What is a Half Bathroom's Effect on Your Home's Resale Value?

Nice, plentiful bathrooms add tremendous value to your home, so what is a half bathroom's effect on your bottom line? As you browse home listings, you've likely seen counts for full baths, half baths, and powder rooms. These distinct types of bathrooms significantly impact how you (or potential buyers) use and enjoy a home. A half bath can be a selling point that sets your home apart.

If you're selling your home, keep in mind a bathroom with water damage or a home with too few bathrooms for the number of bedrooms can lose value: There's a reason the number of bathrooms in a home is one of the key figures in any good listing.

What Is a Half Bathroom?

A half bathroom is any room in your home with a toilet and a sink. Full baths, on the other hand, have a shower and/or bathtub, as well. These bathing fixtures that distinguish full baths from half baths might be walk-in showers, shower/tub combos (or separate fixtures in one bathroom, or (rarely) just bathtubs.

Christa Kenin, a real estate agent at Douglas Elliman, says half baths are typically found on the home's first floor. Homeowners use these bathrooms during the day or while entertaining guests who have stopped by. Kenin says half bath refers to the same space that the term powder room does and that both rooms are defined by having a sink and toilet—but no shower or tub. 

What is a half bathroom when compared to a powder room? Experts say a half bath might be the same kind of room, but the terms are not necessarily interchangeable in house listings. "I would never use the term powder room; it would be a half bath," says Heather Hanlon, a Realtor at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate - The Masiello Group, Northern New England. "I would be clear in my listing about this."

What is a Half Bathroom's Effect On Home Value?

As with kitchens, new or updated bathrooms can add huge value to your home. Bruce Gillispie, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Journey in Bentonville, Arkansas, estimates that a half bathroom can add between $8,000 to $10,000 to a home’s value, depending on condition, accessibility, and location in your floor plan. (Note that values can also vary significantly by region.)

Of course, that figure will change depending on how many bathrooms your home had to start, and the total value to you as a seller (current or future) will depend on how much it costs to install the bathroom. If you're curious, ask a local real estate agent for input on what your bathroom addition or remodel could add to your home’s value. 

Specific finishes and details can increase the value and appeal of a half bath. Kenin encourages homeowners to take some artistic liberty with their half baths.

“They are a great opportunity to have a little fun with decorating and can help set a home’s style,” she says. “You will often find bold wallpaper and memorable light fixtures in these jewel box spaces. Be brave and have a little fun with these spaces!”

Maintaining a Half Bath

Just like kitchens and full bathrooms, half baths introduce water and plumbing into your home, so they require special maintenance. 

“Cleanliness and moisture control are important in every bath,” Hanlon says. “Updating finishes in a bath for resale will typically yield a good ROI.” 

Gillispie says that you’ll want to make sure you have a durable floor in place, given this room is regularly exposed to water. And in emergency situations, you’ll need to know where to shut off the water in your home. 

Amanda Munoz, a Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Valley Partners in Greater Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, says good maintenance also means cleaning clogs from your pipes regularly. You might be able to handle this yourself with drain cleaner or a drain snake from the store, but persistent clogs will require help from a professional plumber.

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