Square Footage Secrets: Don’t Buy Blind

In today’s fast-paced market, many families are buying homes sight unseen—sometimes without stepping inside until after closing.  Clients have often pleaded with me to, “Do a really good job because we haven’t even seen it yet!”  All the while, praying they are not making the biggest mistake of their lives. 

Trying to get ahead of the other buying competition for a premiere home, busy life schedules or out-of-state buyers are all reasons to use the Internet and one of the popular real estate apps to find their next home.  With modern technology making this growing practice an easier choice for most, easing the stress of home buying will never be relieved, especially online, no matter how many times you smash the ESC button! 

Why Is Square Footage Important?

I was recently asked by a client if, during my home inspections, I verified the square footage of the home.  It’s a fair question—after all, square footage affects everything from pricing to taxes.  While this is a very important number for potential home owners, verifying the square footage of a home falls outside the scope of a regular home inspection according to the InterNACHI Standard of Practice for home inspectors.   I say “regular” because there are some types of inspections that involve square footage, but let’s address the importance of square footage first.

The square footage of a home is typically listed as a publicly accessible webpage of your county tax accessor.  For each property in the county, this record lists pertinent information including:

·        owner’s information

·         square footage

·         histories of permits

·         tax millage rates

·         zones

·        physical characteristics such as number of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc.

Your county tax assessors webpage is a worthwhile read for any home owner or potential home owner.

 The square footage listed there is generally accepted as the true size of the property and is usually sourced from builder’s blueprints, assessor’s measurements, aerial measurements, permit records, and comparisons to similar properties.  All acceptable means for the county to use in determining the taxable size of a property.

Property Taxes

Your home’s square footage is used in the tax calculations usually multiplied times your assigned millage rate to determine your tax bill each year.  The millage rate is expressed in mills, with one mill equaling one-tenth of a cent. So, a millage rate of 10 means you pay $10 in tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. It's decided by local governments and varies based on budget needs and property assessments. 

So you can clearly see why having the correct square footage is important.  If your number is incorrect, you’re paying the wrong amount of taxes, which could be good or bad but wrong nonetheless. 

What Can I Do?

Circling back to inspections, if you have a concern about square footage for your perspective new home – we do have a solution for you.  One of the ancillary services that we offer is a Blueprint Service.  This is generally part of an Engineers Foundation Evaluation, but is also offered as a stand-alone service to our clients.  This service can be completed even without a regular home inspection if needed and is provided to you electronically within 24 hours.  The result is a single page blueprint of your home with dimensions and square footage and is provided in multiple file types.  The cost of this service is $95. Interested? Reach out and we’ll get your blueprint started.

Buying a home is part of the American Dream. Buying the wrong one can quickly become a nightmare.  It’s important to do your research, read reviews and select the right team – especially when buying sight unseen.  Having a realtor from a reputable agency, a great home inspector with a Buy Back Guarantee (my

shameless plug), and a lawyer to protect your family’s interests are all critical for these types of sales. 

If you're buying sight unseen, don't go it alone. Contact us today to make sure your dream home isn’t a costly surprise.  www.altamahahi.com