Tax assessment

Having grown-up puppies is expensive.  They need to be fed, vetted, walked, clothed (if you  happen to own a thin-coated dog), and oh yes, housed!  So what a sad surprise it was for me to receive my 2011 town tax assessment, which happily informed me that the market value of my house is $xxx,xxx.  Yes, $xxx,xxx!  Really?  Because the last time I checked, my house sat on the market for nearly 6 months before I purchased it, at well below $xxx,xxx!  In fact, if the tax assessor were to knock on my door and offer me their "market value", I'd happily pack up a few items, and be on my merry way.  Even if we were to meet in the middle of their xxx,xxx and my purchase price, I'd walk away a very happy camper.

So what did Singer and I do?  (Mostly me, since Singer's not so good with typing.)  We fought the man!  I took information from the assessor's own website and compiled a spreadsheet of comparable dwellings in my neighborhood.  I provided information including number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, dwelling type, and additional structures.  And lo and behold, the market value of comparable homes started to look a lot more like my home!  

I requested an informal appeal hearing and brought my data.  Guess what?  I was told that my "neighborhood" wasn't the neighborhood that I had taken comps from.  Apparently, the street that begins a mere 60 feet from my property line isn't my neighborhood at all.  What is my neighborhood?  Oh, that private lane 5 blocks away with the houses set so far back you can't tell if it's an empty lot or a mega mansion.  Undeterred by my appeal officer's assessment, I plowed ahead with my data, and letting her know how dissimilar those 'neighborhoods' really were.  And then I left.  And waited, and waited, and waited.

Over a month later, I finally received my appeals decision.  My "market value" had been reduced to within $11k of my purchase price.  Victory!  However, this still means that my tax bill will be about $400 a year higher than it could be, if the assigned market value were truly accurate.  $400 buys a lot of dog walks and treats.  It will also help to launch Singer's Kitchen!  

But do I keep challenging?