Bathroom Counts

[Webbed Feet]

If a house has one 1/2 bath (sink and toilet - i.e. powder room) then I simply list the full bath(s) and the 1/2 bath (1.5 or 2.5 or 3.5). If there are two or more 1/2 baths I use letters - 1f/1h or 2f/2h or 4f/3h, etc.

If a bathroom has a tub and a shower it's still a full bath and nothing more. I'm just not going to get into a fixture adjustment can of worms.

And if a house has two full baths with two tubs and no shower I might start thinking about the application of an adjustment for functional osolesence. Men don't take baths. They take showers.

Right, I am pretty much the same. Except for like I said, on my sketch and in my cost appproach in indicate and account for the number of fixtures.

 

[Judy Whitehead (Florida)]

Older folks like showers, too. My mom (before she died) could not visit with my sister for very long, as she was unstable on her feet getting in and out of a tub and didn't want us to help her in and out. Can't say that I blame her - Anyway, with our large retiree population, a shower appears to be equally valuable in the market as a tub. My master bath has a large garden tub and a separate shower and believe me, the garden tub is primarily for "looks." At least that is what my builder said. It is just one of those expensive pretty things, rarely used, but beautifully decorated! My grandsons loved it when they were young - it was like a little swimming pool to them.

 

[Captain Common Sense]

Regional Thang

Yup it is regional. Round here we call this a full bath and the coors flows pretty freely in one of these. You go a little further north and some consider this an accessory unit.

Now this would be considerd a double unit. Very efficient but not to big on privacy. A great place for a man and wife to plan the days events though.

 

[AnonApprsr]

Bathtubs are old hat. Not necessary, imho.

 

[MKBURNETT]

Banks and appraisal is how you explained it, shower or tub/shower is 1, I am from Cleveland and my dad was a Broker/appraiser, (yes in Ohio in the 1970's you could be both, on the same deal even and also the loan officer). When I started in 1978 my brain had a hard time as we called shower's 3/4 also but I finally got it. I see your in New Jersey, just explain that appraisal standard is shower is a full 1. So my question how do you guys count two .5 baths? other than explaining in the report? and when I was taught the county assessor would call a master bath with two separate toilets, his and hers with a bidet, two sinks, bath and shower a full 2 baths. Do you just call it 1 the master bath or do you call it a full "2" .

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

this would be considerd a double unit. Very efficient but not to big on privacy

plus snakes, wasps, and spiders...

 

[hglenbetts]

I agree with this. The bathroom count thing is regional. Some posters on here forget that things are different in some parts of the country. Where I came from the correct way to do it was 1.1.1 (full, shower only and powder room).

In Michigan it is a full or a half, no exception. I remember looking at MLS listings when we moved here and seeing the term "door wall" in many listings. I was saying to myself WTF is a door wall? As an appraiser with pride to keep I avoided asking what a door wall was. Finally I asked, feeling dumb. Turns out in Michigan a door wall is a sliding patio door.

Many things are regional and posters on here need to remember that. It is sort of like beer. People in Colorado think Coors is really a good beer. The rest of the world would rather drink from mud puddles.

Everyone knows it's the opposite of a wall door.

 

[Don Clark]

Scenario: The subject property 2.5 bathrooms consisting of 1 bathroom having a sink / vanity combination, a toilet, and a bathtub with a shower head ( that is 1 bathroom). In the master bedroom another bathroom with a sink / vanity combination, a toilet and a double stand up shower. Then a 1/2 bath with a sink / vanity combination and a toilet.

The client is insisting the bathroom with the stand up shower is has be considered as a " 3/4" bathroom, however in this market area there is no market reaction ( negative or positive) for the second full bathroom having a stand up shower only. A similar comparable which were marketed and sold was listed and sold as 2.5 bathroom property.

I have always considered a full bathroom to be a room with basic lavatory functionality ( toilet and sink) along with a bathing area, whether it is a bathtub or a standup shower. IMO anything other type of description would be misleading. I'm trying to satisfy this condition ( which I have never been questioned on before) and not be misleading to the intended user. At this point, I am trying to grid the bathroom count as " 1.75/1 ". the "1" for the 1/2 bath, because in this market area the properties are listed as "2/1" for a 2.5 bathroom property. Being consistant with the MLS. In addition no adjustments for comparables sold with bath counts as 2.5. The client is in agreement with no value change or adjustments are necessary. My approach is - in the text addenda explaining to the reader the logic and the request of the client. Further, one of the comps has a photo of one of the bathrooms - a stand up shower. I made that bath count the same as the subject, " 1.75/1" and explained this in the addenda also, that it is a similar bathroom configuration as the subject but was sold as a 2.5 bathroom count home therefore no adjustment was deemed warranted. Trying to make all things equal.

If our jobs as appraiser's is to establish a credible opinion of market value according to the local market area's reaction utilizing the similar comparables, no mislead the intended user, haven't we done our job?

Any input and or guidence on verbage or griding is appreciated.

There is no such thing as a 3/4 bath. You can either take a bath in the room, or not. How about a bathroom without a commode....would it still be a toilet? And, yes I have seen several like that. The commode was in a seperate room, with a seperate door. Looked more like a closet.

A lender is not the bathroom police.

 

[Van Gogh]

The phone monkey is just used to throwing dung, having rain for a shower and a river being a bathtub. No wonder they think there is a difference. That is a full bath in my area unless you have a river run through it.

 

[Mztk1]

Maybe there are regional differences, and if so they should be respected. Having appraised in NJ and worked in a statewide office doing reviews, etc., I can say the typical appraisal practice in that state is not never use 3/4 bath or 1/4 bath. It is either a full bath or a half bath. It is the same way where I am now.

I would never had changed the grid to suit the client. I would have kept the report the way it was, since that is typical appraisal practice for the area, and simply added a comment that one of the full baths lacks a tub but is considered a full bath in the market area.