A family has sheetrocked off the back 1/3 of their garage and created a bedroom which is used by their teenage son. The appraisal did not count this as a bedroom because, to meet code, it needs a window. For replacement housing survey purposes, do I count this as a bedroom or not? Other than the lack of a window, it is a nicely finished room.

I would count it as a bedroom. But when finding the comparable your room count has to meet code.

The bigger question is the number of family members in the house and making sure your comparable property meets the required room count for the size of the displaced family. The comparable house must meet local housing code and/or your agencies DSS requirements. Counting or not counting the garage room may be a mute point. Now, for how we (INDOT) handle such a problem. We go strictly by the appraisal room count when writing up our comp sheets. Typically a room in a basement or a garage is not counted in the official room count. We mention it in our write up but displacement such as these typically end up in a last resort housing entitlement and the increase in the room count on the comp form the subject helps justify the higher entitlement. When you have a family of 6 living in a 3 bedroom that has been converted into a 4 or 5 bedroom and you have to go out and find a 4 or 5 bedroom at an acquisition price of a 3 bedroom it's going to be difficult. Again there is your justification if you needed to go into a LRH situation. Good luck with the search.

I agree. It is important for replacement housing. Under appraisal/real estate standards, if it is not a 'legal' bedroom, it is not a bedroom. Real Estate brokers are not supposed to advertise or hold it out as such. As a bedroom, it tends to add value to the house, but whether it is well-finished or not, it shouldn't be counted as a bedroom.

I feel the discussion on room counts is mixing apples, oranges, and bananas. Let me explain. An appraiser is focused on property value. Where an improvement, such as a house, is on land with a higher and better use, the appraiser may not even adequately describe the house (in violation of the current Uniform Act rule requirements) as it does not contribute to value. So the appraiser may only say that on the commercial site is a 1500 square foot dwelling. Then go on and value the commercial site. The real estate sales person is guided by a set of rules governing proper representation of the real estate being marketed. They must represent the property as to the legal uses to which is can be placed. The relocation agent is guided by actual use of the property by the displaced family or business. There is no requirement or expectation that the present use contribute to value of the real estate, or that the present use meet code. The use by the occupant being displaced helps in determining the relocation benefits. There is no required linkage between the room count and housing size, etc., used in relocation to be the same as that used by the appraiser. Yes, it is good form for the relocation agent to be familiar with what the appraiser has said. Some agents then draw out their own floor plan of the dwelling unit to help explain how they came to their conclusion as to size, room usage, etc. And a project manager should be looking at the bigger picture to be sure that the reasoning used by the professionals on their staff leads to a consistent conclusion. One other aspect of room count. The conclusion in number of rooms used for the schedule move may be different still. From the most recent moving schedule: The schedule continues to be based on the ''number of rooms of furniture'' owned by a displaced individual or family. The relocation agent is not at the mercy of decisions made by other professions. The relocation agent needs to document their conclusions, and carry out the relocation assistance program.

In addition, the kitchen nor the bathrooms are not generally counted in a room
count by a Realtor or Appraiser. The count includes living areas and bedrooms.
However, movers and relocation agents would count rooms that have to be packed,
which would certainly include the kitchen.