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Interesting situation. A house down the street is for sale - it is the same exact floor plan as our house. I know this because all of the houses were sold at the same time by the developer and 4 of the houses had the same floor plan, same square footage, 3875. Ours was Lot N, the house for sale now was Lot J. Some of floorplans offered were bigger but we chose smaller to save some money and 3875 is quite big enough for us. We recently realized that the county tax assessor has the square footage incorrect (at 4220) on all 4 of these houses and the realtor is listing the house at that square footage - 4220. I texted the realtor to let her know I believe it is incorrect, before the sale goes through, along with the link to the original sale of the house that showed 3875, plus the marketing materials from the developer that show the 4 houses (including ours and this house for sale) with this floor plan and "approx 3875". A few days after I texted her, I noticed that the square footage on the original MLS listing from 5 years ago for that house had changed! It was changed to yet another number, 3950, which happens to be the square footage of a totally different floor plan the developer offered on a different street. The incorrect square footage on the new listing did not change so it is still at 4220.
A realtor friend in another state suggested I call the local MLS and I did. The guy told me the only person who would be able to change data on a sold listing would be the listing agent. Well, I seriously doubt that happened because the developer doesn't even exist any more, not to mention, why would she? He also said the selling agent can list the house at 4220 if that's what the assessor says it is, even if incorrect. And they will not look into any situations unless requested by an MLS member.
Any ideas of what more I can do about this situation? The sale is still pending. Why do I care so much? 1. It's not right 2. Some buyer is about to get ripped off 3. We're going through the process of getting our square footage corrected by the Assessor - we've been overpaying in taxes since we moved in. Now their house is going to sell for way more than it should which probably affects the value of our home (and taxes). This house is the most ideal comp possible for our house.
If it is that important to you, call the office that the Realtor works for and ask to speak with the broker in charge. There is nothing you can do personally to change the listed square foot in the MLS.
Have you talked to the County Tax assessor to see what they based the size on? Maybe they feel the builder listed the size wrong. Maybe they use a different basis for calculating the size.
Why didn't you question it when the county listed your (and the other) houses at the wrong size?
We only just discovered 2-3 weeks ago that the county had it wrong. Now we are appealing, or whatever they want to call the process. They told me don't expect to hear from anyone for 3-4 weeks as they are swamped. Where the county got the 4220 number, I'm not sure but I'm guessing the developer. Who else would give it to them? The developer did sell a floor plan that was 4220 so someone goofed and applied it to the 4 houses that were 3875. I don't think 4 houses would sell at 3875 square feet and then the county just decides that's not quite right and bumps the number to 4220, would they? The 3875 houses do have a slightly different appearance from the outside than the 4220 houses...the shape of the roofs are opposite. The larger floorplan has an A-frame roof facing the street whereas our style house has a less-steep A-frame on the sides of the house.
Does anyone know how to find out who the principal broker is at a Redfin office? Can't even find a phone number for the office...it's all about contacting agents directly.
We're going through the process of getting our square footage corrected by the Assessor - we've been overpaying in taxes since we moved in.
How are you getting it corrected? Have you measured your house? Tape measure? Measuring wheel? Inside dimensions? Outside Dimensions?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazcat
Now their house is going to sell for way more than it should which probably affects the value of our home (and taxes). This house is the most ideal comp possible for our house.
First time I've seen anybody complain about property values going up.
Just kidding. I know what it's like having to appeal assessed values. I've done it many times.
Seems to me, though, that the difference between 4220 and 3875 is about the size of a garage. Could that explain it?
Last edited by adjusterjack; 05-11-2021 at 10:38 PM..
When the appraiser measures it will be correct. Most mls's have a place for sf and source (owner, Central appraisal district, tax records, builder, appraiser, etc. In tx we have disclosures or notices to buyers that state if sf is an issue to buyer, they recommend hiring someone to measure (like an appraiser.)
If you are worried about your house, get it measured, then correct with tax office. If its on someone elses house, then not sure why you are inserting yourself.
Get your own square footage corrected if you believe it's wrong and quit meddling in someone else's life without being asked.
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