How Will ANSI Measurement Standard Going to Improve Appraisal Accuracy?

[Terrel L. Shields]

Adopting the ANSI standard will make the appraiser's description of the subject more accurate.

more precise...not more accurate.

, at least one-half of the finished square footage in that room must have a vertical ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2.13 meters); no portion of the finished area that has a height of less than 5 feet (1.52 meters) may be included in finished square footage."

I know under a former assessor, many houses simple assumed the ½ story was exactly that. ½ the GLA of the first level. Made for real difficult estimation issues in that county since the Realtors simply use the assessor field card measurements. That counties assessors since have tried to be more accurate in their measurements but you find a few old cards that are same issue.

 

[RCA]

Seems some rumor that ANSI standard will soon be required by Fannie Mae, et al. There was apparently some discussion thereof at the AARO conference recently. Seems to me that unless assessors, Realtors, builders and Architects also measure by the same standard, what's it going to help? False accuracy if you measure by ANSI but the comps are measured by different people, assessors, agents, etc. And how do you apply the ANSI standard on desktops, hybrids and 2055s? Inquiring minds want to know.

I've used the ANSI standard since I suppose at least 2005. I don't think it goes far enough. In fact I made suggestions a couple of years ago for them to extend it from exterior measurements to interior. They won't do it. Which is OK, there probably isn't good consensus on how to handle hidden walls and so on. But, I thought it good to make the suggestion and have people start thinking about it. --- So, it is up to the person creating the floorplan to set their own standards for interior measurements.

However, the issue is becoming less and less of a problem.

As you may have heard there is CubiCasa for example: https://www.cubi.casa/ And many other similar technologies are being developed.

I bought a Leica D810, didn't like it at all and returned it for an X4. With an X4, it will transfer measurements directly into Chief Architect. I'm planning on getting a DST 360 to pair it with, for exterior measurments of difficult to measure second and third stories.

OK. So, I walk around with a laptop (Chief Architect does not run on an IPad), Use the X4 to feed measurements into a plan that I draw while doing the measurements. It should work. But I'm in the process of setting it up (there are minor issues to take care of). - Should be done in two weeks.

WRT to your issues:

1. Yes, you want to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. I take ANSI measurements and put them in the report. But I avoid putting them in the Sales Grid, because any "errors" in the tax assessor or MLS data are usually replicated more or less across the board to all properties. You would throw comparisons off if you were to alter the tax assessor data. However, there are cases where you find that the tax assessor or MLS data is way off for the subject property. I mean by 200sf or more. And it is often easy to see the reasons (with a little intelligence):

a. There was remodeling and the contractor very clearly expanded the kitchen into the garage.
b. The original contractor was asked to remove ceiling for skylights and sacrificed 400sf of GLA, which wasn't transferred to the tax assessor. Or maybe asked to extend the second floor to increase the size of the master bedroom, adding 200sf.
c. Home additions, legal or not, do not get transferred to the tax assessor data base.

These are things that are not likely going on with other homes in the neighborhood.

However, my GLA measurements are usually 10-40sf larger the subject, because over the years, the wall thickens due to added exterior surfacing. And in some cases, it appears the tax assessor simply had a different way of measuring GLA than ANSI (not surprising). These kinds of discrepancies are expected, and as I said, I don't put them in the Sales Grid.

2. With standards, eventually everyone will be on board. However, the tax assessor is not going to go out and re-measure all existing homes. So, old measurements will continue to be a problem for a while. Eventually all homes will have good measurements, - in 20 years or so.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

The correct SF of my slab, hence the traditional architect SF, is inflated by "exterior" measurement by sheathing and siding by about 4". If you round to the foot, then the assessor has the "correct" SF to the number. If you measure to the 1/10th, then you add over 30 SF that don't exist and cannot be used. If it were brick it would be even bigger - close to 100 SF measured in 10th. But the usable interior space is exactly the same.

 

[Fernando]

With ANSI, do we round off measurements?
Sometimes I round off to half foot when I feel like it's more appropriate to get closer to assessor's records.

 

[Mike Ault]

Sometimes I round off to half foot when I feel like it's more appropriate to get closer to assessor's records.

https://themilfordteam.com/How_to_measure_a_house.pdf#:~:text=The%20ANSI%20standards%20define%20%E2%80%9Cfinished%20area%E2%80%9D%20as%20%E2%80%9Can,the%20nearest%20square%20foot.%20Garages%20are%20specifically%20excluded.

 

[Fernando]

https://themilfordteam.com/How_to_measure_a_house.pdf#:~:text=The%20ANSI%20standards%20define%20%E2%80%9Cfinished%20area%E2%80%9D%20as%20%E2%80%9Can,the%20nearest%20square%20foot.%20Garages%20are%20specifically%20excluded.

Thanks for the reading.
The info seems out of date.
Reading literally, correct way is tape measure and measure to nearest inch.
Also, I always disagree with below grade. If the house slopes down a hill, the lower level is part of the house and should be included in total gross area.

 

[Dublin ohio]

So appraiser measures to ANSI. But none of our data sources do. So we end up comparing apples to oranges and saying they are the same. Because they are both fruits. We all know that they typical buyer goes by ANSI.

 

[Mark K]

The correct SF of my slab, hence the traditional architect SF, is inflated by "exterior" measurement by sheathing and siding by about 4". If you round to the foot, then the assessor has the "correct" SF to the number. If you measure to the 1/10th, then you add over 30 SF that don't exist and cannot be used. If it were brick it would be even bigger - close to 100 SF measured in 10th. But the usable interior space is exactly the same.

I've built quite a few homes for rentals and spec houses. All of the plans measure to the outside of the wall studs; they don't even include the plywood or insulation sheeting. They do it this way so the framers know the exact measurements for the walls. Most custom homes in this area are brick or stone. So you add 1/2" or 3/4" for sheeting, a 1" airgap, and then 4" of brick or nearly 6" additional on every wall. Measuring 100-150 sq.ft. larger than the assessor is very common since the Assessor uses measurements from the plans.

The new vinyl villages are pretty close since none of them have brick or stone but still, the Assessor rounds to 1 foot.

IMO, the subject should be measured using the same standards and level of precision that exists in the comps.

 

[Dublin ohio]

Measuring 100-150 sq.ft. larger than the assessor is very common since the Assessor uses measurements from the plans.

In the 8 counties I cover. I have yet to see any use any dimension less than 1 ft. Except on angled walls. Since almost all plans are at least to the inch. Obviously, none of these counties gets their dimensions from the "plans".

 

[Fernando]

I've built quite a few homes for rentals and spec houses. All of the plans measure to the outside of the wall studs; they don't even include the plywood or insulation sheeting. They do it this way so the framers know the exact measurements for the walls. Most custom homes in this area are brick or stone. So you add 1/2" or 3/4" for sheeting, a 1" airgap, and then 4" of brick or nearly 6" additional on every wall. Measuring 100-150 sq.ft. larger than the assessor is very common since the Assessor uses measurements from the plans.

The new vinyl villages are pretty close since none of them have brick or stone but still, the Assessor rounds to 1 foot.

IMO, the subject should be measured using the same standards and level of precision that exists in the comps.

Ideal world, the comps based on assessors records should be ANSI measurements but most cases not.
So better to to try to get subject's measurement close to assessors records (rounding off and assuming no additions) so we can compare accurately with comp measurements.