Some of our customers don’t need a full appraisal. They may need only a partial service report. Many times, the question you want answered is simply “How big is it?” We can do that for you.

Why do you need to know how big it is? One common reason is marketing your property for sale. Everyone wants to know how big it is. When you list your home for sale, the Real Estate Agent inputs the living area of your home from measure ments or most lily the municipal tax card information in the MLS system. You may have added an additional 1,000 square feet of living area, but the municipality records may not be current enough to reflect your addition.

Most Realtors will not measure a homes square footage, and rely on public records. The potential for liability is too great. Representing your property as larger than it really is can lead to a lawsuit.

By hiring a qualified appraiser to measure your property, you and your Realtor, can present your property to buyers accurately and without fear of potential future liability.

The principle area in residential properties is technically called Gross Living Area (GLA). Gross Living Area is defined differently by a number of entities. It is generally described as the contiguous finished area, above grade level. Sounds simple enough. It gets more complicated.

In single-family “detached” properties, Gross Living Area is calculated using the exterior dimensions of the improvements. Anything below grade, either partially or completely, is not counted in the GLA. Conversely, condominiums are measured using the interior dimensions. “Paint to paint” is the common appraiser phraseology.

Fannie Mae is a large quasi-governmental entity that buys many mortgages. What they define as Gross Living Area carries significant weight.

Per the Fannie Mae selling guide dated 5/01/24. Section B4-1.3-05 – “Only finished above-grade areas can be used in calculating and reporting of above-grade room count and square footage for the gross living area. Fannie Mae considers a level to be below-grade if any portion of it is below-grade, regardless of the quality of its finish or the window area of any room. Therefore, a walk-out basement with finished rooms would not be included in the above-grade room count.

Per the Fannie Mae selling guide “Appraisers must follow the Square Footage-Method for Calculating: ANSI® Z765-2021 (“ANSI standard”) when measuring, calculating and reporting the gross living area and non-gross living areas (basement, additional structures, etc.) of the subject property for most property types. Appraisals requiring interior and exterior inspections must follow this standard; appraisals of this type performed without using this standard will not be acceptable.”

Avoid the liability. Accurately represent your property. If you believe the municipal appraisal information is not accurate, let Bellanor Appraisal measure your property.