Couple of raw pics from survey work today.

[Tufargon]

Unless this has changed (it may well have) or it varies from state to state (once again it may), but in the two states I've lived in the bolded part above isn't true. When you list your property with a realtor the square footage is the square footage of the originally finished portions of the house or any additionally finished parts of the house that have a standard entry/exit. Example if you have a 2500 SF house and finish 750 SF of the basement, it is still listed as a 2500 SF house, but you can note that it has a partially finished basement. It doesn't become a 3250 SF house. The exceptions would be the addition of a bonus room or if you have a basement exit (think built into a hill for example).

The only thing my basement doesn't have is a bathroom. Other than that it has the same electrical/HVAC/etc. as the rest of the house.

A basement will only need an entry and exit if it has a stove/kitchen.
It's been this way way before I was an appraiser and I started in 2001. All states and even most other countries abide by the same rules and regulations for appraiser evaluations. It's all the same appraiser board for all these places as well.
So if your basement is fully finished like the rest of the house it should be included in the sqft of the house. The County assessors office is who you'd have to contact if you want it included in THAT sqft but if you do that your taxes will obviously go up. Never trust a real estate agent telling you the sqft (unless they measure it themselves and i've never seen or heard of any do it). They 99.9% of the time will go by what they see on past listings or what they see online. It's not illegal to list a home with inaccurate sqft. So you could just put the accurate sqft yourself but the appraisal will be done according to actual sqft and if it is finished as the rest of the house it WILL be included in the appraisal as living space.
A Licensed Real Estate Appraiser will give you an accurate SQFT. Or just measure it yourself (from the outside).
I am both Commercial and Residentially licensed.

 

[mjbok]

A basement will only need an entry and exit if it has a stove/kitchen.
It's been this way way before I was an appraiser and I started in 2001. All states and even most other countries abide by the same rules and regulations for appraiser evaluations. It's all the same appraiser board for all these places as well.
So if your basement is fully finished like the rest of the house it should be included in the sqft of the house. The County assessors office is who you'd have to contact if you want it included in THAT sqft but if you do that your taxes will obviously go up. Never trust a real estate agent telling you the sqft (unless they measure it themselves and i've never seen or heard of any do it). They 99.9% of the time will go by what they see on past listings or what they see online. It's not illegal to list a home with inaccurate sqft. So you could just put the accurate sqft yourself but the appraisal will be done according to actual sqft and if it is finished as the rest of the house it WILL be included in the appraisal as living space.
A Licensed Real Estate Appraiser will give you an accurate SQFT. Or just measure it yourself (from the outside).
I am both Commercial and Residentially licensed.

Pretty much every source I could find on the internet (including realtor.com) disagrees with this. "Only finished above-grade areas can be used in calculating and reporting of above-grade room count and square footage for the gross living area. Fannie Mae considers a level to be below grade if any portion of it is below grade, regardless of the quality of its finish or the window area of any room." It adds value to the home, but does not increase the GLA (gross living area) or SF of a house. Finished attics (with 7 feet of clearance) do count, but anything below ground level (most of the time) does not). I'm not saying you're wrong, just that pretty much every easily accessible source says that it isn't counted in the listed SF of the house.

 

[Tufargon]

Just call a Real Estate APPRAISER. It's not a Real Estate Agent's job to assess sqft or value. It's their job to sell it.
Fannie Mae is likely the best place you looked at there.
Below grade can be many things. Like an enclosed garage that has a small step to get down (each appraiser may look and judge these things differently but must back up their opinions to the board if it called upon). Many will level that to make it appropriate to include in sqft but ask any appraiser if the basement is fully done like the rest of the house with heating and cooling they will include it in the GLA.
Edit: I've researched a little and it seems you are right. It is somewhat of a grey area (especially with AZ appraisals it appears) because probably 100% of appraisers I know would usually include the sqft in the GLA if the basement is fully finished.
Hey, why didn't the appraiser include my basement in this appraisal? • Birmingham Appraisal Blog

 

[Madhungarian]

What is the SF of those houses? Also, do houses in CA have basements?

Here (Ohio) it is standard to have at least half a basement if you live in the upper half of the state (Columbus area up) and the lower half doesn't seem to have that. I know a basement doesn't count towards SF, but I know my basement adds 1k SF of liveable space.

Square feet 1800 to 2700 and even 3200. No basements. If your talking lot size 3x.

 

[mjbok]

Square feet 1800 to 2700 and even 3200. No basements. If your talking lot size 3x.

Not familiar with that part of CA, but 3200 SF for less than a million? I thought anything about 2000 SF was approaching 7 figures in CA.

 

[UnRanged]

That's just standing water in an empty field. The houses aren't that close. Building to building is at least a hundred feet. House to house three hundred.

..That's still too close... I like to walk around outside naked. And I don't want the neighbors running over to watch me do my morning yoga.

 

[UnRanged]

I live in an apartment complex that has 320 apartments. The way the building was built and the position of my apartment, I literally hear EVERYTHING! I wonder if they can also hear me, since I live in the last floor.

Yes we can hear you... What's that constant buzzing sound coming from your apartment? It better be a drone...lol.

 

[Ansia]

Yes we can hear you... What's that constant buzzing sound coming from your apartment? It better be a drone...lol.

??