Why Home Sellers in DC, Maryland, and Virginia Should Require a Floor Plan in Their Listing

Why Matt Cheney Tells Sellers to Require a Floor Plan in Every Listing

Matt Cheney has a straightforward piece of advice for homeowners preparing to sell in Washington DC, Northern Virginia, or Maryland: do not let a listing go live without a floor plan. If a listing agent proposes publishing photos and a description alone, Matt encourages the seller to ask for a floor plan to be added before the home reaches the market.

The reasoning comes from what Matt sees in the way buyers actually shop. Matt Cheney explains that buyers tend to spend more time studying a floor plan than they spend looking at the photos of a home. Photos introduce a house and set the tone, but a floor plan is where many buyers do the real work of deciding whether the layout fits the way they want to live, and whether the home deserves a showing.

This article expands on that advice. It looks at what a floor plan shows that photos cannot, what national buyer research says about floor plans, how the mix of housing across the DC metro area makes layout information especially useful, and what sellers should ask their listing team before a home is published. Results vary by property, price point, condition, timing, and market competition, and no specific result is guaranteed, but the case for including a floor plan is practical and easy to understand.

What a Floor Plan Shows That Photos Cannot

Listing photographs are designed to be attractive. They are usually taken with wide-angle lenses, framed to show a room in its most appealing light, and presented one room at a time. That approach is effective at creating interest, but it leaves out the information a serious buyer needs next.

A floor plan fills in that missing information in a single glance. It shows how the rooms connect, where the stairs land, how far the kitchen sits from the primary bedroom, whether the dining area opens to the living space, and how each level stacks on the one above or below it. A buyer can look at a floor plan and understand the flow of a home in a way that a gallery of separate images rarely provides.

Room dimensions are a large part of the value. UK property portal Rightmove surveyed its users on floor plans and found that home hunters rated room dimensions as the most important feature of a floor plan. One buyer in that research said pictures can be deceptive while a floor plan is more definitive. While that research comes from the United Kingdom, the instinct it describes is easy to recognize among buyers anywhere: people want a way to check what they are seeing against something measurable.

Floor plans also help buyers think practically. A buyer can consider whether a sofa, a dining table, or a home office desk will fit in a particular room. A buyer relocating from another city can compare the layout of several homes side by side without scheduling a tour of each one. A buyer touring several properties in a single day can use the floor plan afterward to recall which house had which layout. These are small conveniences, but they add up to a more confident search.

What National Buyer Research Says About Floor Plans

The advice Matt Cheney gives sellers is consistent with what industry research has reported for years. Surveys by the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) have consistently placed photos first among the website and listing features buyers find useful, with floor plans ranking among the more valued features after that. In 2023, RISMedia reported that, according to NAR research, floor plans ranked among the most desired features on a home listing after standard listing photos and property data.

Sellers should verify this figure directly with NAR or RISMedia before publication, as survey rankings can shift year to year.

More recent consumer research points the same direction. WAV Group, a real estate industry consulting firm, released a Floor Plan Consumer Interest Survey in which 82% of buyers said they believe the industry should require a floor plan on every listing. According to WAV Group, buyers said floor plans help them picture life in the home, understand the layout, and make decisions with more confidence. WAV Group also noted that some multiple listing services have begun making floor plans a standard part of listings.

Rightmove’s UK research offers a closer look at how buyers react when a floor plan is missing. According to Rightmove, over a third of buyers said they were less likely to enquire about a property without a floor plan, and about one in five said they would ignore such a listing or only return to it if nothing else caught their eye. About one in ten said they would not arrange a viewing at all without seeing a floor plan first. Time was a recurring theme, with buyers saying they would rather contact the properties that already answer their layout questions.

It is worth keeping this research in perspective. Survey results differ by country, year, and the way a question is asked, and photos remain the single most useful feature for buyers in national surveys. The takeaway is not that a floor plan replaces photography. The takeaway is that a floor plan is one of the most useful additions a seller can make to a listing, and that its absence is noticeable to buyers who are comparing many homes at once.

Why Layout Information Matters in the DC Metro Housing Market

The Washington DC region has an unusually varied mix of housing. A buyer comparing homes across the area may look at a narrow multi-level rowhouse in the city, a high-rise or mid-rise condominium in Arlington or Bethesda, a center-hall Colonial in Northwest DC or Chevy Chase, and a split-level or contemporary home in suburban Maryland or Northern Virginia, all within the same search. Two homes with similar square footage can live very differently depending on how the space is arranged.

That variety is one reason Matt Cheney considers floor plans so useful in this market. A rowhouse may stack its living areas across three or four levels. A condominium may use a long, narrow footprint with windows on one end. A larger single-family home may have additions or renovations that changed the original layout over the decades. Photos of each room do not make these differences obvious, but a floor plan does.

Floor plans are also useful for buyers who are not in the area. Relocation is a common part of the DC market, and out-of-area buyers often narrow a long list of homes before they ever travel to see one. A clear floor plan lets those buyers screen homes remotely and plan a shorter, more focused visit.

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How a Floor Plan Can Benefit Sellers

Most of the conversation about floor plans focuses on buyers, but Matt Cheney points out that sellers have their own reasons to want one. A floor plan can help present the home as a complete, well-documented property. It gives serious buyers the information they need up front, which may encourage showing requests from buyers whose needs match the home.

Floor plans may also reduce mismatched showings. When a buyer can see the layout before visiting, buyers who need a different arrangement may decide to skip the visit, while buyers who like what they see may arrive with more specific questions. For a seller who is living in the home during the sale, fewer showings that were never going to work can be a practical benefit, though the effect depends on the property and the market.

