House Listed as 3/3 on MLS but County Assessor has it as a 3/2
Hi folks, I'm looking at a potential house hack and have found a property that is listed as a 3 bed, 3bath on MLS (and it does indeed have 3/3) but the County Assessor has it as a 3 bed, 2 bath.
Could this be used as a negotiation tactic to bring down the sale price?
Are there any other implications I need to be aware of if I were to close on it? I imagine flagging this to the County would lead to higher property taxes and the potential of owing back-dated taxes.
Appreciate any feedback or thoughts from people that have been in a similar position!
- Dan
Most Popular Reply
Hey Dan,
I wouldn't be worried about the bath count not matching on the tax records. They mess up all the time. :) The part I would want to find out about is if they added the bath, if permits were pulled (this will likely be no since it wasn't updated), and then find out if the work was done to code. That's a little tricky and means taking their word for it. (It's also likely in the property disclosure, but if not, get it in writing.) I'd also have the home inspector really dig into the bathrooms (can you tell which was added)?
I just sold a previous primary last month that was a 3/2 in the tax records, but a 3/3 (or 4/3) because the basement was finished. We ended up redoing plumbing in the basement bathroom (and had plumber receipts), and we purchased it with the 3rd bathroom. I wasn't bothered by it.
I've also seen the bath count be too high for a property - again, they mess up. :)