Exaggerated Square Footage

Too Much of a Good Thing

If you were a 5' 6" man, would you try to pass yourself off as 5' 9"?

I wouldn't condone it -- but I'd at least understand it.

But why would a 6' 5" man say he was 6' 9" -- unless, perhaps, he was an NBA player?

In a nutshell, that was my reaction showing a Plymouth home earlier today that appeared to be well below its stated 4,600 finished square feet (to my eye, at least 15% below).

Not only does such an . . . . uh, exaggeration hurt the Seller's credibility with prospective Buyers, it actually limits the pool of such Buyers.

That's because there are a lot more people in the market for a 3,800 square foot house than a 4,600 square foot house.

P.S.: The one exception I'm aware of to pro basketball players tending to pad their height is Bill Walton, the former UCLA and NBA great.

Self-conscious about being so tall, he reportedly gave his height as 6' 11" instead of the 7'-plus he really is.

At least, that's the story I heard when I was a Stanford undergrad, and Walton was at the Law School (I'd see him on campus occasionally, and he certainly looked 7'-plus. More often, I'd just see his gigantic bike in front of the Law School).

Home on a Diet

Inflated FSF: 'Told You So'

Where: 29xx Quentin Ave. South, in St. Louis Park's Fern Hill neighborhood

What: 3 BR/3BA Cape Cod built in 1936

How much: asking $349.9k

When: (re-)listed Mon. (Aug. 3)

You've probably heard of home expansions. But have you ever heard of home contractions?

This one did.

When the home pictured above first came on the market more than a year ago, it was billed as 3,937 FSF. After showing the home, I opined that that was dramatically high ("Too Good To Be True"; 7/26/2008).

Well, I was was right.

After six months on the market, the listing expired in January.

Then, yesterday, it re-appeared.

New Realtor. New asking price ($349,900). And, drum roll . . . new FSF: 2,754 -- or 30%(!) less.