{"id":174,"date":"2020-08-24T08:29:18","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T08:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/los-angeles.roof-repair-los-angeles-la.com\/?p=174"},"modified":"2021-02-24T14:58:57","modified_gmt":"2021-02-24T14:58:57","slug":"how-to-easily-check-the-square-footage-of-your-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/los-angeles.roof-repair-los-angeles-la.com\/how-to-easily-check-the-square-footage-of-your-house\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Easily Check the Square Footage of Your House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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A house that sounds roomy and spacious online may actually have 800 of its square feet contained in a four-foot-tall dirt-floor basement. What\u2019s up with that? In Washington DC, clients are often confused at the square footage discrepancy between what\u2019s listed and what they see on tour, and colleagues in other markets hear the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why the conflicting information? Well, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines on how to calculate a home\u2019s square footage are considered the standard, but there are no official laws that govern this process. In addition, some Multiple Listing Services <\/a>(MLS) report all finished and unfinished square footage of a house as one number, adding to the confusion. Since the rules aren\u2019t standard, some listing agents just post their best guess on a home\u2019s square footage. As a result, buyers and their agents often have to investigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you love a home, does it matter if the 2,000 square foot charmer turns out to be officially 1,600 sq ft in length? Since square footage is used to determine a\u00a0home\u2019s market value, it can matter a lot. When it comes time for you to sell, 400 fewer feet in measurement can impact the price you\u2019ll get, particularly in a buyer\u2019s market. Which is why we created this guide on how to calculate square footage of a house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sell for more with Redfin. Learn how at a free Home Selling class.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What to do as a buyer.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First off, start by referring to your city\u2019s building department records. Many city and county records are now available online, which makes getting this info much easier than it used to be. Some updates \u2013 like unpermitted remodeling \u2013 may not be reflected in the records, but it will still provide a good baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, familiarize yourself with basic ANSI guidelines for calculating square footage for single-family homes. Practices can vary slightly from market to market, but these rules apply to most areas in the country:<\/p>\n\n\n\n