When developing Property Briefs with clients, I ask them not only the number of bathrooms required, but also whether they want/need a bath.

My recommendation is different depending on the size of the property and whether the buyer is a homebuyer or an investor.

In my opinion, buyers of larger properties, 3 BR or more, are wise to include one bath, as anything less in family home may curb the resale value. Families need a bath for young children. The exception would be a “Forever Home” purchase where the purchaser cannot see themselves using the bath for 10 years. It’s just a dust-catcher taking up space for a more spacious shower.

However, when we say a bath, a practical bath is 1800m in length. Undersize baths are nominal and not practical. Oversized baths take forever to fill.

One and two bedroom apartments will rarely have a bath because space is at premium, and shower-only is what the market expects.

Villa Units can have a bath and sometime sought after by young families. For other buyers the hassle of a bath over shower is a negative and for downsizers, a walk-in shower is usually on the list.

For investors, check the demographics with your buyers agent or property manager as this will guide you. Unless you were doing a bathroom renovation, I would be wary of replacing bath with a shower as it is a significant cost and the Return On Investment cannot really be calculated.

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