How to Calculate Square Feet Of A House

How to calculate square feet of a house

Selling and buying your home is a stressful process. And with all the relationships, concepts, and skills to learn and understand, there is one task that is rather important. Figuring out the house’s square footage.

This is one of those situations where forgetting your high school math lessons becomes a problem. While we know most of you won’t have the square footage formula on hand, it’s important to understand why it’s critical to get the measurement right. 

It may come as a bit of a revelation, but there isn’t a national standard when measuring up your residential property.  The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines on how to calculate a home’s square footage are considered the go-to standard. But, then again they aren’t official. 

This means some Multiple Listing Services (MLS) report all finished and unfinished square footage of a house as one number, which makes the situation more confusing. The outcome is that everyone’s square footage can differ a little. Also, most listing agents will just use their best guess on a home’s footage. 

Since there’s no standardization for calculating square footage, it is important to know how to work out precisely what the measurements are, yourself, as a buyer or seller. 

But why does it matter that this measurement is correct? 

Why getting the footage right matters

When putting an offer in for the home you love, it really matters if the house is 2,000, or 2,500 square feet. 

This is important even though you’re buying this home, not for the calculated square footage, you’re buying it because you see potential in the home, potential upgrades, amenities, new outdoor spaces, and even the neighborhood it is situated in. 

However, square footage will determine the listing price and will matter if you plan on selling it in the future. 

Also, the correct measurement will assist with determining rates, taxes, and even estimating the maintenance costs on the property in the future. These calculations for future expenses on the property can be spot on, but only if the measurement is correct. If the measurements are off, these predictions can be drastically wrong. 

Also, with the correct measurements, you can see the potential room for expansion. Being able to sell the fact that there is room to add more footage in a home can help raise the asking price on that home. But if the seller misleads the buyer, there can be legal ramifications. 

If a buyer finds out that the home is substantially smaller than promised in the advert after an appraiser has been through the home, they could remove their offer, and sue.  

Bottom line: answering the question, “how to calculate square footage of a house for an appraisal” is important. 

What if you’re a buyer and uncertain about the promised footage of a potential home you’re interested in? Or even the seller unsure of the square feet measurements done on their abode? 

What to do as a buyer or seller when measuring?

The first thing to ensure that the home you’re buying is the square footage promised is to visit the city’s building department records. Most cities and counties have a record of the size of the property, and nowadays it’s online. 

Being online makes it very easy to do the basic checks. Also, this research will reveal if there have been any undocumented renovations. But what you want is a documented account of the last appraisal measurement. 

The second step is to familiarize yourself with the mentioned ANSI guidelines for working out the square footage for single-family houses. 

Also, be aware that these measuring practices can vary a little between markets. As a rule of thumb, these are the rules that the square footage can be measured from the outside of the home. But that will not provide the actual area you want to be measured, as measuring from the outside won’t include wall space. While measuring from the interior of the home excludes the area between the wall and the home’s exterior, providing an accurate number as to the size of the living space. 

While this will help the buyer understand the actual size of the home, what about the owner of the home? They should follow the same steps as the buyer to ensure the size of their own home. 

Because if you are selling yourself short of a livable area in your home, the asking price will be below the appraised value and you’ll most likely miss out on cash. 

Doing a proper measurement of your home is probably one of the most important preparation jobs for sellers when getting their home ready to sell. 

How is square footage calculated for real estate? 

As discussed, there are various methods as there is no standardized route. But one thing is certain when calculating footage for real estate, the tools of the trade. 

While most real estate agents will be blessed with a laser distance measurer, we can assume you’re in possession of the following:

• A tape measure
• Calculator (or a phone with one)
• Notepad and pen/pencil

As always, take baby steps and do room-by-room measurements. When the room is a basic square, it is as simple as measuring the length and width. Multiply the width by the length, and you should have the answer for said room. 

For example, if the room is 10 by 12 feet, your room is 120 square feet. Continue this process throughout the house and add together the totals.  If you do encounter a room with amazing built-in cupboards you might want to include them. To make this measurement, simply measure each closet separately by multiplying the length and width again. 

Once you’ve completed measuring the cupboards you can add them to the total measurement of the room. So, it would work out something a little like this. 

• If the room is Length x Width = A, 
• Closet 1 is Length x Width = B,
• Closet 2 is Length x Width = C

Add A, B, and C together for the total footage of the room. 

While we said you should measure all the rooms, sometimes not all of them are included. What rooms are normally included in square feet measuring?

What is considered in a house’s square footage?

Right off the bat, only finished spaces are usually included in the home’s square footage. Which if you’re selling an unfinished home “as-is” might be a problem with square footage.

Finished spaces need to include areas that you live in throughout the year. These rooms normally have: 

• A ceiling (must be over 7 feet or more)
• Wall covering
• Flooring
• And heating and cooling.

With this criteria, these rooms normally include: 

• Living room
• Family room
• Kitchen
• Dining room
• Bathrooms
• Bedrooms
• Finished basement (if it meets criteria)
• Porch with heating and cooling system (if it meets criteria)

If this seems all a bit complicated with loads of contingencies and mathematical equations to work out, you can rather just let someone else do the calculations. And sell your home fast! 

Let us do the calculations and sell your house fast

At House Buyers of America, we buy houses for cash, fast and hassle-free. 

Our Real Estate Consultants are ready to take your call at 855-659-3289, or you can use our online form to get started! 

It has never been easier to find a buyer for you who will do the calculations for you and is equipped with the best technology to ensure everything measures up. 

Also, once you give us a call, you will receive an offer within 10 minutes. Our cash offer is always fair, no matter the square footage of your home. And, because we’re looking to streamline efficiencies with buying homes, we cut down the average waiting time and complications of selling your home from months to minutes. 

If you accept the offer, you will be assigned a dedicated Real Estate Consultant who will organize a time to meet at your house, who will also bring along the paperwork to sign. 

House Buyers of America will handle all of the paperwork, as well as the measurements, and we’ll do it quickly if you’re ready to sign on the dotted line. Once you’ve signed the contract, you will see the cash in your account in a matter of days. 

Currently, House Buyers of America will buy homes in Washington DC, Virginia house buyers, Maryland, and all throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Selling your house with House Buyers of America is the best solution! Get your fair cash offer today.