We are encouraged to NOT include sq footage unless we have a desire to end up in court!   Did you read the article about the agent who lost a case due to incorrect square footage on the listing?  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/realtor-misrepresents-square-footage-1.3487389

Room measurements are not required but they are normally included.  My floorplan guy does this.

We are required to submit square footage for heated living area (there is no code yet in NC for air conditioning, but virtually all houses have it, nonetheless). Room sizes not required. One of the first things they teach in real estate school here is to NEVER, EVER use tax records as they are notoriously incorrect. And we are required to be within 5% accuracy in terms of the square footage we report (or else!).

I have never measured houses and always hire a professional to do so, who not only provides me with an accurate square footage, but also with professionally drawn plans that also include room dimensions, etc. At $90 to $150, depending on size of home, this service is a bargain as far as I'm concerned and both sellers and buyers love it!

Our MLS requires square footage and I get it from tax appraiser's records

Fred,

We recommend professionals to do that.  We have had two professionals measure a commercial space with two different results.  Like Susan Emo stated there was a famous CA case involving less square footage than promised, and buyer sued and won...We did not represent SF even in office buildings or retail space, we used the words approximately 4000 square even when based on the actual building and floor plans.  Commercial measurement is done according to established standards.  A

When I was practicing in Florida yes; here in Atlanta no.

under roof heated/cooled - required in our mls which I think is ludicrous as many agents just guestimate anyway!

Nope, we are not required to provide any specific details. I wish we did, since it is really disappointing to find one room or even more less. 

Those fields are required but ironically you can put it 0X0 for the rooms sizes without a problem! They give you options to cite where you got the information for total SF. There are several suits that I recall about errors in room size or total square footage.

Our MLS requires both and I auto populate those fields from the appraiser's info. I have a laser just to measure for my own use but I never put my measurements in the MLS, was taught not to when I started and it stuck.

sq. ft. yes, and then we name our source.  I use the public record or an appraisal 

Room size no, but I do put what floor rooms are on so people know if Master and other bedrooms are on the ground floor.

Our MLS required the measurments of the bedrooms.  I have a laser.

we go off the tax record here in the DC/MD/VA mls

ours for sq footage is treated air. under roof counts as a separate column. i always state appx

Very rarely do I have to measure it. I have floorplans from original builders for most homes except obviously customs.

MLS makes us round up now. We do have to state where the info came from: tax records, seller, builder.

The only required size is the lot and the property, both provided by public records.  The room sizes are not required.  If they were, I'd buy a laser measurer simply because I think they are cool and gosh darn it I want a fancy toy!!

We quote the SF from the tax appraiser's records, but laser measure room perimeters. Both are required by the MLS

our mls does not require measurements....but there are spaces for it to be included..... we do not unless it's new construction and the architect provides the dimensions..... 

We have square footage because it drawn from our tax records into the MLS. Rooms sizes are up to agents to come up with. I measure them with a digital lazer. People do appreciate that info in the MLS.

Use a digital tool when required to provide the information. Also provide a disclaimer. Never rely on a builder's floorplan! 

Total square foot required.

Room sizes not required.

I would never measure it.

Not a mandatory field 

Measure twice for accuracy both square footage and room sizes.  Some agents use digital, other the old, handy, reliable tape measure. Our MLS requires source of data but does not require the data.  Agents are aware of law & consequences.

Our MLS does not require square footage, and whenever a buyer asks for it, I know they are from out of town.

I use a tape measure.

Our MLS requires it.  I use a digital measuring device.  Every room must be measured, excluding closets. 

Living square footage (under heat/air) and total square footage (under roof) is required by both MLS systems I belong to and I use the information that is available from tax records.  Room sizes is mandatory for one MLS, not for the other. I round down and write a disclaimer that these are approximate and buyers are to verify. 

We do use square footage and MLS requires living room, kitchen, master bedroom. I use both floor plans and measuring.

Fred Griffin our MLS has this optional. I do go by public records and previous listing data. Rarely I have measured it....

Our MLS requires square footage, we usually refer to public records or floor plans.

Square Footage from public records and we only have to measure bedroom sizes.

Our MLS requires SF ... I use both a measuring tape and I also have a digital/laser.  SF includes all rooms excluding bathrooms and hallways and as of this past year we now included finished areas "below ground" and those numbers get added to the "above ground" for a Total SF of property.

Often best to use the assessors est of total sq footage, with the disclaimer.

We measure the room sizes ourselves, saves a lot of time with the may people with huge beds, tv's and other stuff.

Again with a disclaimer.

Both are optional in my MLS.  Most people include room sizes but fewer include square footage.

I got a wheel based measurement that will measure up to 10,000 lineal foot to .1 ft.  It is used by me validating home measurements as old homes had added on over the years.  So far the buyers love the sketches. It is used to validate tax records. 

Our MLS requires square footage, but usually we can autofill from the tax records. 

As for room sizes, our MLS does not require it, but I take them with an ultrasonic tape measure and always round down.  When I am able to use a floor plan, I'll do that instead.  Oddly enough, most floor plans I've seen don't have measurements for kitchens though.

I use a 25ft tape measure (lasers are not as reliable ie batteries die) and make a floorplan.  I include Square footage both inside(heated) and exterior. 

They sure do, most of the time is use the tax cards for SF above grade that is indeed heated. Others i use my old measuring tape

Fred - Total square footage is required, and we can site where that info came from. Individual room sizes are not required, and I do not measure them.

I take a tape measure with me when working with buyers, and have measured individual rooms for them.

Not required but there is a space for it and itis the lazy agent that does ot use it.

My MLS doesn't require this information. I use a laser measure. 

Hello Fred,

   MLS requires square footage.  Can be from records, personal measurement, or sellers and must be disclosed as to the source.  Mark

Our mls does not require then, although they do hav space for them.  Here the "official" square footage is figured by taking the building's outside dimensions and adding them up.  So the number you get is higher than measuring the rooms and adding up the area of each one.  

Our MLS includes square footage from the tax records, it can be overwritten with confirmed square footage from another source i.e. appraisal, builder's information, etc...  It is always the heate/cooled space and not the overall building size.

Sq footage yes; room sizes - do not seem to be mandatory; too many agents skip them. I use whatever public info is available and measure myself using laser. Sometimes irregular rooms are tricky. There was an agent in our town who got sued (and lost) for misrepresenting sq footage; don't know exactly what issue was, before my time.

Square footage is a field to be completed for home and lot size in our mls.

Room sizes are not required.

I do not measure and cite the source(public records, builder, appraiser, seller, etc).

I do include a floor plan that has been professionally completed.

Square footage of a home is typically living space. 

Our MLS does not require them, but I will measure for my listings unless I have floor plans available from the owner.

Thankfully, my MLS does not require SF room sizes.  MLS does require the overall square footage of living space and lot size which I obtain from tax records. 

I don't know how I would approach it if measurements were required. 

Fred, unless the laser is outstanding then go to the tape measurements. I have found the cheap ones are inaccurate. Our MLS is optional on this.

Yes MLS does and lucky my laser is great!

We use the square footage provided in the tax information.