master bedroom down? (Dallas, Victoria, Flower Mound: for sale, new house, transfer)

[getmeoutofhere]

Wow, all this is totally backwards for me.

I wouldn't even consider a two-story that had a master bedroom downstairs. That would be an instant deal breaker for me.

[Big G]

Who's living in the house? You or your realtor? Buy what YOU like.

I built a stucco home, even though 90% of the houses around mine are brick. Why? Because I prefer the look. Yes, it might make it harder to sell down the road. That's tomorrow's problem. Beats spending 10 or 15 years in a house I don't care for.

[miokie]

Our master suite (with sitting area and adjoining office) is upstairs. The other two bedrooms are downstairs.
We have two separate ac/heat systems, one for each floor.
Been here 15+ years now. We loved this arrangement when our kids were growing and we love it now that they're grown and gone.

[jcfd129]

Thanks for all of the replys!!! keep em coming! all great points and perspectives! I appreciate them all

[loves2read]

the problem is that with the master down and young children (especially 3 and under) having only one bedroom down is problamatic for most families...
there are some people who move in from other states where ALL bedrooms are up as a matter of course and find having the master down and all others up very strange--

at times some developments have been built with houses where all beds are up because there were many families moving in from the East and that was what they were expecting to find...
a builder told me he had a client from California who wanted him to build a house for her where the master was up for safety reasons--harder to break in and burgle--which shows she was not used to living in most suburban areas of TX at all...

there was a trend probably 10-15 yrs ago to separate the mom/dad frm the kids--that is why other bedrooms started going up and the master was down...
that also was related to the trend for smaller, more narrow lots when the price of land went up...to get enough living space/rooms downstairs--bedrooms went up and usually a game room and one or two baths--depending on the total size of the house / lot...

currently the market trend is for a master w/ensuite bath/closet down and a guest bedroom with either an ensuite bath or one directly beside it that can also be used for casual guest traffic...
that means there is probably no room for two living areas--either a LA and family room or Family room and study down--
In most modern houses in past 15 yrs this shift of room arrangment has meant the kitchen has been squeezed into an interior room--often a galley type of kitchen with an island since it is usually fairly long and wide but not built into a corner or an exterior wall...

we wanted a home with master and guest down because we are getting older and we have friends stay who don't need to climb stairs--because we don't have our kids at home--their rooms are upstairs and we keep that system set at 80 normally--just turn it down when they come for visit...

I think that if YOU are planning on living in the house for years--and you have a need for having a master up--then buy what you like BUT understand that your RE agent is telling you the truth
In Texas--having a master up is going against the grain--it is more difficult to heat/cool those rooms property because most homes are not well designed for proper HVAC usage and there is not enough of the right kind of insulation to make upper levels more comfortable...
it is not as convenient for certain aspects of living (like if the utility is down and all beds are up)
or parents and children are living where kids can get out easily at night--THAT IS a problem for many people when their kids start to get older...whether you want to admit it or not--some kids do sneak out and being on ground floor with parents upstairs would be the idea configuration of I were that kind of kid...

[blueiis]

We had to have the master down in our old home because I have Multiple Sclerosis and it takes alot for me to climb stairs. But then I also found with the 2 kid rooms plus game room upstairs they kinda used it as their apartment...and it wasn't always presentable..and it was harder for me to patrol...LOL Now we're in a ranch (hate the house) but like the idea of everything on the same floor!

[ufcrules1]

Lets look at some benefits of Masters being down stairs.

1. Your home will have a higher resale value (In Texas)

2. Who in the hell wants to walk up stairs to get to their bedroom? (Besides kids)

3. If you forget something when you are walking out to your car you have to walk your happy ass back up the stairs. (This does happen often)

4. When your kids get a tad bit older its nice to have privacy from them. Let them play upstairs while you relax downstairs.

5. If no washer and dryer upstairs you have to cart the laundry up and down stairs. Pain in the butt!

6. Its harder to heat and upstairs area. Heat rises people! If you didn't notice, we get A LOT of 100+ temp days here. Your AC will have to work harder to cool it which means higher electricity bills and being uncomfortable.

If you want to go against the grain, just make sure you are in a position to stay in the house for a long long time. If you lose your high paying job, or get transferred, etc. Be prepared to have a hard time selling your house or be willing to take a good bit less for it.

[lh_newbie]

I had a home with all the bedrooms upstairs. I owning a 2 story, I'd rather have the common areas on one floor and the sleeping quarters on another. Since there was one HVAC unit for each floor, it was simple to cut back energy usage. At night, the upstairs with the bedrooms had the AC set a little cooler and the downstairs unit a little higher; during the day, it was the exact opposite.

That said, I totally understand why many folks like the master down. With kids, if they're upstairs and your down - there's a sense of security there. If your getting older, the last thing you want to do is climb stairs to go to bed.

My parents have a great arrangement - they have the master down and upstairs consists of only two bedrooms and a full bath. That's their "guest suites" - and I'm not kidding - they have a carved sign on each bedroom door: "The Oak Room" and "The Walnut Room". Each room has furniture and accessories in the themed wood species. Very nicely done. It's also nice, because the upstairs is on it's own HVAC system. When they don't have anyone staying with them - they just leave it off.

That leads us to our home. While we have just shy of 2600 sq ft and 4 bedrooms, it's all one floor. I absolutely love having zero stairs. This is a home that's more than ample in size to handle having a child if we chose and to take in an aging parent if that need arises without being too large to maintain/furnish/condition/clean. We see staying in this home for a VVEERRYY long time. It wouldn't surprise me if in 20 years, I'm saying the same thing on this forum about the very same home.

Brian

[ufcrules1]

Brian,
Thats the point. You have lived in both and look how much more you love your current home. No steps is a real good thing. In Texas, because there is plenty of land you can typically find something with a few bedrooms down if not all bedrooms down. People from the north east have a hard time understanding that because they are short on land and have always had all bedrooms up.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jcfd129

My realtor keeps telling me that a master bedroom down is SO desireable. Many of the houses we he like have had all the bedrooms up and she bashes them as we look at them although they are great homes. Is it really that big of a deal? thanks

wow, I don't think it is a deal either way, it is like saying split bedrooms are the only way to go. It is up to what meets your needs. Personally I prefer split bedrooms for a 1 level and master down for a two level, but I certainly don't think it is a turn on or off. Some people want to be near their children, others want privacy.

As an X realtor I can assure you there are reasons for both. For someone to say, the house has to be massively reduced to be appealing if all bedrooms are upstairs is only showing their preferance.

By the way, my policy, when I was still in the business: let the buyer decide what will work for them. The only time I would give a strong opinion was 1-if the decor was stopping a buyer, I would simply remind them, when the seller leaves so does the dirt or the decor whatever. Paint is cheap or 2-If I noticed a huge drawback that would seriously and I mean seriously affect re-sale value. Just because I have a preferance doesn't mean a buyer shares that. Of course if a buyer asks my opinion that was different. I handle my present business as a travel consultant the same way: just because I have a favorite hotel chain or cruise line doesn't mean it is right for my clients.

Nita