One-bathroom homes that sold in Nassau, Suffolk

When listing agent Jennie Katz works with buyers, she asks her clients to make a wish list.

"You want to write down your 10 most important things," said Katz, of Bellmore-based Blue Island Homes. "If you find something with seven of the 10, then, that's pretty close."

A desired number of bathrooms is usually on the list, and varies by price point: The audience for a $1.8 million new construction has a different wish list than that for a $549,000 existing home, she said.

But the bathroom count is usually a priority, she said; and some clients will buy a one-bathroom home with the intent to expand someday. Newsday spoke with agents who recently closed sales of one-bathroom homes about this segment of the market.

Long Beach

Closing price: $849,000

This raised ranch in Long Beach sold for $849,000 — the asking price. Listed in January, it took a little over two weeks to go into contract, said Kelly Forman, of Compass. The sale closed in March.

"The marvel of this is that it was the dead of winter," the listing agent said. "I think Long Beach breaks all the real estate rules, about spring markets and fall markets."

The house features two bedrooms and totals 984 square feet. The taxes were listed as $12,294, plus $829 for flood insurance, transferable to the new owner.

Living in a home with one bathroom is not uncommon in Long Beach, Forman said.

"I would argue more than half of the original bungalows were probably one-bathroom, because they were just that: Summer, seasonal homes," she said.

Long Beach homeowners have elevated their houses and reconfigured their layouts since then, Forman said, so it's now possible to find homes with an additional half-bathroom.

It just comes down to priorities, said Forman, "whether they want to have more living space or more accommodations."

Some notable features of this home include a two-car garage, an elevated deck and a dumbwaiter, which could be used for transporting groceries, Forman said. The property is in the Long Beach City School District.

The buyer had attended the first open house, resulting in a speedy selling process.

"I do find [having one bathroom] is a non-starter for a lot of people," Forman said. "But because we're in such a unique market, we attract all kinds of scenarios, and being a one-bathroom house is not necessarily a dealbreaker, as reflected by the sale price that the seller got."

And Long Beach buyers in particular are shopping more for the lifestyle than the property details: "More people are living life on their bicycle than in their living room," Forman said.

Bay Shore

Closing price: $630,000

During two open houses in two days, about 60 groups passed through a three-bed, one-bath ranch in Bay Shore, Serhant agent Roy Lebel said.

The 1,250-square-foot house was listed for $569,999 and sold for $630,000, Lebel confirmed. The sale closed in July.

"It was a smooth process," Lebel said.

The Geneva Street home sits on a 0.34-acre parcel within the Islip School District and is on the sewer system, Lebel said. Taxes on the property total $12,928.

In recent years, renovations included the kitchen, flooring and roof, according to Lebel. The home has an unfinished basement with a side entrance.

Whether a one-bathroom home will work for a client depends on their priorities and circumstances, Lebel said. Sometimes, a client is willing to compromise: One bathroom might be all right if there is a basement, he said.

"There's a difference sometimes between wants and needs and price," Lebel said.

Lebel said he sees schools and family motivating prospective buyers right now. The appeal of this listing, he said, included one-story living.

"There were people that did walk in there and said, ‘This is only one bathroom,' " but the majority of people didn't mind because it was "fairly new," he said.

Bellmore

Closing price: $595,000

In January, Blue Island Homes agent Jennie Katz listed a two-bed, one-bath house in Bellmore at $549,000. In April, the sale closed at $595,000.

"I had multiple offers," Katz said. "I probably had over 200 people at my open houses."

The 772-square-foot home sits on a 4,400-square-foot parcel, Katz said. Taxes on the Newbridge Road property, which falls within the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, total $9,582.

"It was kind of a very busy street, I have to be honest," Katz said. "But it had a really cozy, cute feel to it."

The house had hardwood floors, an unfinished basement and a roof that was upgraded in 2015, according to Katz. A PVC fence lined the property.

