I often have people ask me, “What does 1.1 baths mean?”
One point one baths means that the house has one full bathroom and one half-bathroom. Technically a full bath is supposed to have a tub, toilet and sink, while a half bath only has a toilet and sink.
“Then what does 1.5 baths mean?”
One point five baths also means that the house has one full bathroom and one half-bathroom.
Agents do this funny bathroom math because using halves becomes difficult when there is more than one half-bathroom in the house. For example, a house with one full bathroom and three half-bathrooms would be designated as 1.3 baths in the MLS, Realtor.com, etc. If you used halves, we’d be up to 2.5 baths, which isn’t technically correct.
You may see agents use halves when talking with the public though because it just makes more sense. When I show houses I always would say “This house has one and a half baths” not “this house has one point one baths.” Not using halves when orally describing a property is just weird.
People also ask me if bathrooms in the basement count for less in this Bathroom Math game. Or if full bathrooms on the first floor of a house count for less. In the actual bathroom count, they do not count for less. But when considering the value of a bathroom, a buyer will almost always discount a full bath if it is not on the same floor as bedrooms. It’s seen as a glorified half bathroom because people don’t typically like to schlep their belongings through an entire house to take a shower.
“Well what if the bathroom only has a shower and no tub?”
Technically that should be seen as a three-quarter bath, as in the picture above, but they are often still called full baths.
I know, I know. Where’s the consistency? There isn’t any. That’s why you need a good agent to sort out this mess for you.
