The Real Deal

Numbers depend on who is measuring

By Shoshana Wolf

While strolling through the homes on your open house odyssey, you may start to wonder, "just how big is this house anyway?" Believe it or not, the method to calculate square footage is not consistent.

Both buyers and sellers should be aware that there are different methods in use when figuring out the square footage of a home. Builders and architects, for instance, may include garage space when calculating the total square footage. Customarily, an appraiser or other real estate professional may only consider actual living space when estimating the total square footage of a home. Unless you have access to the actual plans, you may not be able to get an exact square footage count.

According to one city's information for square footage calculations in single family residence districts, "... the 'gross floor area' means the total covered area of all floors of a main structure and accessory structure greater than 120 square feet in area, including covered parking and stairways, measured to the outside surface of the exterior walls ..." There are exceptions to this general rule with which the city can provide you.

In 1996, the American Standards Institute approved a voluntary standard for calculating the square footage of a single-family home. However, many of the organizations affected by this standard have not adopted the method yet. These voluntary standards calculate floor space measured on the outside of walls.

Before these standards were drafted, there was no uniform method of computing square footage. Some doubled the downstairs area for two-story homes, measured from the outside walls and counted spaces such as two-story foyers and vaulted ceilings as living space. Others included balconies, porches, basements, bay windows and fireplaces as living space. This resulted in lawsuits from buyers who believed that the total amount of living space had been misrepresented to them. Sellers should take these experiences to heart. Many buyers may ask to see building plans or other documentation to ensure that the square footage listed is correct.

The National Association of Home Builders surveyed builders, architects and real estate brokers, and their recommendations were accepted and approved as the new "voluntary standard." Unfortunately, the new standards haven't had much impact because no one seems to want to be the first to adopt them. Some builders believe it should start with the architects. The American Institute of Architecture and a representative of Freddie Mac maintain that it's up to appraisers and tax assessors to make the first move toward adopting the new standards.

Calculating square footage is an inexact science at best. The actual square footage number may not be as important as the reality of your family living comfortably in your new home.

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Guest columnist Shoshana Wolf is associated with Coldwell Banker Real Estate. Information provided in this column is presented by the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. Send questions regarding any topic that you would like to see addressed in this column to: Your Realtor and You, c/o SILVAR, Palo Alto District, 345 San Antonio Road, Los Altos, CA, 94022; call 650.949.9115; or send email to: ppompei@siliconvalleyrealtors.org.

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