square footage

[SNations]

I inspected a small condo today, about 800 square feet.  Now my client is upset that I didn't measure the size of the unit and give her the square footage.  She doesn't seem to think that she can adequately gauge the cost of the condo without knowing the square footage.  

This seems like a job for (if anybody) an appraiser.  But her agent seems to agree with her that I should have done it.  Her father is also claiming that when he's bought property the inspector measured the square footage.  I've never heard of anything like this and I think it's ridiculous.  

Am I missing something here?  Is it a common thing for home inspectors to measure the size of a property?  Does anybody actually do this?  Are they just confusing my role with that of the appraiser? 

Thanks

Steve Nations

[John Kogel]

The clients are wrong and the realtor is either a greenhorn or on meds.

However, you could offer to return to the condo and measure it for an hourly fee. Maybe learn to combine appraisals with inspections, why not?

[Bill Kibbel]

I'm quite sure they're confusing an inspector's responsibility with the appraiser's task.

I don't know any inspector that determines square feetsies.

 

[Nolan Kienitz]

Agent is an idiot (THERE ... I've said it).  Also your client does not know what the difference is between an inspector and an appraiser.

Tell them to contact the appraiser for those measurements.

No ... it is not something an inspector should do or be expected to do.

[Marc]

Screw the dang agent.  Sometimes I need to clarify that inspection SF is not the same as appraised SF.  I've nothing to do with appraised SF.

[John Ghent]

The condo association office should have copies of the original prospectus (documents), which would detail the square footage.  Or not.

[Steven Hockstein]

Send your client a tape measure and a thank you note. Explain that measuring the condo is beyond the scope of a home inspection but you hope your small gift will assist in the solving her dilemma.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Steven Hockstein

[Mark P]

I agree, it is not your job.  Likely they are confused between inspector and appraiser. The realtor is just saying what her clients want to hear, she has no clue. 

[inspector57]

I am neither an appraiser or surveyor. I inspect the condition of the things present, I do not measure or appraise its size or value, thus the name of my company is "Mr. Inspector," not Mr. Appraiser or Mr. Surveyor. Nowhere in my standards of practice does measuring properties appear.

[Tom Raymond]

I have commented on square footage a couple of times. On every occasion my gut tells me the actual square footage is significantly different then the listing or the tax data. I actually instructed one client to grieve their tax assessment, the assessors nearly doubled the size of the building.

[Jim Baird]

I have been at properties where I thought listed square footage might be in error, and had the listing agent reply that he would not discuss square footage because it is such a litigious issue.  His listing only specified what the seller disclosed.

[TimK]

I never measure, but on my report's title page I list the approximate size and quote the source, whether it's the listing MLS, county records, or Zillow - Redfin, etc. Any, or all of those, can be in error. I thereby sidestep any liability for its exactitude.