Three Bathrooms?  Or 1.75?

I just previewed a Golden Valley home for out-of-town clients, and now understand why the home — which appears well-priced and is located in a “demand” neighborhood — has been sitting on the market since last Fall, at ever-lower prices.

3 strikesStrike #1 was the number of Bathrooms.

According to MLS — which rounds up fractional Bath’s to one — there are three.

In fact, there’s one full Bath (albeit very dated) on the upper level; a half bath shoehorned into the corner of a first-floor Family Room addition; and a toilet — that would be the proverbial one-quarter Bath — tucked away in a dark corner of the basement.

My Bathroom count (and Buyers’):  1.75.

Barely.

Never Just One Cockroach

Strikes #2, #3, and #4 didn’t take long to identify.

Instead of hardwood floors typical of a 1940’s Colonial, most of the first floor has pergo (which appeared to be blistering in several places).

Bedroom #4 in the lower level isn’t the advertised 15′ x 30′ — suspect Bedroom dimensions if I’ve ever seen them — but more like 10′ x 15.’

In fact, it’s not even a legal Bedroom, because the egress window is too small and the ceiling height is too low.

The coup de gras?

Multiple pets, including a large barking dog (thankfully crated) that belong to the long-term renter.

It all adds up to one word: “Next!”

P.S.: Rentals pose multiple challenges for would-be sellers, but the two biggest are:  1) condition; and 2) access (minimum notice can be as much as 24 hours).

See also, “‘Partial’ Bathroom”; “The Case for the 1.25 Bath”; and “Real Estate Riddle:  When is .25 a Big Deal?

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

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