"It just basically offered the buyer the value, the convenience and the charm to have a starter home in Bellmore," Katz said.

Though some buyers might want a second bathroom, Katz said, that is not always realistic in a low-inventory market where area listings priced at $549,000 are few.

"Do they want to see another bathroom? Of course they do," she said. "But, their budget is their budget."

Glen Cove

Closing price: $675,000

There was interest in this Glen Cove ranch "right off the bat," said listing agent Damian Ross, of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty.

"But when we initially listed, we were at more of an ambitious price," he recalled. The asking price was $725,000, and the house ultimately sold for $675,000. "Once the price got into striking range, we were able to get a buyer into contract rather quickly from that."

From start to finish, the process took around four or five months, Ross said. The sale closed in May.

Built in 1950, the house originally featured three bedrooms. A previous owner opened up one of the bedrooms to create additional living space, the agent said.

Other standout details include a detached garage, along with an updated kitchen and flooring. The house totals 978 square feet, sitting on a 0.19-acre lot. Taxes were listed as $10,300, and the property is in the Glen Cove City School District.

As for the singular bathroom: "To me, it didn't make a difference," Ross said. Given the price point and location of the home, he added, "I think it's sort of in line with the expectation that you may or may not get one bathroom. It was more important to buyers for the house to be in move-in condition, than the fact that it just had one bathroom."

Adding another bathroom to this particular house could be difficult without a basement, Ross said. "While it's doable, it would require breaking up the foundation and re-cementing it," he added.

The main qualities homebuyers want out of any bathroom: "I would say space for storage, updated and clean," Ross said.

"If you're considering updating a bathroom, or if you only have one bathroom to work with, I think it's important to make sure that it has a tub, rather than just a shower stall," he noted, "so that you don't limit your demographic."

Farmingville

Closing price: $432,500

On a dead end road in Farmingville, listing agent Gregory Parks sold a two-bedroom, one-bathroom home for $432,500 this month. It was not an easy sell, said Parks, of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

"Normally that price point is very, very competitive," Parks said. "When you're actually sacrificing square footage, it gets less competitive because there's only so much you can do with two bedrooms, one bath. Most people will outgrow that."

Parks described the 650-square-foot home as a small house on a relatively big property. Taxes on the 0.2-acre Rexmere Avenue parcel, which falls within the Sachem Central School District, total $4,769.

The house has an unfinished walkout basement, and there is a hot tub on the property, Parks said. The buyers he sold to were okay with just one bathroom because they do not have any children, according to Parks.

"Unless it's a single person or a couple, they're going to want two baths," Parks said. "Anybody with children is going to want two baths, in my opinion.

Oceanside

Closing price: $660,000

In Oceanside, this Cape sold for $60,000 over its asking price. It went into contract after just one weekend, said listing agent Christopher White, of Compass.

"The house was in a little bit of distress, and the seller didn't mind spending around $5,000 to $8,000 on fixing it up," he said.

About a month before the house hit the market, the sellers added new vinyl floors, upgraded the stove and repainted everything, White said. It was listed for $600,000, with taxes of $11,100.

The property is in the Oceanside Union Free School District. It contains four bedrooms, totaling 1,190 square feet. The house sits on a 0.11-acre lot, with a detached garage.

It's necessary for those house hunting right now on Long Island to keep an open mind, White said.

"When it comes to one-bathroom homes, the inventory is so low that buyers can't be too selective when it comes to what they're looking for, on today's market," he said.

But this particular home had potential to add a second bathroom in its full unfinished basement, White said.

Owners of one-bathroom houses who would like an extra powder room could also get creative with a storage area: "I see all the time in primary bedrooms with three large closets, you can turn one of those into a half bathroom," White said.

Tubs and windows are desirable in bathrooms for prospective homebuyers, he added. But no matter the setup or the amount, houses on Long Island are flying off the market.

"If a house is priced correctly and move-in ready, you should have an accepted offer in one weekend," White said.