Anyone ever file a dispute over house square footage? (Maricopa: for sale, real estate)

[HX_Guy]

I filed a claim with the Maricopa County Assessor's office as their records show our property 56 sq ft smaller than actual. I don't know if it's a typo or what as the layout on their own website shows the correct number in the drawing, but not in the "Property Characteristics". I know 56 sq ft isn't a whole lot, but it counts (say $140 sq ft...that's close to $8,000 in value when you go and sell).

I got a reply back by mail that they have scheduled a meeting in a few weeks which I need to attend to discuss the matter. I don't see why it's so complicated...just fix it.

Anyone else ever been through this situation? What happens at these meetings?

[observer53]

Sounds like it will be pretty simple, if one part of their own info has the right number and the other has the wrong number. I'm sure they will be happy to take the higher number.

[LBTRS]

Is it your property (lot) or your house that is 56 sq ft smaller than actual? Title says house, post says property...

Getting it corrected with the county is just going to raise your taxes...if your deed has the correct value and you know you did not pay for more house then you received from the builder then I don't know that I would go through the hassle to correct the county's mistake for them. You notified them, that is all I would do, screw going to meetings to fix their problem.

[stevek64]

You may be opening a can of worms here in what your actual SF may turn out to be, depending on who is doing the measuring and what "standard" they use.

Square footage: a gray area | The Columbus Dispatch

"The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has developed a standard method for calculating floor areas in single-family dwellings, “Square Footage - Method for Calculating,” ANSI Z765-2003. Copies may be purchased from National Association of Home Building, Research Center, 400 Prince George’s Boulevard, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20774. This standard is not suitable for use in apartment buildings or multiple family dwellings.

The National Association of Home Builders has supported this voluntary standard among its members since its inception in 1996. The second edition was promulgated in 2003. Although some of the largest homebuilders have adopted the standard, many have not. Some builders publish and use their own standard.

As a final note, be aware that owners and agents may not report the square footage of a home in the same way. Many real estate agents merely represent "total heated living area" and do not provide a complete breakdown of how living area is calculated leaving it up to the buyer or buyer agent to determine. A "breakdown" of living area is important because often times, there are quality differences between finished basements, finished attics, conversions, etc. and "above grade" finish. Appraisers, on the other hand, are usually more consistent in the reporting of "living area" due to secondary market (lending) guidelines that require them to distinguish between "above grade", "below grade", "converted areas", and so forth."

So there appears to be some "freedom" in determining the SF value. Also based on our experience, when we were looking for homes years ago around the valley, some homes for sale listing the Square Footage in the MLS had the word "appraiser" after it....some with "builder", etc., in reference to who did the SF appraisal of course. And to make matters more fun, looking up the "official" appraised value according to Maricopa county for some of the homes we were interested in were at times different than the "appraiser" value listed in the MLS!....and the homes never had any additions/subtractions done to it.

Welcome to the creative world of square footage calculating I guess.

As others have said, you're just opening up the possibility of paying more taxes if indeed they calculate your SF higher. Unless you're planning to move in the next year or so......

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by HX_Guy

I filed a claim with the Maricopa County Assessor's office as their records show our property 56 sq ft smaller than actual. I don't know if it's a typo or what as the layout on their own website shows the correct number in the drawing, but not in the "Property Characteristics". I know 56 sq ft isn't a whole lot, but it counts (say $140 sq ft...that's close to $8,000 in value when you go and sell).

I got a reply back by mail that they have scheduled a meeting in a few weeks which I need to attend to discuss the matter. I don't see why it's so complicated...just fix it.

Anyone else ever been through this situation? What happens at these meetings?

i helped my brother with a similar issue - the assessor had the incorrect info (in his case too large) on file. the assessor came out and measured & reassessed the house.. the meeting wasnt anything formal - bro had a measured drawing from his appraisal & the asessors info didnt match it, or the house. it had been incorrect for over 20 years..

it isnt unusual at all to have different measurements for assessors & appraisals - when I took the real-estate licensing class, they advised agents not to take their own measurements for liability reasons, just use the assessors info or an old appraisal & put that source in the mls. not worth getting sued for a typo or a math error.