Does an appraiser always measure square feet?

Question

A house I am buying is listed at 1108 square feet in the courthouse records. We know the house is bigger and the seller had it re-measured and they have a paper saying it is 1343 sq feet. I am afraid that when the banks appraiser goes to the house, he will not appraise it for a high enough value if he just uses the sq feet number on file in the records. Are appraisers required to measure sq footage? If the number does come in too low becuase he did not measure, what do I do to challenge this???

Answer 1

Technically, appraisers are not required to measure a property as long as they cite their 3rd-party source and deem it reliable. However, it has become industry standard for residential appraisers to measure a house, especially one so small. The actual measurement adds credibility to their value estimate. I would be extremely surprised if the appraiser does not measure the house in doing a full-on, 1004 appraisal. There is a type of appraisal called an exterior-only, which the appraiser views the property from the street (no measurement there; only tax records).

Be wary of garage conversions, patio enclosures and room additions - they don't always qualify as genuine living area. The difference in the seller's figure and the tax record is about 230 sqft - that's about the size of a 1-car garage.

Answer 2

Of course the appraiser measures square footage, it will be submitted in the report and give the appraiser a number to evaluate comparibles. The court house records are notoriously wrong, and the appraiser knows this.

What paper does the seller have? That is very vague.

You can challenge it by taking the appraisal to the lender and to the county tax assessors office, but be careful. There may have been unpermitted additions done to the home and now there will be additional inspections and expenditures.

Answer 3

Here's why the answer is 9. There are 3 feet in a yard. Feet and yards are linear measurements(they are units of length). Sq. ft. and sq. yds. are measurements of area. The formula for calculating the area of a rectangle or square is length times width(A=L x W). Imagine a surface 3 feet long by 3 feet wide. It would also be 1 yard long by 1 yard wide. 3x3=9 sq. ft. 1x1=1 sq. yd. If you still are having trouble with this concept, get some squares of paper(post-it notes work well). Place them on a table in a grid 3 across and 3 down. You will count 9 squares. Here's why the answer may not be 9!!! While the above formula calculates the room's area, it does not account for the width of the carpet, as it comes off the roll. For example, let's say your room is 10' x 10'. Simple math says you have 100 sq. ft, or 11.11 sq.yd. What happens if the carpet comes 12' wide? You have to buy a piece 10' x 12', or 120 sq. ft. This is 13.33 sq. ft. That is the amount you will have to pay for. Complicated room shapes, like around stairways, may create more waste. Think about ways the carpet can be pieced and seamed, to maximize usefulness.

Answer 4

Generally, appraisers will perform their own square footage measurements and compare it to that listed in the assessment records, purely to try to verify that they didn't make an error in measuring. If the records differ, he may re measure to satisfy himself that his measurements are correct.

You do NOT want to challenge the courthouse records. If you 'correct' them, guess what happens to the property tax ?

You need to talk to the appraiser if the SF comes in at less than you think it should be. The appraiser will explain the basis used for calculation to you.

Answer 5

Appraisers will normally measure the property, especially since there are many new digital laser tools to help them. But, he or she will also compare your property to others. The courthouse records are not always accurate, as a county appraiser doesn't often measure your property.

Answer 6

Unless the appraiser is a moron, he will measure the outside of the house to calculate the square footage.... appraisers know to not trust court records.

Also... did the owner include the garage as part of the square footage.... because that is NOT living space, and not included as part of the square footage.

Answer 7

Yes they will measure sq feet.It is one of the most important considerations in the value.