This apartment is how many square feet?

The tape measure does not lie....but, when it comes to measuring the square footage of NYC apartments, the tale told by the tape can be exaggerated, massaged, misrepresented and manipulated.

It can all add up to confusion, or worse.

Buyers often purchase apartments based on how many square feet the listing broker claims the apartment to be and the corresponding price per square foot. But, when the bank's appraiser comes in and it turns out to be significantly smaller, the price per square foot goes up and the lender says no.

There is implied precision but in reality the measurements are anything but precise.

Official oversight of square footage measurements is limited, according to real estate attorneys.
There are no requirements for coops and even with condos, where the Attorney Generals office oversees how the measurements were derived, discrepancies can still be found.

Unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done to change things but you don't need to take the word of the other broker. Don't be afraid to take out your own measuring tape because....the tape doesn't lie.