How to Measure the Square Footage of Your Home
The square footage of your home is one of the main indicators of your property’s market value. Here’s how to measure square footage before the appraisal.
If you plan on selling your home soon, you’re probably going to want to know how to measure square footage. When you know the size of your home, you can get an idea of what to expect when you take the first steps to sell your home.
Most importantly, knowing how to measure the square footage of your home can help you get a rough idea about an appropriate listing price for your property.
If you know how many square feet your home includes, you could pull the price per square foot of comparable homes in your neighborhood to get a general idea of how much your home could be worth in the current market.
When trying to measure square footage, you likely have important questions. What’s the calculation? Do you include the garage, and what about the front lawn?
6 Things to Know to Measure Square Footage
Here’s a helpful guide on all things related to measuring square footage for home sellers.
What is the Average Square Footage of Single-Family Homes?
For reference, the average square footage of a single-family home in the United States is 1,650 square feet.
However, where you live could impact the average square footage in your area. The number of bedrooms you have will also alter the overall square footage of your property. For example, one-bedroom homes are typically around 900 square feet, while a four-bedroom home is usually 2,400 square feet.
What Exactly is Square Footage?
To measure square footage, you have to calculate the total area of all of the finished rooms in your home. Essentially, you take the length and width of your rooms and multiply them to find the area, which equals the square footage of your home.
Let’s say you have a rectangular room that is ten feet by eight feet. The square footage would be ten times eight, which is eighty square feet.
The calculation to measure square footage is simple. Simply calculate the square footage of each room, and add them together.
Let’s say your small one-bedroom home has the following room measurements:
- Living Room: 8’ x 9’ = 72 sq. ft.
- Bathroom: 4’ x 4’ = 16 sq. ft.
- Kitchen: 10’ x 10’ = 100 sq. ft.
- Dining Room: 8’ x 10’ = 80 sq ft.
- Bedroom: 11’ x 11’ = 121 sq. ft.
Then, your total square footage would equal the sum of all of the room’s square footage added together. That totals 389 square feet.
What Rooms Are Included in Square Feet?
The main rooms of your home will likely all be included in your square foot calculations, such as the:
- Living room
- Dining room
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
- Family rooms
- Finished basements
- Finished attics
- Kitchens
Rooms That Aren’t Usually Included When You Measure Square Footage
Not every area and room on your property is included in the square footage calculation of your home.
To know what to include — and what not to include — when you add up the square footage of the rooms in your house, there’s a general rule that can guide you.
In most cases, any room that is unfinished or does not include heating and cooling should not be included. Another indicator that a room will not be included in the square foot calculation is if it can only be accessed from a part of your home that falls under the two categories above: unfinished and no heating and cooling units.
That means garages, storage rooms, unfinished attics, and separate guest cottages would not be included when you measure square footage.
How to Calculate Price Per Square Foot of Comps
To calculate the approximate price per square foot of your home, you need to look at comparable homes in your neighborhood that have sold recently to see their price per square foot. Your agent can help you pull this data using their access to trustworthy MLS services.
Once you know the average price paid for every one square-foot, all you need to do is multiply that cost by the total square footage estimate of your home.
This will give you a rough estimate of your home’s selling value on the market.
Talk to Your Top Selling Agent
These general guidelines can help you estimate your home’s square footage, but it’s important to keep in mind that different geographical areas maintain different standards to calculate square footage.
Since the square footage of your home is one of the most important parts of appraising your home’s value, the best way to get an accurate idea of how much square footage you own before the official appraisal is to work with a top selling agent.
Your top agent will be able to provide you with precise and detailed measurements of each room, and a calculation that’s aligned with your local guidelines for measuring the square footage of homes in your area.
If you have specific questions about your square footage and want to start speaking with your real estate expert as soon as possible, get connected with the best agents in your market today.
