Do you know how to measure a house seems like a silly question, right?
But, there are a lot of misconceptions about what is included in the square footage of a home.
And I completely understand why….
Many people believe that if they have a finished walkout basement then it should be included in the square footage.
I mean, after all you may have lots of fun down in that basement and use it every day as part of your “living area”.
Many people also believe that their beautiful new addition is included in square footage…. Maybe yes, Maybe no.
And it’s a little bit trickier for anyone who is having their house appraised for lending purposes via the typical lending process.
Because Fannie Mae has a mandatory measuring standard…. so that all of the home appraisers are all calculating the gross living area in the same way.
So, what does this mandatory measuring standard mean for the typical homeowner or realtor?
Basically, this means that the square footage of your home is what it is according to ANSI® measuring standards. (there are very few exceptions)
Also…..
If you are relying on the public records then you are out of luck because the tax assessor does not use ANSI® standards for measuring square footage of homes.
And…
If you haven’t taken an ANSI® course then you will most likely not know how to measure a house for lending purposes.
Which may result in advertising an incorrect square footage of living area if you are in the buying/selling world.
Not Good.
Realtors and Homeowners in our market area need not worry though….
Our office is on top of this and happy to share info with you as well as how to prepare for a home appraisal.
We can walk you through the process of how to measure a house.
Contact us or Tap Here to learn more about the basics of ANSI® Measurement Standards.
“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.”
Margaret Fuller
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