My husband and I just bought a 3bed/2ba house. The garage was converted into a large great room and is just to the right of the foyer. The conversion was well done and it is difficult to tell this great room is not original to the house. The original living room is down a hallway. It has wonderful, floor-to-ceiling windows on one end, facing the back yard, and we plan to use it for a sitting room. However, the previous owners built a clothes closet opposite the windows and were using the room as a fourth bedroom. The closet sticks out from the wall right by the doorway and is obviously an addition, and I would like to tear it out and restore the room to its original lines. My husband likes the idea but wants to wait until we decide if we're staying in this area (at least two years from now) because he says four bedrooms will increase the value of the house. Will leaving this closet really make that much difference? Wouldn't it be just as attractive to offer both a living room and a great room with the 3bed/2ba? I'd really like to lose this eyesore closet, but I don't want to decrease any potential future sale value.

The best answer to your question will depend a lot on where you're located.

For example in Idaho and Utah large families are fairly common and at least 4 bedrooms would be a plus on resale.

In area like for example, Tennessee where I am, 4 bedrooms might be nice but 3 would work for most families and they might appreciate having a nice living room in addition to a family room.

One thing to keep in mind unless you've built a new garage to replace the one that became a family room; lots of buyers in my area want a garage. In other areas it might not be that big a deal.

Bottom line, as long as what you're offering for sale conforms to the norms for your area and it's priced right plus being in as close to "move in" condition as you can make it, it should sell.

Thanks, that makes perfect sense. We live in Georgia and the house is close to a military base with another 1,200 jobs slated to open in the near future. We're actually hoping to stay in the house but moving is a possibility. Most homes in this area are 3bed/2ba and the room in question is one of the most attractive features of the house (and the deal maker for us) with a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams as well as the windows, and it's a bit more formal than the great room. I think it would "play" better as a living room but just wanted another opinion.