Okay, maybe I'm being a dork here, but I never considered a basement an actual "story."

I have seen ranch style or 1 story homes with the basement below grade, and the realtor lists it as a two story.

Sometimes the basement is finished, sometimes it is not. Regardless...I thought "story" was reserved for ABOVE GROUND...

I guess a raised ranch is a bit different and stretches the boundaries a little, since the basement is above the ground.

Is a ranch with a basement a two story home????

I am just amazed at the stuff I see on the MLS - ranches are called chalets, capes are called chalets, ranches are now two story...a new construction colonial home is listed as a Victorian farm house. Doesn't anyone care about accuracy anymore? Or am I stupid?

I would not consider a ranch with a basement a two story home. I agree that the terminology used by many is confusing or plain wrong.

Some houses defy description. I live in a ranch house that is above finished space in the basement. Is it therefore a raised ranch? Or a ranch that is raised? I did a BPO on a home a couple weeks ago that could have been described as a raised ranch...or a contemporary...or possibly even a cape, as it had a small amount of finished space on a second floor. Is there such a thing as a contemporary ranch? Some raised ranches could also be described as split-level.

I see many instances of realtors not knowing the difference between a cape and a bungalow. So when I do searches for properties, I always check all the possible interpretations of building styles. If I'm looking for capes or bungalows, I also check 2-stories.

If ANY part of a basement or lower level is below grade, it is appraised for less $'s than above grade sqft. A 2 story has 2 stories fully above grade and will have a higher value compared to any part that is below grade.

IMHO, a raised ranch is one where the basement is completely above grade, not below grade. i.e, a walkout basement.

There is also a difference between two stories and 1.5 stories.

Most people don't realize that a bungalow is an actual style of house, not just a generic name for a humble abode (I see most small ranch homes listed as bungalows...and that just ain't so.)

This is due to the fact that many realtors (dare I say most?) don't bother to educate themselves on the styles. Yes, there are some styles that are difficult - is it colonial? federal? some sort of revival? Queen Anne or Victorian? LOL. Somewhere along the line though we have let ALL the lines blur and now it's a mish mosh of whatever the agent feels like putting in.

Then I have buyers who ask me for chalets...when what they are wanting is a cape. They themselves don't know the difference between a cape and a chalet.

Oy.

My brother lives in what he calls a tri-level. I call it a 2 level with a partially finished basement. Don't really no (or care) what the county calls it. Then again though he thinks that paying a plumer to snake out his lines and adds 5000 dollars to the resale value because was a major expense? At most it only cost him him less than 200 dollars and where I come from thats general maintance, not an upgrade. He's not in my market and he says I don't understand Real Estate as his agent does, so I shake my head and say OK.

Where I am, a basement is below grade, at least partially, even when there is a walkout (some agents also call it a "lower level" thinking that it sounds better than a basement, like a split or bi-level).
The same goes for a raised rancher. Below is a link to some listings with pictures that are raised ranchers where I am. Maybe yours are called something else?

http://tinyurl.com/39hhkr

Many of the homes in my area have pretty nice "basements" if we would go by the below grade description (which we don't)
http://www.lakeozarksmls.com/loo/maildoc/a000cN1492.html

One of my C.E. classes was on property styles. Talking with others that took the class it was obvious that it generated more confusion then clarity. An early on statement in the presentation told us that Victorian was a time period, not a style; yet it is one of the more commonly used descriptions in this area. The issue of a walkout basement I often see on properties where it is a Bilco door access to the cellar, though I personally reserve that description for walking out at grade level. I had a BPO rejected in QC a couple years ago as being the "wrong house"; my picture was single level above grade from the front; they had compared it to an appraiser's picture of the back where it appeared to be a two story. The walk out basement door was flanked with windows, etc. Fortunately I had enough pictures from other angles that I was able to show that it was indeed the same house they were looking for. Being built into a side hill the grade level was different on one side than the other. In one of my MLSs it is common to refer to a ranch as a "flat ranch" and a raised ranch as a "high ranch"; local language I assume.

I tend to agree with Perky that when you want a story count it should be above ground though, as in the example above, it could be argued where the grade level starts on a case by case basis.

"I tend to agree with Perky that when you want a story count it should be above ground though, as in the example above, it could be argued where the grade level starts on a case by case basis."

I also agree that it needs to be above grade to count it as a 1st or second floor.
Here are some links that explain what is considered above and below grade:

http://www.clintlongappraisals.com/BasementAppraisal

http://www.propex.com/C_SC_calcsf2.htm


Fannie Mae guidelines

Section 405.06 – Gross Living Area

The most common comparison for one-family properties (including units in PUD, condominium, or cooperative projects) is above-grade gross living area. The appraiser must be consistent when he or she calculates and reports the finished above-grade room count and the square feet of gross living area that is above-grade. For units in condominium or cooperative projects, the appraiser should use interior perimeter unit dimensions to calculate the gross living area. In all other instances, the appraiser should use the exterior building dimensions per floor to calculate the above-grade gross living area of a property. Only finished above-grade areas should be used—garages and basements (including those that are partially above-grade) should not be included. We consider 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.
Therefore, a walk-out basement with finished rooms would not be included in the above-grade room count.
Rooms that are not included in the above-grade room count may add substantially to the value of a property-particularly when the quality of the "finish" is high. For that reason, the appraiser should report the basement or other partially below-grade areas separately and make appropriate adjustments for them on the "basement and finished areas below-grade" line in the "sales comparison analysis" grid. To assure consistency in the sales comparison analysis, the appraiser generally should compare above-grade areas to above-grade areas and below-grade areas to below-grade areas. The appraiser may deviate from this approach if the style of the subject property or any of the comparables does not lend itself to such comparisons. However, in such instances, he or she must explain the reason
for the deviation and clearly describe the comparisons that were made.