Minimal Room Size per Fannie Mae?

[Ken B]

From the horse's mouth:

http://www.allregs.com/efnma/index....FNMA/selling/part-xi/xi-ch-4/xi-405/xi-405.04

After you review this, click on the Table of Contents tab and save the link for future reference.

 

[Don Clark]

From the horse's mouth:

http://www.allregs.com/efnma/index....FNMA/selling/part-xi/xi-ch-4/xi-405/xi-405.04

After you review this, click on the Table of Contents tab and save the link for future reference.

Thanks Kenneth,

That is sorta what I said I believe, in my own way.

 

[NUTSaboutAPPRAISING]

Does Fannie identify a "minimal" square footage to be a bedroom? Or physical characteristics of a bedroom? Or can it be identified as a bedroom if the mattress fits wall-to-wall (formerly a closet). Thanks

A bedroom has to have a window, closet, and a privacy door. I dont' think square footage is THE detemining factor. Local building codes may help. I.E: meeting the above items and a room only large enough to accommodatie a crib is a bedrm. Whereas a room w/o a closet & window, no matter how large, is not a bedroom.

 

[Mr Rex]

A bedroom has to have a window, closet, and a privacy door. I dont' think square footage is THE detemining factor. Local building codes may help. I.E: meeting the above items and a room only large enough to accommodatie a crib is a bedrm. Whereas a room w/o a closet & window, no matter how large, is not a bedroom.

Closets are not a definitive requirement. You obviosuly have never been in many houses built prior to 1930. Doors are subjective, I have been in homes with curtains instead of doors. It was an ethnic thing and you don't want to get crossways with the EEOC by claiming that its not a BR. You would measure (try to) market reaction to the lack of a hinged door. A window for egress is a safety issue and should be a requirement and is in almost all modern codes.

 

[hglenbetts]

A bedroom has to have a window, closet, and a privacy door. I dont' think square footage is THE detemining factor. Local building codes may help. I.E: meeting the above items and a room only large enough to accommodatie a crib is a bedrm. Whereas a room w/o a closet & window, no matter how large, is not a bedroom.

Here we go again. You know, I just inspected a 3200 sq ft home with 5 bedrooms, only one closet in the bunch. This home was built in the late 1800s and this is common to the market and very acceptable in the market. So do I have a 3200 sq ft home with one bedroom?? I think not.

How about the premise that the bedroom exits into a common area and not another room?

 

[Ken B]

A bedroom has to have a window, closet, and a privacy door. I dont' think square footage is THE detemining factor. Local building codes may help. I.E: meeting the above items and a room only large enough to accommodatie a crib is a bedrm. Whereas a room w/o a closet & window, no matter how large, is not a bedroom.

Absolutely incorrect, but commonly understood.

Familiarize yourself with the information provided in the link I previously posted.

 

[hglenbetts]

Closets are not a definitive requirement. You obviosuly have never been in many houses built prior to 1930. Doors are subjective, I have been in homes with curtains instead of doors. It was an ethnic thing and you don't want to get crossways with the EEOC by claiming that its not a BR. You would measure (try to) market reaction to the lack of a hinged door. A window for egress is a safety issue and should be a requirement and is in almost all modern codes.

We once lived in a condo where the only bedroom was a loft at the top of a flight of stairs. (no door). Had a nice closet (with doors) and a full bath (with a door) but there was a definite lack of privacy, as the loft only had a 4 foot wall with high volume ceilings, open to below!!

 

[NC Appraising]

For what it's worth, this is from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission. I hand it out to RE agents all the time.

http://www.ncrec.state.nc.us/bulletin/Oct2006Vol37-2/To be or not to be.htm

To be or not to be...
A bedroom?

Reports are that some brokers are mischaracterizing certain rooms as “bedrooms”.​

Specifically, in order to enhance the marketability of homes listed for sale, they are submitting information to multiple listing services and through advertising identifying as “bedrooms” rooms which were never designed or intended for such use.​

As a result, prospective purchasers seeking homes with the number of bedrooms shown in the MLS are frustrated and angry when their agents show them homes where one or more of the “bedrooms” is clearly not suited for that purpose - even though the seller may have used the room as a bedroom.​

The question then arises, “What is a bedroom?” Although there is no clear answer, here are some factors to consider when classifying a room as a bedroom:​

Is there a clothes closet in or conveniently available to the room? However, since bedroom closets were not a common design feature in many older homes, do not disqualify rooms in these homes which do not contain closets if they were clearly intended to be used as bedrooms.​

Is there sufficient space in the room to accommodate standard bedroom furniture? 8’x10’ is suggested for a single bed, and 10’x11½’ for double beds.​

Does the home comply with governmental regulations (septic tank requirements, fire and safety codes, etc.) pertaining to bedrooms? When in doubt, check with the appropriate local government agency.​

To paraphrase a classic song, “A room is not a bedroom, just because there’s someone sleeping there.” So, save potential buyers and their agents time and trouble, and save yourself possible action from the Real Estate Commission by using your common sense and exercising reasonable judgment when determining whether a room is, for listing purposes, a bedroom.

​

 

[Don Clark]

Closets are not a definitive requirement. You obviosuly have never been in many houses built prior to 1930. Doors are subjective, I have been in homes with curtains instead of doors. It was an ethnic thing and you don't want to get crossways with the EEOC by claiming that its not a BR. You would measure (try to) market reaction to the lack of a hinged door. A window for egress is a safety issue and should be a requirement and is in almost all modern codes.

I have appraised houses in my market built well b efore 1900. As a matter of fact I appraised one built in the early 1800's with the original owners tombstone next to the garage. There are literally hundreds of homes in my market where bedrooms do not have a closet. And, as Rex has said, doors are not always there either. Nuts needs to learn to think outside the box.

 

[tops2]

Thanks to everyone. Sufficient data has been provided to proceed. There were alot of answers covering a wide range of perceptions. Hope all survives the current crisis our profession serves.