Can an AZ Sunroom Be Included As Livable Sq Feet?

 

Got an email this past week with the following question:

I'm interested in a house in AZ which includes an added sunroom in the sq footage of the house. This sunroom was built under the former patio. It has a separate A/C from the original house and it is entered by the backdoor of the kitchen.

For appraisal purposes can this sunroom be included as livable sq feet?

Answer:

This would depend on the quality and condition of the AZ room as well as access, HVAC, etc..

From your question, it does not sound like the AZ room should be included in the gross living area of the home, however with that being said the value of the AZ room may or may not be similar to the main living area depending on what the market dictates.

For instance: if you are in an area where it is common to have an AZ room the market may dictate that the public will pay a similar price per square foot of the AZ room as it does for the rest of the home. This would likely be adjusted on a separate line of the appraisal but may not have an impact on value.

Another thing to consider is if the AZ room had permits. You can check this several ways but the easiest way is to go the Maricopa County Assessors web site and enter either the parcel number or address of the property. When it shows up click on the parcel number and it will take you to another page which will give you some basic information about the parcel including the owner, subdivision and last sales date. Just below that is a blue line and on the far right a space that says jump to. Hover over that and click on Sketches and it will take you to a sketch of the property (if available). If the area of the AZ room is shown as a patio or covered patio it most likely did not have permits. If it is shown as an addition it most likely had permits. If it had permits and is consistent with the design, quality and condition of the rest of the home it could be included in the gross living area of the home.

The main concern for the property you are talking about appears from your description that it does not have a heat source but rather only a wall or window AC unit which would then again likely require it to be valued separately from the main home.

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