IDEAL AGENT Real Estate Blog

How Square Footage Is Measured — and Why Sellers Get It Wrong

Square footage sounds like the most objective number on your listing — a simple fact, not an opinion. In practice, it's one of the most commonly miscalculated figures in real estate, and getting it wrong can create real legal and financial risk for a seller. Short answer: Home square footage is typically measured using the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z765 standard or a simila ...

What Legally Counts as a Bedroom? Why It Affects Your Listing Price

You've called that fourth room a "bedroom" for the fifteen years you've lived there. Whether you can legally list it as one is a different question — and getting it wrong can create real problems with ...

Does a Pool Help or Hurt Your Home's Resale Value?

Few home features split buyer opinion as sharply as a swimming pool. Some buyers see a backyard oasis; others see a maintenance headache and a safety liability. Understanding which reaction is more li ...

Does Adding a Garage Increase Your Home's Sale Price?

A garage is one of those features buyers rarely put at the top of their wish list out loud — and yet consistently rank as a near-dealbreaker when it's missing. Understanding how much value a garage ac ...

Market Value vs. Appraised Value: Why They're Not the Same Number

You accepted an offer at a price you're happy with, and then the appraisal comes back lower — a moment that catches many sellers off guard, because they assumed "what a buyer is willing to pay" and "w ...