Rob Purnell
Size Really Does Matter

Why You'll See Conflicting Square Footage on Your Property
Anybody who looks at a house, townhome, or condo inevitably starts with a few basic pieces of information: the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square feet. Simple, right?
Not exactly. When it comes to measuring the square footage of a property it's as much an art as a science. You can get 3 different appraisers to measure the exact same space and get 3 different results. (The definition of a bedroom can get a little loose sometimes too, but I'll save that for another day.)

On the surface, this doesn't seem logical, since a square foot is a square foot. The reason is that there are multiple methods for measuring space, and a variety of tools for the job. Appraisers can use anything from old-fashion measuring tape to high-tech laser devices. Once I watched an appraiser measure a room by walking the perimeter heel-to-toe. Small nooks might be eyeballed, or even skipped altogether. There is no universal standard.
There are also various sources to find square footage for a property. Previous appraisals or county tax records are commonly used, but often exclude expansions, renovations, or other improvements. New construction can be particularly tricky as the numbers often come from architectural drawings, which don't take wall thickness into account ("walls-out.") When appraisers come to measure they will get very different dimensions.
What does this mean to you as a buyer or seller?
The most common lawsuits in real estate are claims of lack of disclosure or misrepresentation, and square footage disputes rank high in this category.
