Bedroom Conversion; Adding a Closet?

Question

Hello,

I recently purchased a property in Las Vegas.  I purchased the SFR as a 2 bed/2 bath, but it has a 3rd room that is an office.  There is already a cutout where a closet could go simply by framing it in.

If I add the closet in order to market the home as a 3/2, do I need to pull permits or inform the title company to make it official?  Has anyone done this before and do you have any recommendations?

Thanks,

MS

Ziad Hamati · Answer

Hello, I am in similar situation. Did you have to pull permits to reflect the change? Can changes in public record be reflected without pulling a permit since installing a closet doesn't require electrical work in my case.

Mark Futalan · Answer

@Richie Thomas

It’s was a lot of back and forth with the city and county. Apparently the city didn’t have much records because the home was built before the city was incorporated. They deferred to the county records. Once I went to the county and explained to them (on the phone) and they were able to confirm with pictures of the house, the updated their records. I went back to the city and provided them proof of the change. They did their own investigating and looked at the pictures of the house and approved it also. I think I just had to pay a small fee (under $50) if I’m not mistaken. No physical inspection was ever done.

Hope that helps,

Mark

Mark Futalan · Answer

@Richie Thomas

Hi Richie,

Thanks for reaching out. I did purchase the home and yes, I was actually able to get it converted back to a 3 bedroom and have the county records reflect as such.

Thanks,

Mark

Ziad Hamati · Answer

Hey, what did you end up doing? II am in similar situation.

Richie Thomas · Answer

@Mark Futalan congrats on the purchase and successful conversion.

How did the recording process go?  Was it as simple as having an inspector visit the property and verify it was up-to-code?  Do you remember how long the process took, and / or how much it cost?  I’m considering this same strategy and your experience and opinions would be useful here.

Richie Thomas · Answer

@Mark Futalan I know your comment is 10 months old, but hopefully this will be useful if others have the same question:

I'm not sure I fully understood your question, but it sounded like the listing agent claimed that the room is currently a den, but in the past it was a 3rd bedroom.  If I were trying to verify that information, I'd call the county and ask what the requirements would be for making the opposite conversion (i.e. converting a den (or any other room) into an official bedroom, and have it recorded as such).  Then I'd ask for the section of the building code which documents those requirements.

If the "den" already meets all the qualifications for a bedroom, you should have no trouble converting it back to its original state.  If there are qualifications that it doesn't currently meet (i.e. minimum ceiling height or room dimensions, total minimum square footage, presence of heating and cooling elements, # of methods if ingress/egress, size of the window, etc.), then you'd have a problem on your hands if you purchased the property as a 3BR.

Mark Futalan · Answer

Hi,

I wanted to ask a similar question. I’m looking at purchasing a property that’s listed as 3/2 2126 sq ft. Tax records show 2/2 with same square footage. Seller claims the room was a 3rd bedroom previously and they converted back from a den. The room has a closet and window. How do I verify this? Seller claims no additions were made and I’m unable to find or pull any permits from the city in regards to that. Spoke with a county rep, they said this happens all the time due to it being an older home and records are typically not accurate. Just want to make sure if we proceed with the purchase, we won’t be stuck with a 2/2 house with an unpermitted room.

Michael Seidler · Answer

Thanks for all the feedback. The room does have both a door and window.

Phillip Dwyer · Answer

Does the den already have a door and window?

Sherwin Gonzales · Answer

@Michael Seidler, when you purchased the property, why wasn't it listed as a 3 bed/ 2 bath already? Was the office an addition to the existing space and wasn't permitted so on record it reads as a 2 bed/ 2 bath? Is there a window in office? Some cities require a bedroom to have a window and have a certain ceiling height.

If you want to market the home as a 3/2, you need to pull permits and have an inspector come by for it to show on record as a 3/2 so that it will appraise as a 3/2. Though, I've come across homes that was advertised as a 3/2 but got appraised for a 2/2 because the bedroom wasn't permitted. This could give you trouble selling the house because the buyer would then need to cover the difference between the appraisal of a 2/2 and the list price of a 3/2.

I hope this helps!

Bedroom Conversion; Adding a Closet?

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