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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?
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?
I'm not sure what the rules are in DC, but in many places, you can not legally call a room like that a bedroom. If that's the case where you are, you can report it to the broker.
I'm not sure what the rules are in DC, but in many places, you can not legally call a room like that a bedroom. If that's the case where you are, you can report it to the broker.
You have to have a window and a closet to be a "bedroom" in DC. It was a blatant misrepresentation.
Because it's false and misleading. It's not a third bedroom and it's a waste of time to go see it. It can't be a bedroom if the only way out is thru another bedroom which is what it sounds like.
You can't just make up things in your listings to lure people. I'm sure that realtor can get in trouble listing the property deceptively with the board of realtors.
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 "
Not every minor inconvenience in life has a recourse.
You knew based on the size that a third bedroom had to be small and possibly useless.
The listing realtor is, however, damaging his client. Pulling in buyers that are almost certain to be disappointed doesn't help sell the property. It might lead to buyers regarding listings from that agency with a greater degree of skepticism. But this is not your problem.
By the way, one should always read the listing text skeptically. Cozy = tiny, etc. etc.
I looked at two side by side rowhouses in DC as potential investments. They were of identical size, built at the same time.
Wouldn't the third "bedroom" (in the same square footage) increase the property tax on this rowhouse?
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Higher property tax based on # of bedrooms?
