If you’re selling a home in Flower Mound, Frisco, or any other city in North Texas you may not be sure of your home’s square footage, or if what’s in your builder’s plan is actually accurate. Because the value of a home can change substantially depending on square footage, or “gross living area,” it’s important to get it right! How do you measure correctly? We have a few tips.
First of all keep in mind that most potential buyers are thinking of the gross living area when they see an ad or claims of how big a home is. What they’re not usually considering is unfinished basement space, a small attic, outdoor covered patio, etc. Ultimately you want to determine the total square footage in terms of the living room, kitchen, bedrooms – rooms your family actually uses or lives in. Here’s how.
Draw a simple floor plan of your home, sketching each floor or level separately (this is just a rough sketch, no need to draw it to “scale”).
Now break all of the rooms and areas up into squares or rectangles you can measure. For instance, a bedroom may be 13 x 15, the hallway 3 x 12, etc. Take each of the squares or rectangles (rooms, hallways) in the sketch and multiply length by width.
In calculating, leave out a porch, patio, or other exterior or unfinished space.
Now add up all of separate calculations you’ve done for rooms, hallways, etc., and you’ve got your square footage!
If you do have an attic that’s finished, or a basement that’s finished or even unfinished, you do want to know those measurements so you can include these areas in home listings – you just probably don’t want to include it in total square footage. Say for example you have a gross living space of 1,800 square feet, but you also have a 20 x 24 basement (480 square feet). Listing your home as having 2,280 square feet would lead potential buyers to think the home’s much larger than it is, which could negatively impact a sale. It also skews property value.
It’s best when listing a home to describe the living and other areas separately. For instance, you may have a 2,100 square foot home with a 400 square foot “bonus” room over the garage that’s accessed separately from the home, so be transparent. It will win over the trust of potential buyers, and help in determining value.
Looking to sell a home in North Texas? At Team Nelson, our Dallas real estate professionals are ready to help make easy work of getting the best price for your home! Contact us today.