How is square footage determined?
It has long been known in New York City that square footage is somehow more than the sum of its parts. (This fact is especially glaring to those of us who live in studios that measure A * B; our square footage is somehow always more than A * B, even more than A * B plus 100 square feet for the kitchen and bath.
Square footage doesn’t correlate with what you see for a number of reasons: you measure to the interior of your walls, but real estate people measure to the exterior; a portion of the square footage of common hallways can be included in your square footage number; and realtors tend to “round up,” so “702″ becomes “approximately 750.”
But just because square footage is somewhat fungible doesn’t mean it is totally so. I am reminded of this because a friend saw a condo in Carroll Gardens where the square footage (contrary to industry ethics) was not advertised.
When she asked about it, she was told, “We came out at 950, but we didn’t like the number we came out with, so we’re thinking of having it remeasured.”
Remeasured by who? Non-euclidean geometers?
So it’s worth reminding that condo square footage is a matter of public record, and if you want me to look up a number for you; I’m happy to: email me at alir @frontporchllc.com
More on how to count square footage at this link (a lot it is about houses, not apartments)