Square footage question

[razorbacks2]

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this question, but heck, it never hurts to double check.
I have a situation where the square footage of the main dwelling of the subject has been combined with the square footage of separate finished dwelling. The resulting square footage was used to find comps (none of which are similar, i.e. total square footage combined from two different dwellings). I've never seen square footages combined in such a manner and was wondering if anybody had. To me this seems like a way to inflate the gross living area and in turn inflate the value of a property. Input quickly please!

 

[Rufus]

From your post is sounds like you are doing a review otherwise the square footage is what you measure. And no, do not combine sqaure footage from different dwellings. Is this a SFR with a detached ADU?

 

[razorbacks2]

It is a detached poolhouse

 

[Rufus]

It is a detached poolhouse

What I posted before still holds true. It is not living area to be combined with the dwelling's square footage. It is an accessory building which might be nicely finished. Comparables should be similar in size to the subject's home and should have pools with pool houses.

 

[Mztk1]

I've seen them combined in other reports, but they should be separate.

 

[Appraising since 1975]

In So CA, a desired feature in new tracts is a 'casita', a small detached room with a bathroom which can serve as a home office, guest house, hobby room, teenager room, or whatever. They are always included in the square footage on the tract brochures and in the county records . . .

 

[SMF]

The appraiser that combined these areas was not only wrong in doing so but this should be considered a major USPAP violation. This would fall under a a major error that leads to a misleading report!

 

[NC Old Guy]

Just because the left coast tends to include it as the main GLA doesn't make it correct. Have to watch out for those Realtors because once in a while, I've seem them try to include everything "under roof" including porches, garages, decks, detached gazebo etc & then try to explain why they thought they should do it that way. Tax assessor always happy to make things bigger than they are--more tax money that way.

 

[Webbed Feet]

In So CA, a desired feature in new tracts is a 'casita', a small detached room with a bathroom which can serve as a home office, guest house, hobby room, teenager room, or whatever. They are always included in the square footage on the tract brochures and in the county records . . .

Ms. Burke,

Your point? ... Please explain what the poor practices of other people or agencies has to do with good appraisal practices of real estate appraisers?

Webbed.

 

[Walter Kirk]

I am currently involved in litigation (bankrupcy) where the appraiser for the other side (an evil bank) did the same thing. I have been looking for a specific USPAP rule against this but I can't find one. Does anyone have any input?