Bath or shower? How you bathe can affect your property value

Do you soak in the tub or take a standing shower? Designers, architects, brokers and developers are asking because the answer could change the worth of your apartment.

Though the math differs based on who you talk to, one broker from Sotheby’s International Realty told the New York Times replacing a tub with a walk-in shower can add up to 10 percent in value for a studio or one-bedroom apartment.

Customized design for showers as well as the illusion of a more spacious bathroom are all factors that make the stand-up bathing option seem more appealing to many, though there are potential drawbacks to losing the classic bathtub: “For a young family, not having a tub is an issue,” Jonathan J. Miller, president of his own appraisal firm, told the Times.

For West Village General Contracting’s James Mansfield, however, the key is to look at your bathroom as part of your real estate investment: “I’m saying put $70,000 into your bathroom and watch it go up every year. Your house gets more valuable because of the alterations.”

Whether that means springing for a tub or stepping into a man-made rainfall, the jury’s still out on what the best bang for your buck would be, but it is certain that would-be buyers care a lot about their bathrooms.

[NYT] — Erin Hudson