Both require measuring to the inch (or tenth if available).
The institutional stupidity of that is in the failure of guides to even address common measurement flaws such as tape stretch, tape tension, and holding the device or tape perfectly level. Surveyors of old used temperature tables, invar steel tapes, a tension handle, and a level that hung on the tape before the day of lasers. The most important function of transit, level, theodolite, or alidade work was to level it. And the obvious, namely the house "corner" itself varies by an inch or more depending upon the material for the siding....rock, brick, vinyl, etc. vary in uniformity. Few houses are perfectly square. Surely you see that when measuring. Garrett has it right. If the assessor measures to a half foot or foot, the appraiser will introduce false accuracy (aka significant digits error) by using a different measure.
Two identical houses 80 x 40 as measured by the assessor, one the subject one the comp, and the "accurate" measure of 80.4 x 40.4 yields a difference you might see an adjustment of several thousand dollars, an adjustment that should not be made.
and what little residential work you do is not for the secondary market?
Why oh wise one would that matter? I did bank work for 20 years before basically quitting them, although I've not done secondary market for 15 but those reports often went to the same bank reviewers working SM. So, again in the 5000 or so appraisals I've done, I don't recall a single instance where anyone mentioned the scale or measurements. I know of two sanctions where SF was an issue and in both cases we are talking several hundred SF, not tenths of inches. And I've seen bad measurements. I saw a log house with walk out basement, and sketched so bad it was obviously now even square in the sketch. One of those angled houses. But even then the real issue was lumping the basement in, calling it a two story log home when nary a log existed in the basement. I came in $150,000 less than the other appraiser but even so, in the end I was $15,000 higher than the actual sales price.
No I don't measure poultry barns because they have set contracts and sizes and you' d look worse than stupid trying to measure a barn to the inch, you'd look incompetent. I do measure farm houses and outbuildings to the same scale as the assessor- the foot. Like the farmer who said, "I knew she was no chicken farm appraiser when she got out of the car in skirt and heels." She didn't go in the barn. And sometimes you cannot under any circumstances, like in a bird flu outbreak, but whether she knew her stuff or not, he recognized she was not dressed for the occasion. When I put on Teflon booties and overalls, they know I have been on a farm before.
Measuring to the tenth is simply exercise, and your imaginary accuracy to anyone with math, surveying, and/or construction savvy makes you look like a dunderhead.
