Real-Life Math -- Solution
1. What is the total area of the house?
Area
= (8 x 8.5) + (7 x 7.5) + (6 x 7) + (12 x 20) + (14 x 10) + (14 x 10) + (11
x 12) + (19 x 13 - 4 x 2)
Area = 68 + 52.5 + 42 + 240 + 140
+ 140 + 132 + 239
Area = 1,053.5
The total area
of the house is 1,053.5 square feet.
2. If someone were
to pay $90 per square foot for the house, what would the total price be?
1,053.5
x 90 = 94,815
They would pay $94,815.
Real
estate appraisers use math to help figure out the value of property. Most
calculations are fairly simple, says appraiser Joe Massey.
"The
math that we do, I think, is fairly basic," he says. "It depends on how far
you want to go. You can get into all kinds of analysis on different things,
but math is not that critical. You should have a fairly decent grounding in
it to understand the basics."
Some houses are more difficult than others
to measure. For instance, 5-sided bay windows are becoming popular. They can
pose a challenge because of their irregular shape. However, Massey says that
with common sense and flexibility, an appraiser can overcome most problems.