Real Estate Math Annoys Teachers!

Basic fractions.  Most of us can remember that much, see if you can get this one:

1/2 + 1/2 + 1 = ?

Most of us will come up with an answer of two; but in real estate math, the answer is actually three!
No way you say?  Way.     Try this one:

1 + 3/4 + 3/4=?

Did you reduce your fractions? Your math teacher would be proud, but it will mess you up in real estate math.

Math teacher’s answer:  1  6/4  or  2  1/2
Real estate math answer:  3

You may have hear of bathroom humor, this is bathroom math.  Different areas of the country do their bathroom math a bit differently.  Even the MLS systems around the U.S. vary in their bathroom counting technique.  Some use dashes, some decimals, it can be confusing to begin with, but it’s not even consistent across the country!

Technically, a full bath has a toilet, sink and tub.
A three quarter bath has a toilet, sink and shower.
A half bath is just a toilet and sink.
All of the quarter baths I’ve seen have been outhouses, except for that shop building that had a toilet and no sink.  (I am so tempted to comment further on that, but will restrain myself.)

No matter where you are from, when you are posting an online ad for your property and the form only gives you limited whole number choices, what do you do?  You count toilets AND explain further in the descriptive section.  For example a home with a full bath, a three quarter bath and a half bath would be entered as a 3 bathroom home if the form forces you to use whole numbers and then explained in the description as “three baths include: one full, one three quarters and a half bath.”  You may also consider mentioning where they are in the house.  ”Main floor bath is full, master bath is three quarter and the basement has a half bath.”

If for some reason you are still in touch with your math teacher, thank them, then ask if they are familiar with real estate math.