Expert: Jessica Bryan - 2/6/2012

Question
Thank you very much for volunteering your services on this site!  
Your “resume” is most impressive!
I’d like to ask you a few questions as we are in the process of getting ready to sell our house.   But I’d like to start with one question:

It appears that the measurements of the houses in our subdivision have been “minimized” by the builder a bit for  tax purposes.   (Have you ever heard anything like that?    Does that make any sense?)    For whatever reasons, it appears, based on my neighbor’s experience, that the stated sf-s on the official records are LESS than the actual sf.    Therefore, I’d like to hire someone to measure our house.  

Where do I find a person who does that for a living?   What advice, if any, would you give me in reference to this undertaking?   

Thank you very much in advance!


Sincerely,


Pablo Durissimo

Answer
Dear Pablo;
Tax records very often do not reflect the true house measurements.  There are several reasons for this.  The original recorded plans can be smaller than the finished house; or the tax assessor has to go out and evaluate but doesn't have that ability to measure as accurately and has to adjust for interior differences.  Either way; the actual listing of a home can reflect a much different square footage.  We all rely on MLS representation of square footage since REALTORS are required to truthfully and ethically represent material facts.  When homeowners want to list their homes they can have their homes listed with a real estate brokerage  and the REALTOR will either personally measure the home or hire an appraiser to do so.  Sometimes homeowners ask for an appraisal for other reason and can pay for a service from the appraiser directly to measure the home or to appraise. My suggestion is to contact your bank lending department and ask for them to recommend an appraisal service that will come out and measure your home. If you pay for this service you can them keep it as part of your listing.  If you choose to get a full appraisal it is only good for 6 months. However, it can be a good selling tool.

Best wishes,
Jessica Bryan