In our area square footage on the county websites is not always accurate. That's one reason why realtors when they list a home in our area will make a disclaimer as to where the square footage was taken from. The county assessor has the square footage on my home as being 400 square feet smaller than it is. This is where Zillow gets their information on my home so Zillow also has my home as 400 square feet smaller. When we purchased the home, the listing was stated as "2900+ square feet per owners appraisal". The appraisal we got for out loan confirmed that number at 2918 whereas the county has it at 2500 sq ft.

appraisals also differ by location. For example, a new home builder could have several subdivisions located all over a large metro area..with some of the subdivisions being maybe 75-100 miles apart. Maybe some of the subdivisions have the exact same model/floorplan with the exact sq footage. Maybe by chance, the homes are the same age and have the same options. But the same model in town A could appraise for $50k more than the exact model in town B, which are 75 miles apart. Why? Maybe town A has better schools and/or is a more expensive town that has a better location due to proximity to certain things, maybe closer to the mountains or sea or something.

Is the ceiling at least 7'? Is the width at least 7' with a minimum of 70 sq ft of floor space? Does the room have operable windows that can provide light and ventilation, and are large enough for egress if the room is to be used as a bedroom? Are the walls insulated to the current code required R value for your location? Is the ceiling also up to current standards of insulation? Is the heating source a permanently affixed non portable type? Can it heat the room to at least 65 degrees? Do each of the walls contain the required number of tamper resistant arc fault electrical outlets that are required by the current electrical code? Did you get the permit and the inspections needed in order to convert the space? Without all of that, what you have is a utility room with a space heater that no one is dumb enough to think of as living space.

I've attempted to explain issues regarding the house I want to sell, including associated issues that figure into my decisions. The associated issues are complex, and mistaken assumptions have been made by some commenters here that are wildly off-base, offensive and inappropriate. Suffice it to say, I am not leaving this town. I am not selling the property where I live. I've joined others in my community who are fighting for responsible building regulations to stop damaging run-off. I'm sorry if some commenters don't like that, but nothing you say will change this. It depresses me that land is considered so disrespectfully in this forum, and I wish all would consider land has more identity than just a box of cereal. Land has geographic identity.....the place on the map of this planet. Geological identity......the ancient bedrock beneath it. Biological identity.....the biodiversity of flora and fauna that call it home. Environmental identity......land and water quality. Historic identity.....the natural and social identities previously. Community identity.....as a permanent fixture in social surroundings. Tax identity.....what we owe for services that facilitate the surroundings. Personal property identity.....that which we call home. I was raised to respect land, and it depresses me that some people see it as merely transactional, a commodity to be exploited and then move on, and who cares about the damage to the land and those who remain. I'm not anti-capitalism, but late-stage capitalism seems to have eroded all other values. It's an unsustainable mentality, unsuitable to a shrinking planet. Besides being caretakers of land, we're caretakers of our own souls. You might even consider them one and the same.