The Birmingham Alabama Multiple Listing Service recently introduced an option allowing agents to list the gross living area (GLA) of their listings.  This is a great feature that will help both Realtors and real estate appraisers.  Realtors can now let potential buyers know how much living area the home they are looking at has.  This can be helpful to buyers who want to make sure that the home is large enough to hold the furniture they have.  If they are moving out of a 1,500 S.F. home they want to make sure the home they are buying is at least that size.

Gross living area can be obtained from several different sources.  The most logical one would be an old appraisal on the home.  If nothing has changed, then the living area can be taken directly from the appraisal.  If no appraisal is available  you can get the information from the County Tax Report that is available through the MLS reports.  You have to be very careful with this information because it is not always correct.  It is usually pretty accurate with one story slab homes as well as full two story homes with identical first and second floors.  It is with 1.5 story homes and homes with finished basements that inaccuracies start to occur.  Unless the county tax assessor has obtained floor plans they may have only estimated the living area on the second level.  Living area in the basement may also be inaccurate if it is listed at all.  Some homeowners may finish off the basement without getting a building permit and the living area will not be shown.  I have included a tax record with notes to use as a guide in getting the information from county records.

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Some tax listings include porches in the “Total Area” section and I have noticed Realtors using this as the GLA, which would not be correct.  The last place to get the correct square footage would be to call me.  I could measure the house and provide a floor plan sketch for you to include in your MLS listing.  What do you use to get the correct gross living area calculations for your MLS listing?

If you have any questions on getting the correct gross livng area please give me a call at 205-243-9304.

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The Birmingham Alabama MLS (Multiple Listing Service) has recently added an option for Realtors to list GLA (gross living area) for their listings.  The new feature will go live on August 2, 2010.  Realtors are given an option of entering GLA data obtained from an appraiser, building plans, or tax records.

The first two sources are reliable, however tax records can be tricky in our area.  I have found that tax records are most accurate with one level homes that are either on a slab, crawlspace,  or that may have some unfinished basement.  It is less accurate with homes that have a second story and/or finished area in the basement.  These areas are difficult to determine without going into the home.  To complicate matters, the county is not notified of some improvements, making their records potentially inaccurate.

If a previous appraisal or plans are not available I suggest the realtor obtain the services of a qualified appraiser to measure their listing so they can present the most accurate information possible.  There are standards for measuring homes that have guidelines for what is counted as livable space and what is not.  The appraiser you choose should be familiar with these.  I offer this service to all Realtors in the Birmingham, Alabama area.  The fee is based on the size of the home and in addition to getting the square footage information you also get a floor plan sketch with location of rooms.  This sketch can be included in your listing.  A more detailed drawing is available for a slightly higher fee if this is desired.

My question to all Realtors is this: would you be interested in getting accurate GLA of your home to provide to your buyers and make your listings stand out by having a sketch of the home?  If you have any questions please give me a call at 205-243-9304 and I would be happy to answer them for you.

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1. Birmingham, AL Realtor Tips: How to Add Accurate Square Footage To Your Listings
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3. I Can Help Birmingham, AL Realtors With Their Sales Meetings