{"id":559,"date":"2014-07-27T23:28:39","date_gmt":"2014-07-28T06:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shellyrobersonrealtor.com\/?p=559"},"modified":"2014-08-30T08:33:01","modified_gmt":"2014-08-30T15:33:01","slug":"look-carefully-at-a-homes-square-footage-it-might-not-be-what-you-think-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shellyrobersonrealtor.com\/look-carefully-at-a-homes-square-footage-it-might-not-be-what-you-think-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Look Carefully At A Home\u2019s Square Footage \u2013 It Might Not Be What You Think It Is"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n How does the real estate marketplace calculate and represent square footage of listed homes in marketing materials and in the multiple listing services?\u00a0 To be honest there are several common practices and it is quite possible that a home might have two or three square footages which are all close, but not the same.\u00a0 Some people may include the garage square footage, some may include the basement, some may include unpermitted covered patios, and others may not include any of those areas.\u00a0 To compound things there is no standard by which the entire real estate community utilizes, thus there will always be some ambiguity and lack of clarity as to the precise square footage of a home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n County Assessor\u2019s Records Are For Everyone To See<\/strong><\/p>\n First of all, a county assessor\u2019s record (public records can be viewed by anyone who has interest) of the permitted square footage is one source which is commonly used by real estate agents.\u00a0 However, unpermitted additions are typically not included.\u00a0 Moreover if a county has changed recording systems over the years there is a possibility that some of the square footage, a permitted addition for example, got lost or misplaced from the records over the years.\u00a0 This is actually quite common in older neighborhoods which were previously county areas, but got annexed along the way by a smaller city or town. \u00a0\u00a0Anyway, the county assessor\u2019s records are a fairly common source which real estate professionals use.\u00a0 It is common to see marketing flyers which represent the home\u2019s square footage with a footnote or disclaimer that says, \u201cPer County Records.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Fee-Based Appraisers Use Different Methods To Measure Homes<\/strong><\/p>\n Secondly, a fee-based real estate appraiser who is hired to appraise a property during a transaction can measure the property and come up with a square footage which is fairly reliable.\u00a0 One problem with this method is that one appraiser is not the same as the next and even though both are competent they may measure the building differently, i.e., outside the exterior versus room-by-room analysis, which will result in entirely different square footages.\u00a0 In either case, both measurements will be within the ballpark, but will be different.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Architectural Drawings Provide Accurate Insight<\/strong><\/p>\n Third, if someone has a set of architectural drawings of the home in its as-built condition then the drawings will provide a fairly accurate representation of the livable square footage.\u00a0 In this scenario a buyer can actually compare the as-built conditions to the drawings and draw some fairly conclusive ideas of the true square footage.\u00a0 Not every home has a set of architectural drawings readily available unless the home is fairly new or the records are archived with the city building department.\u00a0 Importantly, the garage, the basement, the covered patio are again some areas which some real estate agents will represent as square footage, while others will not.\u00a0 This can lead to confusion amongst buyers.<\/p>\nIf You Are Buying A Home Just For It\u2019s Square Footage Think Again<\/h2>\n