When is a two-bedroom too small to sell?
Q. I'm looking at buying a two-bedroom apt in Park Slope, but the bedrooms are extremely small (5'10"x14'1" and 8'2"x14'1").
I need a two-bedroom and can't really afford anything bigger, but do you think that the small bedrooms are going to make it difficult to resell in the future or are there enough buyers in Park Slope that would find this layout and lower price range desirable?
A. That all depends, say the brokers we checked in with.
“A small two bedroom if priced right will always have a buyer,” says Terry Naini, an agent who works in brownstone and downtown Brooklyn. “That said, the specific location, condition, and health of the building are paramount.”
A small two-bedroom close to multiple train lines and the park with low monthly charges will sell easier than one that is further from the trains, with high carrying costs in a walk-up building, notes Naini.
Manhattan broker Gordon Roberts wondered if your two-bedroom is actually a one-bedroom in disguise.
“Those bedrooms are awfully small by any measure, regardless of neighborhood or demand, and it sounds more like a one-bedroom apartment with a 14 x 14’ bedroom that’s been subdivided than a true two-bedroom,” he notes.
While it’s hard to advise more without knowing the price, type of building or other compensating factors, Roberts suggests that you compare the apartment to larger one-bedrooms on the market rather than looking at it as an affordable two-bedroom.
“When it comes time to sell, potential buyers will probably approach it in the same way,” he says.
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