What do property area (sq. ft.) include?

[hongkongfever]

I know you can only count the living area when estimating the sq. ft. of a property. But what about places like the closet, hallway, or storage? Do they get counted too in the total sq. ft. of a property?

 

[Gibson486]

it depends on laws and how iffy your realtor is is.

 

[hongkongfever]

it depends on laws and how iffy your realtor is is.

I'm in California but isn't there a general consensus on how things like this are calculated?

 

[bignateyk]

I always thought they counted everything that was finished (which would include things like closets, bathrooms, etc..., but not things like unfinished storage rooms)

 

[apac]

I'm in California but isn't there a general consensus on how things like this are calculated?

I believe it's only finished, livable areas inside the house. Storage, closets, attics, and unfinished basements are not included. I'm not sure about stairwells.

 

[hongkongfever]

I believe it's only finished, livable areas inside the house. Storage, closets, attics, and unfinished basements are not included. I'm not sure about stairwells.

When you say "finished" I assume you mean it's painted, has floorworks, etc?

 

[mugs]

We just got our house appraised recently, and the appraiser measured each floor from outside wall to outside wall, he didn't measure individual rooms. So I can only assume he was including all finished space, including stairwells, closets, etc.

Of course that was for the purpose of the appraisal; other methods may be used for other purposes.

And I'm not ruling out the possibility that the appraiser was being lazy.

 

[hongkongfever]

We just got our house appraised recently, and the appraiser measured each floor from outside wall to outside wall, he didn't measure individual rooms. So I can only assume he was including all finished space, including stairwells, closets, etc.

Of course that was for the purpose of the appraisal; other methods may be used for other purposes.

And I'm not ruling out the possibility that the appraiser was being lazy.

Sounds incorrect. If he measures it from the outside wall then that means the area of the dry walls get calculated too!

 

[apac]

When you say "finished" I assume you mean it's painted, has floorworks, etc?

http://activerain.com/action/question/view_question_consumer?question_id=2490

Sounds like it's dependent on your state code, as someone else mentioned earlier in the thread.

Sounds incorrect. If he measures it from the outside wall then that means the area of the dry walls get calculated too!

I agree that doesn't sound right.

 

[Gunslinger08]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2037429

 

[mugs]

Sounds incorrect. If he measures it from the outside wall then that means the area of the dry walls get calculated too!

I said the outside wall, not the outside of the wall. He measured inside from one end of the house to the other.

Edit: I guess you could be referring to the space consumed by interior walls... yeah you have a point there, but as long as they use the same method to measure all houses it doesn't make much difference. Square footage of a house is mostly useful for comparison.

 

[drnickriviera]

Depends on what they are using it for too. For taxes, out here they measure the outside of the house. Talk about a scam

 

[D1gger]

I said the outside wall, not the outside of the wall. He measured inside from one end of the house to the other.

I believe this is how BOMA calculates the property area. It is the inside dimensions of the entire space.

 

[hanoverphist]

We just got our house appraised recently, and the appraiser measured each floor from outside wall to outside wall, he didn't measure individual rooms. So I can only assume he was including all finished space, including stairwells, closets, etc.

Of course that was for the purpose of the appraisal; other methods may be used for other purposes.

And I'm not ruling out the possibility that the appraiser was being lazy.

same happened every time ive had a house appraised. outside walls and calced the inside area. he did include my enclosed carport as well since it was an actual room with carpet and all, but he said usually they didnt include them unless the floors were even with the rest of the foundation

 

[JulesMaximus]

Have a Realtor pull a property profile on your home. That should be fairly accurate...should be anyway.

 

[Jumpem]

Everything inside the exterior walls is counted.

 

[meltdown75]

Depends on what they are using it for too. For taxes, out here they measure the outside of the house. Talk about a scam

yep, here too. and i'm the assessor. nyah nyah

 

[feralkid]

Depends on what they are using it for too. For taxes, out here they measure the outside of the house. Talk about a scam

How is that a scam?

 

[daw123]

Its a shame its not in the UK; it would then depend on whether its GIA, GEA or NIA. Unless the US uses similar measuring standards??

http://www.voa.gov.uk/business_rates/comp/index.htm

 

[Dubb]

those of you making simplistic, definitive statements really shouldn't be.

it depends on a number of things. There are various standards (gross, rentable, useable, etc) that are appropriate in different scenarios. Internally in each standard, there are provisions for various building types and conditions.

I think the BOMA guide is around 80 pages including the commentary (yes, I have one)

In practice, many real estate professionals don't fully understand the differences - they tend to with round numbers (within 5&#37 that more or less negate the differences in standards, except when necessary - in those cases you'll see the area listed with a specifier - 770sf rentable, for example. Lawyers that deal in real estate matters tend to be better about this.

The other thing to consider in all of this is efficiency. I currently rent an apartment purported to be 1300sf, but it generally feels closer to 1000 to me. Why? The layout is horrid, there are hundreds of SF wasted on dead, useless spaces.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I always thought they measured outside. If it's 2 story they just double. Basements usually don't count unless it's a walk out basement.

Think the reason for this is if you move walls/rooms around, the square footage still says the same.

 

[iGas]

I know you can only count the living area when estimating the sq. ft. of a property. But what about places like the closet, hallway, or storage? Do they get counted too in the total sq. ft. of a property?

Hallway connecting living spaces, yes other wise no.

Closet & storage area are not consider living space == No.

 

[Greenman]

The generally accepted method of measuring square footage is to include all "conditioned space". That includes walls and closets. There are of course variations, but generally speaking if it's conditioned then it's living space.

 

[zzuupp]

The generally accepted method of measuring square footage is to include all "conditioned space". That includes walls and closets. There are of course variations, but generally speaking if it's conditioned then it's living space.

This is what I thought as well.

Some can try to game the system by having one vent in a garage, or a semi-finished basement or a walk-up attic. Those examples are exceptions, not the rule.

 

[drnickriviera]

How is that a scam?

Because on my house that worked out to about 400 sq ft extra they were able to tax me. When it comes time to sell, I may or may not be able to use that extra sqft in the listing price.