Stage it differently. Unless you're desperate to sell, I'd hesitate to make permanent changes to a home that you're leaving. Let the new owners decide how they want their new home to function. And then get your agent to inform potential buyers of all the options they have for that space.

I'd maybe put in a smaller day bed to hint that it could be a guest bedroom, and then really play up the home office look.

Do you have a study or dining room you can convert to a bedroom? If people are very put off by a walkthrough bedroom, it might help set up a more normal layout for them. Also, it looks very narrow, so the combination of walkthrough and narrowness is probably what is putting people off.

And after you move the bedroom, I would move the desk, put in some bookcases, and set up a few small cafe tables and chairs or one long farmhouse table. Think "French cafe" - bookcases full of books, tables for people to sit and eat, and fresh flowers on the table.

I also encourage you to not be discouraged; obviously, you liked the house enough to buy it 5 years ago. Someone else will see the potential as well, and will be interested.

6 ft would be very narrow for a bedroom and that might also turn off buyers. you might be better served to show this space as an office or den. if you have a room you currently use as a den/family room, perhaps you could put up a door and put in a wardrobe and sell that space as the bedroom instead, using this pass-through room for the family room/den.

We recently placed a bid on a home that was listed as a 4 bedroom, the 4th room was a "walk through" to get to the backyard/sunroom. To me it was not a bedroom...having said that, have you considered a knee/1/2 wall..maybe 4 feet high, leaving you a hallway, giving the new owners privacy, and not costing a fortune..it can also be removed easily if new owners want too.

@ssdmmf - That's a good idea, though like I said before, I think it's the combination of the walkthrough and the narrowness that is turning people off. Adding a kneel wall wouldn't solve the issue that a 6 foot wide space is not adequate for a bedroom meant for adults.

How many bedrooms does this house have? I think that's really important to know before deciding what to do with this room. If it is a 4 bedroom, turning the walk-through into an office won't be a big deal because selling a 3 bedroom house is still pretty easy (compared to 2 or 1 bedrooms). I agree with the office idea. I would make it coordinate visually with the back bedroom so you can sell it as kind of a master bedroom with sitting room/office. Changing that bed out with a couch, and adding a bookshelf would probably make it feel bigger and give it that office/sitting room feel.

Our house had a walk-through bedroom. We swapped it with the dining room and closed off a doorway and reconfigured the kitchen but it took lots O' time & about $6K.

I would just stage it differently since you are ready to sell now.

It's hard to know without a floorplan, but you could put up floor-to-ceiling curtains where a wall would go, and then furnish the bedroom as if the curtains were actually a wall.

Show it with the curtains swagged back at each side, so you will show off the full size of the space, but potential buyers can also close the curtains to see what it would be like if they decided to go with a wall.

The curtains wouldn't have to be heavy, in fact semi-sheers would probably be best as they would be less intrusive but still do the job. You should be able to Ikea the whole thing for very little money.

Someone will fall in love with the house just like you did it. I agree with the first poster -- Restage as less of a bedroom and more of a home office.

One other thing, if the door to the "far bedroom" is in the centre of the wall you may be thinking of splitting the walk-through room to provide straight-line access to that door, thereby leaving a "corridor" that is nearly as wide as the walled-off section of room. In that case maybe you could try to separate off a large corner of the room leaving a narrower but L-shaped corridor that would give you a larger walled-off space. (I hope this makes sense, the option of a floorplan would help a lot)

I agree with some of the earlier commenters. Stage the space as a home office or sitting area, not a bedroom. I also would not use curtains or a room divider to privatize the space, you're only further emphasizing the room's shortcomings. Your real estate agent can list the space as a bedroom, but it can be shown to potential buyers as something else.

Isn't the pic from a Small Cool entry from a couple years ago?

Maybe hang a curtain as a temporary wall? Give prospective buyers an idea of what they could do if they wanted.

If that small space is not the only bedroom, then I agree with staging it as a sitting area/cafe (how sweet!). I don't think that's too odd at all. I agree that putting up any divider will emphasis its shortcomings. I would think that buyers want to envision *their* things in the space and imagine how *they* will use it, and not care how you've used it - they will come with their own requirements and ideas. Good luck - looks like a lovely place.

