After considering feedback from our subscribers, we are happy to announce that we are restructuring our square footage fields to provide better clarity and accuracy when inputting and displaying square footage information.

 

Previously, the square footage information was in the location information box. After the new display is rolled out, the Square Feet Information section will have its own box on the input page.

 

The following new fields will be available in Residential Listings in late February of 2025:

 

• Above Grade Finished Area: This field reflects the total finished square footage that is above grade on a property.
• Below Grade Finished Area: This field reflects the total finished square footage that is below grade on a property.
• Total Finished Area: This field is a sum of the Above Grade Finished Area and Below Grade Finished Area fields. It is system calculated so you do not have to add them up yourself.
• $/Total Finished Area: This field is a calculation of the price per square foot based on the Total Finished Area field. This replaces $/Fin SqFt.
• Above Grade Unfinished Area: This field reflects the total unfinished square footage that is above grade on a property.
• Below Grade Unfinished Area: This field reflects the total unfinished square footage that is below grade on a property.
• Total Unfinished Area: This field is a sum of the Above Grade Unfinished Area and Below Grade Unfinished.  Area fields. It is system calculated so you do not have to add them up yourself.
• Sq Ft. Total (Public Rec): This is the square footage total that we receive from the tax records. If your square footage source is the same as the tax records, this field will match the Total Finished Area field. It is a system calculated field so you do not need to fill this field out yourself. In the initial rollout, this field will reflect the Finished Square feet total that was previously entered.

 

Transcript

We recently restructured our residential square footage fields to provide better clarity and accuracy when inputting and displaying square footage information. In this video we will show you how to use square footage fields when searching and entering listings. We’ll also provide answers to some frequently asked questions that we have received since the fields were updated. 

 

To start, in the residential input form, you will see a section for square feet information under the Listing Info tab. Here square footage is broken into 4 fields: 

• Above Grade Finished Area reflects the total finished square footage that is above grade or ground level on a property. 

• Below Grade Finished Area reflects the total finished square footage that is below grade or ground level on a property 

• Above Grade Unfinished Area reflects the total unfinished square footage that is above grade or ground level on a property. 

• Below Grade Unfinished Area reflects the total unfinished square footage that is below grade or ground level on a property. 

 

The total finished and unfinished area fields cannot be edited manually. Instead, they are system calculated by adding the above and below grade amounts you have entered. For example, a listing with 1000 in above grade finished area and 500 in Below Grade finished area would show 1500 in Total Finished Area after it is submitted.

 

The field labeled Square Footage Total (Public Record) is the square footage amount that we receive from the tax records. If your square footage source is the same as the tax records, this field will match the Total Finished Area field. It is a system calculated field, so you do not need to fill this field out yourself. This field is only for reference within the MLS and is not syndicated to third party sites. 

 

Now that the listing has been submitted, let’s view the listing display. In the 360 property view you’ll see that square feet information once again has its own section. This section is set up to match the input form and clearly display the breakdown of the listing square footage. You’ll want to note that Square Footage Total, which is the square footage per the tax record, has been hidden from this display. 

 

Also pay attention to the Price per Total Finished Area field which is calculated by dividing the sale price by the total finished area entered on the listing. This field is calculated by Matrix, so you do not have to fill it out in the input form. 

 

Next, we are going to change the listing display to Agent Single Line. Notice that by default the Total Finished Area is included as a column. If at any time you would prefer to also see the tax record square footage, you’re able to do so by adding the Square Footage Total column to this display. Click in the gray space one of your columns, click insert column, search for Square Footage Total in the available fields – mind the spelling of this field [Put the exact spelling on the screen], select it, then click apply. Now you’ll have both Total Finished Area and Square Footage Total on your results. When a listing is syndicated to third party sites, Total Finished Area is displayed as the square footage.  

 

It's important to know the difference between these two fields when viewing your results as well as when you are searching for listings. When you look at the residential full search, you will see that both are an option in the criteria. If you search using Total Finished Area, your results will be based on what the listing agent has entered. If you search using Square Footage Total, your results will be based on the public record square footage.  

 

Users should search by Total Finished Area for any listing listed after January 1st of 2021, especially when setting up criteria for Auto Emails. Whichever you use, once you click results you will be shown the Total Finished Area column by default in the Agent Single Line display. If you would like to change this default, you can do so by clicking the gear icon below the results tab. 

 

Finally, let’s take a look at the new fields in the CMA. Total Finished Area and $/Total Finished Area have been added by default to the Quick CMA. Please note that $/Total Finished Area is calculated by the sales price for listings in the Closed Status. In the longform CMA, Total Finished Area has been added to the Dimensions section by default for everyone. If desired, you can also add the $/Total Finished Area field as a field to the CMA and save your field configuration as your default for CMA’s.