Understanding Square Footage Measurements in Your New Home in Shoreline

 If you are purchasing  real estate, or are putting your property up for sale, you may not understand how square footage is calculated in the home. A real estate agent will be calculating the square footage for you if you're selling your home, and there are some parts of the house that may not be included in the calculations.

Measuring the exterior

The first thing that gets done when calculating real estate square footage is an exterior measurement. The exterior walls are measured and then sketches are made showing the home's perimeter.

Unfinished areas

Unfinished areas such as a garage or unfinished utility area will not count as part of the overall square footage. They are not considered as part of the living space so this square footage is deducted from the overall total.

Closets and hallways

These areas will be included in the final square footage total if they are part of a room that is finished and heated. If they are not in a finished area the footage will not be added.

Sloped ceilings and bay windows

If you have a bay window in your  home in a finished room and the height of the ceiling is 7 feet or more, this area may be included. The area for sloped ceilings will only count if the ceiling is 5 feet high or more.

The square footage of the house reflects the living space that is finished and ready to be occupied by a person. Heating must be done by a permanent conventional system and you must be able to access this room directly from another part of the living space.

You may have been wondering why your figures on square footage did not match up to the figures you see in your  real estate listing. An area of your house will not be added as living space if it is not considered as a proper living space.

For any of your real estated related questions contact  206 909-7536.