It would be helpful to know more about the house. Without this walk-through bedroom, does it become a one-bedroom house? I can't see anyone with kids favoring this type of layout, though for a couple this could become a nice swing space (office, with the occasional use as a guest bedroom.) But, most couples who are buying a house are probably on their way to having kids.

Like other have said, is there another, more private, room which you could stage as a bedroom?

Stage it as a sitting area/reading nook if you have 2 other bedrooms. If not, I'd do a sliding door wall so that it could be a private second bedroom when needed. Think shoji screens, something that lets light through but still maintains privacy.

I think curtains would not work here, too fussy and you'll lose all your natural light. Really important to know how many other bedrooms you have.

I was under the impression this was just a one bedroom house because, if given the option, why wouldn't they have slept in a different room if one was available? What would you rather do, sleep in a 6 foot wide hallway where the bed was pushed against the wall, or in a room that was meant to be a bedroom?

Stage it as a home office/guest bedrooms as others have suggested. For apartments with few bedrooms, being able to use that second bedroom is a must. Like Jess13 said, it really depends on how many other bedrooms you have, too. In a smaller apartment, a sitting area would seem like a waste to me.

I think *PI is right that I bet this is a one-bedroom apartment. Those old row homes are often broken up so each floor is an apartment. If this is the case, then I think you should focus on what you loved about the apt in the first place. Is it the location, the price, the character? Whatever it may be, play up those features. You guys must have thought at first the walk-through bedroom would be an inconvenience, so you need buyers to look past it too and love what you loved.

@BossMD - The entire rowhome is their home. They bought a house, not an apartment.

Use hospital rack to put drapes encircling the bed or dividing it from the walkway. So that light still passes through use something light like scrim for the fabric. This'll set the bed apart but also serve to distract buyers visually so it feels more complete rather than like a passthrough.

Just wanted to point out that a bedroom less than 7' across is illegal in any city that uses the IBC or a code based off of the IBC. It looks like this is the case for Baltimore.

http://publicecodes.citation.com/icod/irc/2009/icod_irc_2009_3_sec004_par002.htm?bu=IC-P-2009-000002&bu2=IC-P-2009-000019

So, no, don't put up a wall.

@CatiaElizabeth I think those specs are often waived for older construction, however.

Whether your place is officially a two-bedroom or a one-bedroom, it's only going to appeal to couples. In that case, having a walk through room isn't going to a problem (much like it wasn't an issue for you). Stage it as an office.

It would helpful if Deidre would chime in to tell us if this is her only bedroom or if there are others in the house.

Walk through bedrooms are such a Baltimore standard, I'm surprised your lockers haven't encountered them before. Someone clearly put up a wall in my Pigtown rowhome to create a windowless "bedroom" instead of a walk through. I plan to market it to UMD residents who need to sleep after 30 hour shifts! Otherwise, stage it.

If you have another room to show as a bedroom, stage this as a library with a daybed or an office with a reading nook. I really like the café idea as well.

Please do not put up any walls or curtains, it would only create two awkward narrow spaces and take away from the old character of the house.

To me, if the MLS listing including it in the bedroom total and didn't mention that it was a walk-through, I'd feel disappointed once I saw it in person. It sounds like it's a small room and having a bed in there might make it seem smaller. Maybe try staging it as a home office or sitting area.

Thank you all for your comments. We have decided to stage it as an office and took the bed down completely. Our agent informs prospective buyers of the pass through before they see it but it has still been a problem for pretty much everyone. It seems like buyers these days want everything to be perfect while we liked the character of the 100 year old home! I appreciate your input and well-wishes. -Deirdre

If your real estate agent has taken notes from any showings & open houses, have him/her help you identify your most likely potential buyer. If that is a young couple, this room would work best shown as a nursery or guest room/office. That is if you have another bedroom to set up as the master. If this is the master bedroom... urgh. I think if you could post the floor plan it would help. All the above ideas are great, but are sort of guessing at the options for the rest of the space.