The room count of an San Diego appraisal can often confuse property owners, especially if they are not familiar with the guidelines for what is considered a room versus a bedroom. In a typical San Diego appraisal report the room count, bedroom count, and bathroom count are listed. People often are unsure as to what defines a room versus a bedroom and we would like to define what each of these are considered in a San Diego County appraisal.
A bedroom count is considered to be a room with a closet on a level above ground. These rooms typically add more value to a home than a room that is below ground such as a basement. There are many rooms in a home but not all of them are considered a room for the purpose of an appraisal. Typically, a laundry room, foyer, enclosed patio, basement, closet (no matter the size), nook, and bathrooms are not considered to be included in a room count.
There are 3 types of bathrooms, full, ½ bath, and ¾ bath. A full bathroom includes a sink, toilet, and bathtub. A ½ bath includes only a toilet and sink, and a ¾ bath has a sink, toilet, and shower, the ¾ bath is often considered a full bathroom.
A room count includes living room, family room, dining room, den, office, recreation room, and bedrooms. More recently people have been removing walls in their homes to make it feel more open which often times can make it difficult to distinguish between rooms such as a living room and dining room. As a general rule to determine if what looks like 1 large room should be considered 2 rooms, such as a dining room and family room there should be enough room to hypothetically insert a wall between these two areas and still be able to use both spaces as separate rooms. If this hypothetical wall results in a lack of utility for one or more of the spaces then it should be considered 1 room.
Although not every room is considered to count as a room in the appraisal almost all of the rooms are still given value if they are permitted and completed in a workmanlike manner. The room, bedroom, and bathroom count are important for an appraisal because it is a main factor in selecting comparable sales. And it is important that the clients understand the room counts so that they can truly understand the appraisal and how comparable sales were selected and value was given to their property.
Please contact our office with any questions you may have or to schedule your appraisal appointment at 760-741-7699, brandlinappraisal@yahoo.com or use our contact page on our website.
Brandlin Appraisals Inc. specialize in helping people who need appraisals for estate purposes, divorce, date of death, bankruptcy, FSBO’s and more throughout San Diego county. For more information please contact us at (760)741-7699, or visit our website at Brandlinappraisals.com, or email us at admin@brandlinappraisals.com
Mike Brandlin
San Diego, CA // Real Estate Appraiser
www.brandlinappraisals.com
(760) 741-7699
San Diego Real Estate Appraisal Services For:
* Divorce Appraisals / Marriage Dissolution
* Bankruptcy Appraisals
* Bail Bonds Appraisals
* Estate / Date of Death / Retrospective Appraisals
* Financial Planning & Trusts
* PMI Removal Appraisals
* Pre-Foreclosure & Short Sales
* Tax Assessment Appeals
* Pre-Listing, Pre-Purchase, FSBO’s
* Probate Appraisals
Great information about appraisal room counts and explanation of above and below grade. Thank you for all the hard work you do in the San Diego real estate market.
Thank you for explaining room counts and how they relate to the San Diego real estate appraisal market.
Great article Michael. You clearly know your stuff and I recommend anyone looking for a San Diego appraiser to give you a call.
Good post, I often am asked about what rooms are counted in the appraisal, next time I’ll also refer them to this post.
Great article!! Good explanation of room count and the appraisal process
Great Post! Brandlin Appraisals is San Diego’s best!
That was a great way to explain room count! We get this question all of the time when we do appraisals in our area. I just took a 14 hour FHA course, and some of the lesson was on room count. What you just wrote about was spot on. Thank you!