Downside of Selling a One Bath Home in Sacramento

A modern bath addition to a one bath home in Sacramento.

Don’t get me wrong, lots of homes sell in Sacramento that have only one bath, so owning a one bath home is not necessarily a bad thing . . . unless it is. Many starter homes in the Capitol Corridor area of Sacramento, meaning homes in East Sacramento, Downtown, Midtown, Land Park or Curtis Park for example, are a configuration of two bedrooms and one bath and around 1,000 square feet. Prices for these homes range between $250,000 for a fixer to about $465,000 for a remodeled, turnkey home. The average price for the past six months is around $365K for 960 square feet.

That’s expensive when compared to homes outside of the Capitol Corridor in Sacramento. However, this part of town is a desirable place for many to live due to close proximity to work, restaurants, movie theaters, shopping, art galleries and nightlife. If you look at the homes that sold over the last 6 months in Elk Grove, Zip 95624, the average price there is $354,000 for a home with more than twice the square footage, just for reference.

The main problem with selling a one bath home is when the other homes around it have more than one bath. Especially when the square footage jumps up and the bedrooms increase. Let’s say you have a 1,500 square foot home with 3 bedrooms and only one bath. That will be much more difficult home to sell because buyers for that square footage typically want more than one bath, and they are offered more than one bath in most of the comparable inventory. That means home buyers might very well pass by your one bath home in favor of a home that features fewer of the amenities they desire but it does have that all-important second bath.

How much does it cost to install an additional bath in a one-story home? Depends on how you do it, whether you need to enlarge the exterior walls, but many homeowners can squeeze a half bath into a laundry area or even a closet. A no-frills bath will run around $10,000, give or take. Obviously, you can spend twice that amount (or more) if you put in a Cararra marble bath. If you’re thinking about remodeling your home and do not have an extra bath, adding a second bath is the one thing you should probably do. Otherwise, when your home eventually does sell with only one bath, you will probably take a hit on the sales price. It’s probably not worth what you imagine.

I tell buyers that they should not turn down a one-bath home when the cost to remedy that situation by adding an extra bath is so little. They can spend an extra $50K to $100K to buy a two bath home, or they can just add the bath. But many buyers don’t want the hassle and would rather look at only two bath homes, especially when they want a minimum of 3 bedrooms and a little bit bigger space than 960 square feet. Consider a second bath before beginning major projects such as a complete kitchen remodel.