I. Introduction
Knowing the square footage of your home is essential for homeowners and homebuyers alike. It’s a crucial factor that impacts the value of your home and helps you make informed decisions when it comes to renovating or selling.
But how can you find your home’s square footage for free online? In this article, we’ll explore the different ways to calculate your home’s square footage using online tools and provide you with tips on how to avoid common mistakes that could impact the accuracy of your calculation.
II. Why Knowing Your Home’s Square Footage Matters
Understanding the square footage of your home is an essential factor for determining its value. The square footage of a home is used in various ways to determine the price and the cost of living in it. Also, it affects the property tax rates, home insurance rate, and mortgage payment. Besides, appraisers will consider the house’s square footage and the price per square foot of comparable homes in determining an accurate appraisal value. Moreover, lenders will consider your home’s square footage when determining your mortgage application. This is why it’s important to know your house’s square footage.
III. How to Find Your Home’s Square Footage Online for Free
The good news is that you don’t have to hire an appraiser or a professional to find your home’s square footage. Several online tools are available for you for free. Here are some of them:
- Zillow – Zillow is a real estate website that offers an extensive database of property listings, including their square footage. On their website, search for your home’s address, and it will provide you with the property details that include the home’s square footage.
- Redfin – Redfin is another popular real estate website that offers comprehensive real estate data. You can find your home’s square footage by searching for your address on the website. They offer room-by-room square footage estimates, in addition to overall measurements.
- Realtor.com – Realtor.com is another online destination for real estate listings, including square footage information for properties. You can enter your address and immediately receive detailed information about your property.
- HomeAdvisor – HomeAdvisor offers a suite of services to help homeowners, including free square footage calculations. However, in exchange for the free service, you’ll have to provide your contact information.
- SquareFoot – Squarefoot is a free tool that lets you measure your home’s square footage with a few clicks. You input your property’s address, and it uses satellite imagery to measure your home’s square footage.
Do not rely on just one website. It’s better to cross-check with other available websites for the best accuracy.
When using online tools, it’s important to ensure that you enter the correct information. Common errors that can impact the accuracy of your measurement include entering the wrong zip code, misspelled street name. These small details can throw off online calculators.
IV. How Real Estate Agents Calculate Home Square Footage Online
Real estate agents use specific processes to calculate a home’s square footage, which can be more accurate than those you find online. The most common measure used by real estate agents is to measure the exterior walls’ length and multiplying each floor’s interior square footage. However, this can vary depending on the layout of the home. While measuring, having a professional that helps you calculate the square footage is advisable.
They calculate the average square footage for each floor, including the basement, which is also included in the overall square footage. They also exclude unheated areas such as garages, unfinished basements, and outdoor patios, although these areas might be marketed separately.
Real estate agents have several ways to calculate the square footage of a home, and their calculated results can differ from online calculators. Still, in most cases, the real estate agent’s estimate is more accurate because it takes into account a better measurement.
V. DIY Home Improvement: How to Measure Your Home’s Square Footage Online
Measuring your home’s square footage online seems simple, but several factors can impact the accuracy of your measurements. One of the best ways to measure your home’s square footage is to use a laser distance meter. Laser distance meters are widely available, affordable, and user-friendly tools.
Here’s how to measure your home’s square footage using a laser distance meter:
- Start by measuring the exterior of your home. Measure the length and width of each side of your home’s exterior, and make sure to include any, bay windows, bump-outs, and other protruding additions.
- Calculate the total square footage of the exterior walls by multiplying the length by the width.
- Measure the length and width of each room in your house. If the room is an odd shape, divide the room into smaller rectangles, measure them separately, and then combine the measurements. You can use a laser distance meter to get accurate dimensions of hard-to-measure spaces like vaulted ceilings.
- Calculate the total square footage of each room by multiplying the length by the width.
- Add up the square footage for each room in your house to get the total square footage of your home.
It’s important to avoid common mistakes when measuring your home’s square footage. Some of the usual mistakes include adding square footage from walls that aren’t heated, including outdoor living spaces, or not measuring the space correctly due to irregularities. When in doubt, it’s better to overestimate rather than underestimate as underestimating might have significant financial consequences.
Small differences in your measurements can have several impacts on your home’s value. An additional 100 square feet can increase your home’s value by a considerable amount and it may be worth spending the time and effort to properly measure and update your home’s square footage.
VI. Conclusion
Finding your home’s square footage online is easy, whether you’re using free online tools or going through a real estate agent. Regardless of which method you use, it’s important to take your time and ensure the accuracy of your measurements. It’s crucial to use the measurements of the house’s interior and using it to your advantage.
By knowing your home’s square footage, you can make informed decisions when it comes to buying, selling, or renovating your living space.
