and flip.


When I mentioned that a 670 sq ft 1 BR is only appealing to a limited number he said......." it is not a 1 BR anymore. I ran a wall splitting the bedroom and it now is a desirable 2br "
LOL so the room became 4x8...LOL No closet....you can only put a crib in both bedrooms. What a bargain!
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:30 AM
 
428 posts, read 412,650 times
Reputation: 510
Quote:
Originally Posted by emotiioo View Post
I looked at two side by side rowhouses in DC as potential investments. They were of identical size, built at the same time. One stated it had 3 bedrooms in the listing, while the other had two. Both were small properties sq ft-wise, so I went to see what was up.

The "3Bd" had used a closet as a room-- literally it could have fit a desk or a crib but not even a twin bed. It did not meet the definition of a bedroom as it had no closet nor window of its own. The house was heavily toured while I was there and I overheard another couple complaining about the misleading info. In the 2 bedroom house, the "third bedroom" was a nice size walk-in. The two bedroom was nicely updated and the "3Bd" looked like some slumlord had just painted and put down new carpet but done absolutely nothing else. Of course, the houses are priced identically and the ad even said that its "extra value for the extra bedroom."

I get why an agent would advertise a more desirable bedroom number, but this is not based in reality. Any recourse?
Recourse?

Don't buy the house, isn't that enough recourse???
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:37 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,327 posts, read 11,820,125 times
Reputation: 38522
We have a listing right now in a 1920's era farmhouse where at some point a bathroom was added upstairs, and a bedroom was cut in half to do it. The remaining bedroom is still a legal bedroom, has a closet and egress, and the assessor still thinks it's a three bedroom, but for all intents and purposes, what remains is only really useful as a closet.

I don't want to tick people off who are expecting a three bedroom. We called it a 2.5 bedroom house on the flyer, and explained in the remarks that the third bedroom is very small.
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Old 07-11-2017, 11:44 AM
 
3,248 posts, read 2,437,087 times
Reputation: 7255
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook View Post
We have a listing right now in a 1920's era farmhouse where at some point a bathroom was added upstairs, and a bedroom was cut in half to do it. The remaining bedroom is still a legal bedroom, has a closet and egress, and the assessor still thinks it's a three bedroom, but for all intents and purposes, what remains is only really useful as a closet.

I don't want to tick people off who are expecting a three bedroom. We called it a 2.5 bedroom house on the flyer, and explained in the remarks that the third bedroom is very small.
I like this solution. Its honest.

I have also seen "2BD and den" or "2BD and office space" as an accurate descriptor. But in my situation there was no attempt at accuracy.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:13 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,264,855 times
Reputation: 7137
You could call the DC Real Estate Commission and register a complaint. I would make it a point to avoid any listings from that agent, and likely the managing broker/brokerage office because of such tactics. I was once told that it was my imagination that there was a foundation issue in a house I was considering, in DC, but pointed out the crack and water damage to the agent when I looked at the house. Knowing the hassles of a renovation in DC, I walked, and the house fell out of contract twice after that point. There are some good agents in the city, and some agents of the old snake oil variety who especially like to center their trade in up-and-coming neighborhoods.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:53 PM
 
6,039 posts, read 6,019,203 times
Reputation: 16753
Quote:
Originally Posted by CGab View Post
Call the listing agent and let them know that you did not appreciate wasting your time viewing their property due to the fact it is NOT a 3rd bedroom. I would then give them a definition of what a bedroom must consist of. You could also call the managing broker and tell them the same. It might result in the agent not listing homes like that in the future or it could be a complete waste of time, but at least you would make your point clear! And "yes" a bedroom in most states requires a window and a closet. The agent is misrepresenting the unit.
Something like this seems appropriate.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:56 PM
 
Location: Raleigh
13,636 posts, read 12,269,500 times
Reputation: 20048
Quote:
Originally Posted by emotiioo View Post
You have to have a window and a closet to be a "bedroom" in DC. It was a blatant misrepresentation.
I would have to imagine that there is an exception for older stock. I could be wrong.

I'm not saying there wasn't misrepresentation. A bedroom, by definition, must be able to fit a bed.

I lived in a bedroom in college that was essentially a closet. It had a window but no closet.
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Old 07-11-2017, 01:41 PM
 
28,107 posts, read 63,416,351 times
Reputation: 23222
I had remodeled a two bedroom home with permit and moved the laundry to the new attached garage.

I ended up with 3 legal bedrooms where all the neighbors with the original floorplan had 2

One of the area Brokers read me the riot act and was not stopping until I bluntly asked if she could read???

Of course I was right and she was wrong but my listing did not meet her expectations.

My 3rd bedroom was 8.5 x 9 plus closet and code required window...

The buyer was thrilled to have it and used the space for her home office.

Habitable Rooms are governed by applicable code and clearly defined...

Questionable space is simply referred to as a bonus room...
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Old 07-11-2017, 01:56 PM
 
Location: Retired in Malibu/La Quinta/Flagstaff
1,604 posts, read 1,929,253 times
Reputation: 5988
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nonesuch View Post
Wouldn't the third "bedroom" (in the same square footage) increase the property tax on this rowhouse?
Not if there was no increase in square footage. It's the same as if you converted a three bedroom down to a two bedroom. You wouldn't get a tax break.
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