Determining Bedroom Count

[Ted]

Currently looking at single family home which is on the MLS stating that it has 4 bedrooms. The title company prelim. reports show the house having 3 bedrooms. Seller is considering the study/office as a bedroom although it does not have a closet.

– What/who is the ultimate source for determining the number of bedrooms in a single family home? (I thought it was the info from the tax rolls from the County Assessor/Recorder.)

– As a general rule of thumb I thought that realtors considered a bedroom to be any room that has a closet. How is the number of bedrooms in a single family home determined?

Thanks!

[bearishgurl]

Ted, it is jurisdictional, but in SD County, I believe all small rooms (except off master suite) could be included in the bdrm count but there should be a notation in the comment section of the listing that one of the bedrooms is currently a study and does not have a built-in closet. It is simple to add a closet so it could be used as a bedroom.

Conversely, the assessor could state that a property has 3-4 bedrooms when it only currently has 2-3 because a former owner knocked down a wall between two bdrms to obtain a bigger bdrm. Lots of people do this without permits so the assessor would never learn of it. A new buyer is free to turn the big bdrm back into two bdrms.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the exact number of rooms the assessor states a property should have. A red flag on the assessment roll would be if it states the property is substantially smaller than what it currently appears to be (>=300 sf). This likely indicates a non-permitted room addition was built at some point in time for which the new buyer could have to get thoroughly inspected and pay back fees for (or possibly have to tear down) if he/she brings it to the attention of the planning dept while seeking permits to upgrade or change it.

Many houses built prior to 1933 do not have closets in all of the bdrms. In SF, only about 10% of all bedrooms there have built-in closets but yet they are ALL referred to as “bedrooms.” Ikea does a brisk business there selling various size “closets” (complete with drawers and organizers) :=]

[DataAgent]

Bedrooms do not need closets. Early San Diego homes seldom had closets in any bedroom.

To be considered a bedroom, I believe the room needs its own entrance ie. one bedroom cannot open into another bedroom. There may be other bedroom requirements too. Like a window, a door, minimum size etc.

Hopefully a local realtor will reply with all the local bedroom requirements.

[sdrealtor]

I dont know that there is any ultimate source and whats most important is the buyer and how they will use the property.

When entering MLS data most realtors are trying to create a picture of what the house is and can be. For example, there is a floorplan in my neighborhood which often has 3 BR but has 3 separate places you could create additional bedrooms within the existing structure of the house (i.e. not expanding the size beyond the current footprint). If you list it as a 3BR many buyer swill pass over it even though it is easily made into a 4, 5 or even 6 bedroom. So sometimes agents list the bedroom count higher so buyers will come see for themselves and make their own decisions whether the house works for them or not.

FWIW, I consider a real BR to have 4 walls, a door, a window and a closet.

[spdrun]

As long the house is usable for you and you can afford it, who gives a rodent’s gluteus what the “offical” bedroom count is? Closets are child’s play to add i.e. a fun weekend project.

For the record, my apartment originally had two bedrooms. Each one was about 7′ x 14′, both with floor-to-ceiling windows.

[bearishgurl]

In every house I’ve had, I always took the rod out of the closet in the smallest (4th) bedroom and placed my two lateral files in there which are 5’6″ high each. They fit under the closet shelf perfectly. Each one opens to a different sliding door. That room is my study and where I spend the most time :=]

[bearishgurl]

[quote=spdrun]As long the house is usable for you and you can afford it, who gives a rodent’s gluteus what the “offical” bedroom count is? Closets are child’s play to add i.e. a fun weekend project.

For the record, my apartment originally had two bedrooms. Each one was about 7′ x 14′, both with floor-to-ceiling windows.[/quote]

So you have ONE 14 x 14 bdrm now with a “wall of windows?”

Sounds fantastic, spdrun! Do they look over anything interesting (except fire escapes)?

Someday I’ll get to NY (Manhattan) and try to act like a “local.” My kids have been there on school trips but I have not so I will bring one or more of them along to “show me the ropes.” Unfortunately, I don’t have that “New Yawk” accent so may not blend in very well :=0

[spdrun]

Sadly, not great since they face a narrow side street. More “Rear Window” than a penthouse.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m thinking of selling in the next year and getting a true two bedroom, likely either further uptown near Columbia or in Brooklyn.

Problem is that my current area is ideal. Convenient to a lot of things, but quiet in itself, since it’s across from a park.

NYC isn’t much different from LA in that ~40% of its residents are 1st-generation immigrants, though with less of a majority of Mexicans and Asians.

A “New York accent” just as likely sounds Vietnamese, Polish, Russian, Caribbean, or Central American. In my building I have a couple of Mexican students below me, a Bulgarian family above, and a Swiss-Thai couple on the 5th floor.

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