As a Realtor, main floor bedrooms are very desirable for lots of reasons. Two of them being accessibility and an increase in multigenerational family living. It might make more sense to stage it as a grand guest room and take your existing guestroom in the basement and make that 100% gym.

If you do the flex space, I think you should stage it with a yoga mat instead of a treadmill. I don’t think anyone gets excited when they see a treadmill ???? plus it would be less bulky in front of the window.

I agree with Haneen Matt’s comment. It’s not worth it as each person will have their own idea of what they will want to do with that space.. I very surprised at the results of the survey because of work from home and would have thought that would have been the majority.. I think its fine as an office. WFH space!

I honestly don’t think you need to bother staging it. I think people are going to walk through your home and love what they see. I highly doubt seeing the space as your office is going to deter anyone from making a decision. I don’t think it’s worth the time when the rest of your home is designed and decorated so beautifully! It takes two seconds for a realtor to make suggestions to the buyer- “They used this as their office, but you could do X, Y, and Z.” But could take you hours to move furniture around! Seems like unnecessary stress.

I feel really strongly that the pandemic has really changed the way we suck the life out of our houses. The treadmill/home gym idea is the only one that really embraces this. I’ve seen game rooms, craft rooms, and play rooms created in the last year that are fun and exciting, aside from the obvious wave of home offices. An additional living space is also something you can never go wrong with.

Library with built in shelves!! And small tv/sofa area! ????

I love seeing the work desks and table. It makes it easy to imagine as a craft/sewing/art/work room. Having a dedicated room for gift wrapping, holiday projects or hosting paint parties, etc. would be so nice! I love the possibilities and its location.

I like a mix of 1 and 3… guest room + workout room

Office space/kids office plus tv room. Since your tv is downstairs it would be nice to have a Mai floor lounge/study. And you already have an extra bedroom in the basement.

I am in the minority, but I think the office looks great. With so many people working from home, I think this might encourage people to think outside of the box. It presents it as a true “bonus” space. I think whatever place will look best design wise you should go with.

I voted to imply that it is work out space (a big deal with gyms closed – and perhaps your property is a distance from a gym anyway?) but the office layout made me think that a secondary idea could be setting up for homeschooling multiple children, if kids are not back in building in your area (or homeschooling is a big thing there on its own.)

Hey Júlia! Loved the idea of a poll! To me, makes no sense having a bedroom without any bathroom near by (if i remember your house floor plan correctly, there’s a 1/2 bathroom down the corridor and the others are downstairs and up stairs?!). Unless you would sugest the future owners building one to become an ensuite (since This bonus room is so big!). The other options sound great! Good luck!

I think the idea of a flex space is nice. Buyer can think of this as a den for tv, playroom for kids, home gym etc. with this option you are showing the most potential of a space. The main floor bedroom idea is nice (and still do list/price the home as having that as a bedroom because it now technically is) but staging it that way without a full bathroom on that floor might deter more people than have them see added value. – thoughts of a Realtor ????

I like a hobby room/studio. You already have an office space so that idea is already planted, and a media room that is cozier than this space. I wouldn’t want gym equipment be the thing I see through the window as I enter the front door. But a studio space can look quite inspiring.

My second choice would be for a main floor bedroom, convenient for less able guests, or family members recovering from knee surgery. ;)

I cannot decide between leaving as an office space, like you have it, or a first floor bedroom, The office, obviously because more people are working from home and the dedicated space and room is really valuable right now! But the first floor bedroom is something that is also really nice as parents are getting older and may be needed down the line. I like the idea of what others said about discussing with your realtor in your market and price point what is being noted as important for buyers. Also, love the idea of the different layouts being printed to show people who cannot envision — i would love that! :-)

Whatever you decide, I’d just be sure to make the listing read something along the lines of “flex space currently being used as…” I personally like the idea of a tv area and workout area. Removing the treadmill from the downstairs bedroom makes that lower room feel like a true guest room away from the activity of the main floor. I think a bedroom so closely connected to the main living areas (option 3) feels a little awkward. Even though we aren’t one of them, many families want a convenient space to watch tv too, which that option also provides. It feels like a great bonus area, especially with doors that you could easily close and hide any mess!

Definitely flex space. My first thought was office/gym. If there is a full bathroom close then I think mother in law suite could work, but I’d probably still stage it as a flex space and just mention it would also make a great MIL suite. I kind of thought there was just a half bath though, in which case a bedroom doesn’t make sense. Especially if it’s geared towards aging parents. I also think you could just leave it completely empty and it wouldn’t make a difference at all, haha. But that’s no fun!

I really like the MIL suite idea — those are really valuable here, especially since you already have a fridge in there, and it combines the idea of a couple of your options. Little kitchen table, fridge with some cabinets that you already have in there, bed, and a small loveseat/couch/chair with ottoman? Inter-generational living is on the rise in the U.S.!

Love them all but It’s COVID life most people want full gym

What about staging it as in “in-laws” quarters? There is no bathroom, but it seems big enough to put a small kitchenette area where you had the desk in option 3 and the main area could have a murphy or daybed and sitting area with a TV. It would be a perfect area for a parent who may not navigate stairs well.

I read down the comments, and although I think I would defiantly not choose the office option and lean towards one of the other two, I think the idea to print out the other floor plans to help people visualize the possibilities is really smart! Maybe also ask your realtor who knows that market better than any of us across the nation do?

I think the flex space will allow potential buyers to see it can be used in many ways. If you have families looking at it then it could make a good main floor tv room/playroom/gym. A large office like that may not make sense for most people. I personally wouldn’t want a bedroom right off the entry, especially since I can’t remember if you have a full bathroom on the main floor.

I’m 2b – office and workout space. That’s what I would most want personally since your other desk space doesn’t have doors!

I would set it up as a flex space to signal the potential of the room to buyers. It’s unlikely that the buyers will need such a large dedicated office space, especially with a separate home office already in the house. A lounge/craft/gym area can show the versatility of the room and let buyers imagine whatever would be great for their family. If it were my family looking at the home, I would probably set it up as a playroom/kids room.

Home theater/workout space?

I feel like at your price point a full on home gym look would be nice.

I think #2 strikes the perfect balance. It’s not a given buyers will need that many work stations (#1) and this room doesn’t seem like a natural bedroom to me (mostly because of proximity to bathrooms). Option 2 seems like the most natural fit for the space, and gives buyers three uses to contemplate in the space.

I would do a playroom – a first floor playroom separate from the nicer grown up living room, with a door that can be closed on a mess quickly would be very attractive to me :)