How does one list a split-level?

Question

I'm in the process of listing a split-level home. I'm being asked how many "stories" the house has, but I'm not sure how to answer that. The house has four levels (basement/partially below grade level, entry level, bedroom level, and master bedroom level).

Also, the lowest/basement level is fully finished and there is a large adjoining crawl space under the entry level side. Should I be listing this as a "partial basement" that is "partially finished", or should I say it's a full, finished basement to eliminate confusion? I also wasn't sure about how the square footage of the house is affected by this. Do basements count in the square footage tally? I'm also being asked the square footage of the living area below grade. Does the lower/basement level qualify as "below grade"?

Account Closed · Answer

you sure about that zach??  there's plenty of lower and median income housing that don't have central A/C...they have removable window units..would this mean the homes effectively have zero square feet?  i could see requiring heat for square feet but not A/C...in fact, here in charlotte, we account for this by calling it 'heated living area'...must be heated--doesn't need a/c

George P. · Answer

old thread, buy still valid. just looked at one tri level and wonder how they would do as a rental.

people love basements to store junk and tri levels do not have a basement for junk.

anyone has experience with that? what do people think of tri level homes for rentals?

Zach Sikes · Answer

Ken -

In our office here in OK we make all of our clients sign waiver's saying that they didn't make their decision to buy based on square footage.  You could run into several problems with advertising the wrong square footage.

In OK, to be included in square footage it must be completely finished and heated and cooled.  For example, if someone enclosed a patio, even if they completely finished it but didn't heat or cool it, it could not be considered in the total square footage of the hosue.

Ken Sanders · Answer

Thanks, guys.

Anyone know if I include the attic, garage, or roofed concrete porch in the square footage?

Jon Holdman · Answer

They're either called a tri-level with basement or a four level around here, too.  Tri-level with basement seems more common, but that's not a scientific evaluation of listing.  An appraiser will generally count all three levels as "above grade" for the appraisal, then add on a little for the basement level.

Andy J. · Answer

If it's a four level house call it a four level.  They're fairly common in my neck of the woods.  For those of you having a hard time picturing this, think of a tri-level with a basement underneath the main (middle) floor.  Sometimes the basements are partially, sometimes fully below grade.

J Scott · Answer

I can't really imagine what a 4-level split looks like, so I can't address how you'd market that.  But, I'd probably say, "2 stories and a basement," as I imagine the entry level is small and not really usable space (though perhaps I'm wrong).

And if the majority of the basement is above-grade, I would answer "0 square feet" to the question about how much is below grade.

Ken Sanders · Answer

Thanks for the info J Scott.

So if the house in question has 4 levels, I would say "3 stories and a basement"?

I would say that maybe 2% of the basement is below grade. The crawl space side is the area that is actually below grade. The listing form has a field which asks how many square feet are below grade. I'm just trying to figure out what to fill in, if anything.

Thanks again for the help.

J Scott · Answer

We rehab a lot of split levels, so here's my opinion...

We generally advertise them as "split level" to avoid having to use the words "basement" or "two story."  But, if someone insists on using those terms, I think it's fair to say "two story" and "has a basement".

Additionally, in a split, if the entire lower half is finished (other than the crawl space), it's safe to say "fully finished basement."

For appraisals, HVCC will generally count all living space above grade, but for marketing purposes, all finished living area should be counted in the square footage.

As for whether the basement counts as below grade, that depends on whether the basement is below grade or not...  :)

Some splits have the lower level above grade, some are below grade, and some are mixed.