A floor plan can also support the rest of the marketing. It can appear in the MLS listing, on property websites, in printed flyers, and alongside video tours. It gives a listing team one more way to explain the home clearly, which is especially helpful for properties with an unusual layout, multiple levels, an in-law suite, a finished lower level, or several outdoor spaces.

How Floor Plans Have Become More Accessible Through Bright MLS

One reason this advice is easier to follow today is that floor plans are no longer a specialty add-on. In 2023, the software company CubiCasa announced a partnership with Bright MLS, the multiple listing service that serves much of the DC region, to offer its floor plan creation app to Bright subscribers. According to the announcement, Bright MLS has identified visual media, including floor plans, as critical to the success of listings, and the partnership was intended to expand the use of floor plans across its membership.

For sellers, the practical point is that producing a floor plan is a normal part of preparing a listing in this market, not an unusual request. A seller who asks for one is asking for something the local listing system has actively encouraged. Sellers with questions about how a floor plan would be handled for their specific home are welcome to contact Matt Cheney directly.

Floor Plan Accuracy, Square Footage, and Measurement Standards

Sellers should also understand that a floor plan and a square footage figure are related but not identical. Floor plan providers commonly describe their measurements as approximate, and the total square footage shown on a floor plan can differ from the figure in tax records, in a prior listing, or in an appraisal. These differences are common and often come down to the way space is measured and what is counted.

A national measurement method called ANSI Z765-2021 exists to bring consistency to the way residential square footage is calculated. Appraisers are required to use that standard for appraisals with effective dates of April 1, 2022 or later on loans sold to Fannie Mae. Under the standard, finished above-grade space and below-grade space are reported separately, and areas with low ceiling heights may not count toward the main square footage figure. Because MLS listings and tax records often rely on different methods, a seller may see more than one number for the same home.

For that reason, Matt Cheney encourages sellers to ask their listing team how square footage will be stated and what method was used. Sellers can also ask whether the floor plan will include the measurement disclaimer that most providers attach, and whether lower-level or partially finished space will be shown on its own line. Clear, consistent information at the start helps avoid confusion with buyers, appraisers, and lenders later in the process.

What to Look for in a Good Listing Floor Plan

Not every floor plan is equally useful. When reviewing a floor plan before it is published, sellers and their listing team can check for the following:

• Every level of the home is included, with stairs and entrances clearly shown.
• Rooms are labeled in plain language that matches the way the listing describes them.
• Room dimensions are included so buyers can judge furniture placement.
• Lower levels, garages, porches, patios, and decks are shown where they apply.
• The layout matches the photos and the MLS description, including bedroom and bathroom counts.
• The image is large and clear enough to read on a phone, where many buyers first see a listing.
• The measurement disclaimer is present, and the way square footage is stated is understood.

Questions Sellers Can Ask Before the Listing Goes Live

Matt Cheney suggests that sellers bring a short list of questions to the listing presentation. These help confirm that the floor plan is part of the plan from the start, rather than an afterthought:

• Will a floor plan be included in the MLS listing and on the major listing websites?
• Who will create the floor plan, and how will the measurements be taken?
• How will square footage be stated, and does it match tax records or prior listings?
• Will the seller have a chance to review the floor plan for accuracy before it is published?
• Where will the floor plan appear in the listing media, and will it also be used in flyers and video tours?
• If the home has an unusual layout, an addition, or a finished lower level, how will that be shown?

A listing team that has clear answers to these questions is typically one that has thought through how buyers will experience the listing from the first click to the first showing.

Matt Cheney’s Takeaway for Sellers Preparing to List

The advice at the center of this article is simple. Photos catch attention, and floor plans help buyers make sense of what they are seeing. Matt Cheney encourages homeowners in Washington DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland to treat a floor plan as a standard part of a listing and to ask for one before the home is published.

Homeowners who are thinking about selling and want to talk through how their home would be presented can contact Matt Cheney directly at (202) 465-0707 or through mattsold.com/contact. For more on how Matt prepares and presents DC metro listings, visit mattsold.com/selling.

Frequently Asked Questions About Floor Plans in Home Listings

Why does Matt Cheney recommend including a floor plan in every listing?

Matt Cheney explains that buyers tend to spend more time studying a floor plan than looking at photos. A floor plan shows how rooms connect and how each level is arranged, which helps buyers decide whether a home fits their needs and whether it deserves a showing.

Do floor plans replace listing photos?

No. National surveys still rank photos as the most useful listing feature, with floor plans ranking among the more valued features after that. Photos and floor plans work together, with photos creating interest and the floor plan answering layout questions.

Will a floor plan help my home sell faster or for more money?

Results vary by property, price point, condition, timing, and market competition, and no specific result is guaranteed. A floor plan may help buyers understand the home more clearly and may reduce showings that are a poor match, but it is one part of a broader marketing approach.

Is the square footage on a floor plan the same as the square footage in the tax records?

Not necessarily. Floor plan measurements are usually described as approximate, and tax records, prior listings, and appraisals may use different methods. Sellers can ask their listing team how square footage will be stated and which measurement method was used.

Are floor plans used in condominium listings as well as houses?

Yes. Floor plans are useful for condominiums, rowhouses, and single-family homes alike, particularly where the footprint is narrow, the layout spans multiple levels, or buyers are comparing several similar units.

What should a seller ask a listing agent about floor plans?

Sellers can ask whether a floor plan will be included in the MLS listing, who will create it, how measurements will be taken, whether the seller can review it before publication, and where it will appear in the listing media. For a current market analysis and a review of how floor plans and other listing media would be handled for a specific home, contact Matt directly at (202) 465-0707 or click here.

Matt Cheney | Compass Real Estate is committed to the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. All real estate services are provided without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.