Franklin County Auditor website lists home size differently after controversy

Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo has quietly given thousands of central Ohioans an early Christmas present: a bigger house.

To be more consistent with national standards, the auditor’s website was updated last year including a change which omitted any space below ground in the calculation of home size, including space that’s finished and accessible to the outside (ie. a walkout or walk up basement, or the lower level of a split-level home).

The auditor has reversed this change it made approximately one year ago and the revised site once again includes the finished below grade square footage in the home’s overall square footage.

The change upset homeowners, appraisers, and real-estate agents who thought the revised figures shortchanged property values giving potential buyers an inaccurate assessment of size.

Now, the auditor’s website has restored below-grade space to the “total finished area” figure that appears on a property’s summary page. The detailed description of the residence continues to distinguish between above-grade and below-grade finished spaces.

David O’Neil a spokesman for the auditor’s office reports, “We simply made a change of what we display on the summary page, the numbers haven’t changed. We haven’t made any changes to the way we calculate total finished area.”

O’Neil said the change was made because of “user requests.”

If you, or someone you know is considering Buying or Selling a Home in Columbus, Ohio please contact The Opland Group. We offer professional real estate advice and look forward to helping you achieve your real estate goals!

The Opland Group Specializes in Real Estate Sales, Luxury Home Sales, Short Sales in; Bexley 43209 Columbus 43201 43206 43214 43215 Delaware 43015 Dublin 43016 43017 Gahanna 43219 43230 Grandview Heights 43212 Hilliard 43026 Lewis Center 43035 New Albany 43054 Pickerington Powell 43065 Upper Arlington 43220 43221 Westerville 43081 43082 Worthington 43235

Connect with us