Why Price Per Square Foot Will Lie to You (Especially in Conroe & The Woodlands)


By a local appraiser who’s tired of Zillow acting like it knows everything

If you’ve spent any time cruising Zillow, Realtor.com, or arguing with your neighbor over whose house is “worth more,” you’ve probably run into the price-per-square-foot trap.

It sounds simple enough — take the sale price, divide by the square footage, boom: value. Easy math, right?

Yeah… no.
That’s like trying to figure out the value of a truck by dividing the sticker price by the number of cupholders.

In Montgomery County — Conroe, The Woodlands, Montgomery, Willis, Magnolia — price per square foot is one of the quickest ways to misunderstand what your home is actually worth.

So let’s break it down in plain English, Texas-style.

🏡 Why Price Per Square Foot Doesn’t Work (Most of the Time)

1. Smaller homes almost always have a higher $/SF

Think of it like buying brisket.
A whole brisket is cheaper per pound than buying sliced brisket by the quarter-pound at H-E-B.

Homes work the same way:

  • Smaller homes = higher $/SF

  • Larger homes = lower $/SF

So if your neighbor’s 1,450 SF home sold for $210/SF, that does not mean your 2,800 SF home is worth the same number multiplied out.
If it did, every big house in Texas would be worth Buc-ee’s money.

2. Single-story homes typically have a higher $/SF than two-story homes

One-story homes need more foundation, more roof, more concrete, more framing — they’re simply more expensive to build.

So comparing a 2,500 SF one-story in The Woodlands to a 2,500 SF two-story in Conroe using PPSF is just… wrong.

3. Lot size changes everything

A home on a 10,000 SF lot is not equal to a home on a half-acre — even if the interior is identical.

Builders and remodelers love talking about the inside of the home.
Appraisers care about the dirt it’s sitting on, too. Dirt matters.

Zillow seems to forget that part.

4. Condition and upgrades can swing values hard

Two homes can be the same size and still be worlds apart in value:

  • One has original 2003 cabinets

  • The other looks like the Magnolia Network had a baby with a quartz factory

Price per square foot completely ignores that.

5. Location, location, location… but micro-location too

Within the same subdivision, value can shift dramatically:

  • Cul-de-sac vs. busy street

  • Backing a greenbelt vs. backing to power lines

  • Corner lot vs. interior lot

  • Waterfront vs. “I can see the lake if I stand on my truck”

PPSF doesn’t capture any of this.

🔍 So How Do Appraisers Actually Determine Value?

Short version:
We compare your home to the most similar recent sales and make market-supported adjustments.

Longer version (but still human):
We look for homes that match your property in the things that matter most:

  • Size

  • Condition

  • Age

  • Quality

  • Lot size

  • Subdivision

  • Location premiums

  • Upgrades

  • Amenities

Then we adjust for the differences using real market data — not generic price-per-foot math.

This is why two homes with identical square footage can differ in value by $50,000–$100,000.

🤦‍♂️ Why Zillow Gets It Wrong So Often

Zillow is basically guessing using statewide averages.
It doesn’t know:

  • Your roof is new

  • Your neighbor’s AC is on life support

  • One home faces a detention pond

  • Another faces a brick wall

  • Your garage was converted into a man cave with questionable electrical choices

It also doesn’t read MLS private remarks — or your appraiser’s report.

PPSF is part of Zillow’s algorithm, but only one piece… and usually the worst piece.

🧠 When Price Per Square Foot Can Be Helpful

Just to be fair, it’s not completely useless.

PPSF can work only when:

  • You’re comparing homes of similar size

  • In the same subdivision

  • Built around the same time

  • With similar lots

  • With similar upgrades

  • In a market with predictable inventory (like some Woodlands villages)

Even then, it’s more of a rough starting point, not a valuation tool.

📞 If You Want a Real Value, Use a Real Appraiser

Look — your home is probably your biggest asset.
Using price per square foot to estimate value is like diagnosing a medical condition using WebMD:
You’ll probably end up stressed, confused, and wrong.

If you want an accurate, Montgomery-County-specific estimate of what your home is actually worth, you need a proper appraisal or a detailed market analysis based on comparable sales, not square-foot math.

Whether you’re:

  • Buying

  • Selling

  • Refinancing

  • Fighting your property taxes

  • Or just curious

I’ve got you covered.

https://lakeconroeappraisals.com

Location: Conroe, TX, USA

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