Is having no master bathroom a issue

[Jack Srimani]

Hi,
I am considering a house for flipping in a good neighborhood. This is a bank REO property. The asking price is 75000 dollars. The comparable properties are 12500. If pruchase price of the property can be negotiated then there can be decent profit. However the concern I have is that though this is a four bedroom house it has one and half bathroom. The master bedroom is not attached to a master bathroom. This is a fifty years old house. So I would like your feedback if having no master bathroom will cause this house (after renovation) not sell. Thanks

[Will Barnard]

Jack,

Great question! First off, ask yourself as a buyer of a home, do YOU want a true master bath? Most people say YES. That said, turn the negative into a positive if possible. Look at the arrangement/layout of the home, particularly the bedroom areas. Can walls be moved, knocked down, added, etc to create a true master bath inside the master bedroom? If so, you can turn a crap floor plan into a good one.

I did this very thing, along with increasing the size and the entry to the kicthen by simply moving walls around. If done right, you can create a better flowing floorplan and add value to the home. Check to see if the other homes on the street do not have true master baths. If so, once completed, you have a marketing jem.

If this is not possible due to the layout, you will need to do some additional research. If other homes have them and yours can not, you may be asking for trouble and I would move on at that point. Similar scenarios include me not buying on major traffic streets, homes that back up to railroads, etc as these are detraments to property values.