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I'm looking to buy a new construction home in Tucson, AZ in the next 6 months. As a first time home buyer, I really don't need too much space, but at the same time I don't plan to stay in the home too long (5 yrs maybe) and want something with a lot of resale value. I've already heeded suggestions to stick to areas in good school districts, and not overly upgrade what I plan to buy in the $150k-200k range. In SE Tucson, this will buy a townhouse-style home, or maybe a home with a small yard further from town, 2-4 bedrooms, 1200-1600 sq ft.
I am leaning towards a 2 bedroom for the lower cost, less to clean/furnish/heat/cool, and because I won't really be using the extra room. Will I have a more difficult time trying to sell a 2 bedroom townhouse than a 3 bedroom? The 2 bedroom does offer more buyer-friendly features like a master suite, walk-in closet, very large bedrooms, etc. I would also be able to afford to do the kitchen very nicely with the 2 bedroom as opposed to the 3 bedroom.
The area is very nice with lots of new development, but most of the development already in there is in the $300k range with larger lots, meaning any home I bought may experience price inflation because of the area, and be sold at a much lower comparative value while still getting all the neighborhood amenities.
So, 2 or 3 bedrooms for resale, and any other suggestions about buying a home with good resale value? Thanks for the help!
I always understood a 3 bedroom is better for resale even if you never use the third. Personally, I would not buy a two bedroom home but that is just me.
you mention home and townhome? Which is it? While it varys by area, a 2 bedroom townhome would be fine since people with children will be more likely to lean towards a home (with a yard, don't have to worry about noise etc) and those more likely in the market looking for a townhome probably won't be as likely to have children and a 2 bedroom would be more appealing.
With a 2brm, you limit your potential scope of buyers.
A 3brm anything is considered the standard today. The broader the scope- the better chance of a realistic turn-around (resale).
Thanks for the replies. The 2 bedroom in mention is a townhome (detached though I think) with no yard or patio.
I am also looking at more expensive townhomes with patios (3 bedroom) and homes further out of the city (3-4 bedrooms).
Your opinoins have further confirmed what I thought--that buying a 3 bedroom will be better in the long run for resale, especially since I think we could swing the price.
There's plenty of townhomes out there with only two bedrooms, and there's plenty of buyers who have the same thinking that you do- "I don't need 3 br, so why heat/cool/clean them?" There is, however, a greater pool of buyers that want 3 bedrooms, so typically 3 br homes will sell faster and at a higher price (for the obvious reason). Does that mean that you should buy a 3 br house and have to heat/cool/clean it? Absolutely not- but just know the ramifications of what you're doing- it/s not the end of the world, but it may slow your sale in the future if that's a concern for you.
On a broader scale, this is just another case of people buying homes as "investments" rather than as places that suit their lifestyles/needs. Go back 20+ years, and people didn't worry so much about their exit strategies- not it's the first thing out of everyone's mouths- "it'll hurt your resale". My first house in 1992 was a 1br/1ba house built in 1935, and I heard that crap from everyone I talked to. When I resold the house 9 months later when we decided to move to Las Vegas, surprise surprise- less than two weeks after listing the house, another couple who had no intentions of having kids took a look and they bought the house immediately. Kinda shot that theory in the foot, didn't it??
I've only been selling real estate for a year but in that year not one person has asked for a two bedroom. Most are three with an occasional four or five.
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