Does a Murphy Bed Increase Home Value? What Stays When You Sell

Last updated October 2026 by the Forward Furniture team

If you are thinking about a fold away bed for a den, a basement suite or a spare room, it is fair to ask whether the money comes back when you sell. The honest answer is that a Murphy bed is bought for how you live now, not as a renovation that pays for itself.

This guide covers what happens to a Murphy bed when a home is sold in Canada, whether it can turn a room into a bedroom, and when it helps a listing. If you would rather keep the bed when you move, freestanding cabinet beds like the Olivia need no drilling at all.

In this guide

• The short answer
• Fixture or furniture when you sell?
• Does it count as a bedroom?
• When a Murphy bed helps a sale
• When it adds little or nothing
• Wall bed vs cabinet bed at sale time
• Taking your Murphy bed with you
• Which one is right for you?
• Questions

Does a Murphy Bed Increase Home Value?

Not in a way you can count on. Here is what a Murphy bed can and cannot do for a home.

• It does not add a bedroom. Whether a room is a bedroom depends on the room, mainly an exit window, not on the bed in it.
• It may stay with the house. A wall bed fixed to the studs is likely a fixture, so it is part of the sale unless the contract says otherwise.
• It can make a small room show better. A den that is clearly an office by day and a guest room by night is easier for buyers to picture.
• It rarely pays back its cost. Treat it as furniture for your own use, not as a resale project.

Is a Murphy Bed a Fixture or Furniture When You Sell?

In a Canadian home sale, items fall into two groups. The Ontario Real Estate Association explains it this way in its chattels versus fixtures bulletin (August 2016): a chattel is a moveable possession that can be removed without injury to the property, and it is not included unless the agreement of purchase and sale lists it. Fixtures stay with the property unless the agreement excludes them.

So which is a Murphy bed? It depends on how it is installed.

• Wall bed: every full and queen wall bed we sell must be anchored to the wall, and some, like the Pur, mount to both the floor and the wall. Taking one out leaves holes to patch. That looks a lot like a fixture.
• Cabinet bed: a low chest that is not attached to anything. It lifts out like a dresser, so it is a chattel that goes with you.

The same bulletin lists wall mounted TVs and shelves among the items buyers and sellers argue about. A wall bed sits in that same grey zone. The fix is simple: write it down. Name the bed in the agreement as included or excluded, and check it on the final walk through.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and standard forms differ by province, so ask your realtor or lawyer about your own sale.

Does a Murphy Bed Count as a Bedroom?

No. A bed does not make a room a bedroom. In Alberta, the only legal must have is a way out. Alberta REALTORS (January 2025) explains that the building code calls for at least one outside window that opens from the inside without tools, with an opening of at least 0.35 square metres (3.8 square feet) and no side under 380 mm (15 inches). A closet is not required.

That means a windowless den with a Murphy bed is still a den in the listing. A room that already meets the rules is a bedroom with or without one. Other provinces have their own rules, but the lesson is the same: the room sets the bedroom count, not the furniture.

When Can a Murphy Bed Help a Sale?

A Murphy bed will not change the appraisal, but it can change how a room reads in photos and at an open house. It tends to help in these cases.

• Small condos and townhomes. A second room that works as an office and a guest room answers two buyer questions at once.
• Basement or garden suites. A bed that folds away keeps the suite open as a living space for showings.
• Quality built ins. A wall bed with matching side cabinets or a desk can look like part of the house, not like leftover furniture.
• Good working order. Pistons that lift smoothly and a clean finish. A stiff or squeaky bed does the opposite.

If yours is getting older, our guide to how long Murphy beds last shows what wears out first and what is cheap to fix before you list. If you are selling a smaller home, this piece on designing small BC homes shows which space saving pieces earn their spot.

When Does a Murphy Bed Add Little or Nothing?

• The buyer wants a real bedroom. A family that needs a nursery or a teen room may plan to take the wall bed out on day one.
• The style is dated. A finish that clashes with the rest of the home can read as a job for the buyer.
• It was not installed well. A cabinet that is not level or not anchored to studs worries buyers and inspectors.
• You paid for custom work. Built to fit cabinetry costs far more than a ready made unit, and buyers rarely pay extra for it.

For what a pro charges to put one in, see Murphy bed installation costs in Canada.

Wall Bed vs Cabinet Bed When You Sell

Attachment and depth from the maker's instructions on each product page. "By default" means unless your agreement says otherwise. Prices are the lowest size in stock, from our catalogue, read October 12, 2026.

The pattern is clear. If you want the bed to leave with you without a negotiation, pick one that does not bolt to the wall. If you plan to stay for years and want the slimmest closed depth, a wall bed is the better fit. Compare the two in cabinet bed vs Murphy bed.

Can You Take Your Murphy Bed With You When You Sell?

Yes, if you plan for it.

1. Exclude it in writing. List the wall bed as an excluded fixture in the listing and the agreement, so no buyer expects it.
2. Book the take down. Lowering the pistons and unbolting the cabinet is a two person job. Our guide to moving a Murphy bed walks through it.
3. Patch the wall. Fill and paint the anchor holes before closing.
4. Check the new room. Ceiling height and wall width must fit. Our Murphy bed dimensions guide has the numbers.

A cabinet bed skips steps 1 to 3. It is moved like a dresser, and nothing is left behind on the wall. For renters, the same logic applies: no drilling means no lease talk. See which Murphy beds can be freestanding.

Which One Is Right for You?

• You own and plan to stay: a wall bed, like the Nebula or Key West, for the slimmest closed depth.
• You need a home office too: the Lumina with a fold-out desk.
• You may sell or move in a few years: a cabinet bed like the Olivia or Stow, which goes with you.
• You rent: a cabinet bed, or a twin wall bed the maker allows to stand alone.

Fold Away Beds to Compare

Prices are read from our catalogue on the day this guide was updated.

Olivia Cabinet Bed
Preorder, charged in full at checkout: see the current price

Freestanding, moves with you, mattress included.

Stow Queen Cabinet Bed
$2,417.99

A low chest that opens into a queen, mattress included.

Lumina Murphy Wall Bed With Desk
From $2,759.99

Office by day, queen or full by night.

Nebula Murphy Wall Bed
From $2,149.99

Vertical, twin pistons, anchored to the wall.

Key West Murphy Wall Bed
From $2,328.99

Steel bed frame, anchored to the wall.

Want to try one before you decide? We keep the Olivia cabinet bed on our Kelowna and Calgary showroom floors, so you can open and close one yourself.

Murphy Beds and Home Value: Common Questions

Does a Murphy bed stay with the house when you sell?

Often, yes. A wall bed bolted to the studs is likely a fixture, and fixtures stay unless the agreement excludes them. A freestanding cabinet bed is a chattel and goes with you. Name it in the agreement either way.

Does a Murphy bed count as a bedroom?

No. The room decides that, mainly through an exit window. In Alberta the opening must be at least 3.8 square feet with no side under 15 inches. A Murphy bed in a windowless den is still a den.

Is a Murphy bed a good investment?

As a way to use a small room twice, yes for many homes. As a resale project, rarely. No outside source shows a set return, so buy one for how you live now.

Can I take my Murphy bed when I move?

Yes. Exclude it in writing, have two people take it down, and patch the anchor holes. A cabinet bed needs none of that and moves like a dresser.

Do I need permission to install a Murphy bed in a condo?

A wall bed needs screws into the studs, so check your strata or condo rules, and your lease if you rent. A cabinet bed needs no drilling.

Find a Fold Away Bed That Fits Your Plans