Could Your Listing be 8% Smaller than it Really Is?

If you’re getting your floorplans from a provider that is using a Matterport to measure a home just be warned – they may not be accurate – even if they are insured. Here is what we found in our testing:

Example 1.PDF of Results

We measured the same condo twice with the same Matterport machine.  This is the simplest scenario because we are measuring inside wall to inside wall, there is nothing that is below grade and no sloped ceilings or raised areas.

Result – we found that the first Matterport scan came out as 95sq.m where as the second came out to 97sq.m.  We had Excelsior Measure come in and measure it and it came out to actually be 95.69sq.m.  So both Matterport scans were close, but not bang on.  One was 0.7% smaller, the other was 1.3% larger, but over 2% different from each other. The main issue is that the same machine could not get the same result. Plus there is no way to tell how they came to that calculation.

Example 2.PDF of Results

We scanned a house with Matterport. This is a little more tricky because you need to add in the exterior walls, and also be cognizant of which areas are above grade and which are below. Matterport can’t make the judgement calls required to determine above and below grade or other important factors related to RMS area inclusion such as minimum ceiling height or the ability to heat an area to room temperature year round.

Result – Matterport came back with a total area of 2524sq.ft.  We had Excelsior measure the same place and came back with 2742sq.ft. – a whopping 8% difference!  This is partially due to the fact that the Matterport did not include the exterior walls.

So then the question comes up – how was the place measured and how were the numbers calculated?  This is a requirement, and a question that will arise when your measurements are scrutinized. If you do not have the back up to show how the calculations were done, you could be in trouble.  Matterport does not provide you with any of the backup calculations or raw measurements necessary.

Some of our lower cost competitors may provide you with measurements straight off of the Matterport floorplan, which would leave you with a lower salable square footage. Here are some screen shots taken from one of our competitors’ website samples:

You’ll notice straight away that the areas are taken directly from the Matterport floorplan, which states, “Sizes and Dimensions are approximate, Actual may vary”.  

They may be insured, but that does not mean that they are accurate.

Reminder:

“As of Feb. 1, 2018, RMS measurements (or in the case of judicial sales, a copy of the court order stating no property access is permitted) must be uploaded in a measurement supplement to activate a residential listing in the MLS^® System.

The measurement supplement will require members to document all measurement calculations and relevant notes including the address, associate name and measurement date for all listings.” (CREB – Member Practice FAQs CrebLink)