Does Square Footage Really Matter When Buying a Home?
When you’re scrolling through listings, one of the first details most buyers look for is square footage. It feels objective. Concrete. Comparable.
But lately, you may have noticed a growing trend: some listings no longer include the home’s square foot size at all.
Understandably, that can be frustrating. Buyers often plan their showings around size, using it as a shortcut to decide what’s worth seeing. So why would a seller, or an agent, leave it out?
Why Some Listings Don’t Include Square Footage
There’s actually a very practical reason for this shift.
There is no single, universally accepted method for measuring square footage. Different standards, measurement practices, ceiling heights, basement rules, and even wall thickness can lead to very different numbers for the same home. In condo buildings, especially, variations between developers, assessors, and past listings can make square footage more confusing than helpful.
Rather than risk inaccuracies, or invite disputes, some sellers choose to let the home speak for itself.
Square Footage vs. How a Home Lives
Here’s the reality most experienced buyers eventually discover:
Square footage does not equal livability.
You can walk into a 3,000-square-foot home that feels cramped due to poor layout, wasted hallways, or awkward room proportions. Then you tour a 2,500-square-foot home that feels open, functional, and spacious because every inch is well used.
Flow matters. Ceiling height matters. Light matters. Storage matters.
And none of those things are captured by a single number on a listing sheet.
A Better Way to Evaluate Space
Instead of relying solely on square footage, buyers should focus on:
-
Room dimensions and whether your furniture actually fits
-
Layout and flow between spaces
-
Ceiling height and natural light
-
Storage and usable space, not just total space
After touring several homes, most buyers develop a natural sense of what feels “right” for them, often without even checking the stated size.
The Bottom Line
Square footage can be a helpful reference point, but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. The true measure of a home is how it lives and whether the space works for your lifestyle.
If a home feels right when you’re standing in it, the number on the listing sheet becomes far less important, if it’s listed at all.
