I am amused every time I hear someone cite or ask about price per square foot when talking about a home.
Some builders use it as an approximate way of estimating a job. Some Realtors use it as a way of determining values and quality of construction. But let's face it, it's just a ratio - and a made-up one at that.
Divide the selling price or the list price by the size, and you get price per square foot. Ah, but is that total square footage including the garage, porches, decks, and balconies? Is it just the area under roof? Is it just the area that is cooled and heated? Is it measured from the outside of the exterior walls or the inside?
Even once you have the ratio, it is subject to the way it is calculated and direct comparisons between homes and neighborhoods are impossible with knowing that they are calculated exactly the same.
Then there's the fact that a basic box (4 walls and a roof) costs less to build than one with several interior wall and angles. Corian or granite costs more to build than Formica - even for the exact same space.
We might as well concern ourselves with how much our shoes cost per square inch or how much per pound or kilogram our cars are. They are just ratios - and not worth that much in determining whether someone should buy it or not.
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