Homeowners--Check Up On Your Real Estate Assessment

[TrainTrac]

A few weeks ago I was looking at my real estate tax assessment on my city's website. I discovered that they had been assessing my property as a four-bedroom house, when we only have three, and that the square footage was too large.



I called the assessor's office to address this discrepancy and they said they'd check into it. Well, we received a letter from the city assessor's office this week to notify us that the assessment of my home was indeed incorrect. They promised to fix the problem and...



They're sending me a refund of $700 for the last three years!!! (We've been in this house for nine and a half years, but they can only go back three. Too bad they couldn't go back the full nine and a half years!) But at least I get something back. Whoo-hooo!!!



Sooo boys and girls, the moral of this story is this: Check up on your assessments periodically to keep the tax-man on his toes.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Good advice TT; you really should go to your County Tax Assessor every year to see what changes they might have made. Here in GA they keep a "remarks/comments" log for every property. You have the right to see it (and anyone else's too), but this is where they may comments on any mods, alterations, additions, etc. that have taxable consequences. We have the privilege of challenging our evaluation, or declaring a value, during the first 90 days of the year.

 

[Keith McElroy]

Ok, I admit I went to my county assesors website just now and checked on my property. Everything was cool for mine, but my neighbor two doors down is missing his homeowners exemption and is paying over $1K a year more than me because of it. Ouch! I would tell him, but they are Jehovah Witnesses and don't socialize with anyone in the neighborhood.

 

[Fer Echegaray]

Last time they had the assestment done (when we bought) the property tax went from $2500 for the previous owner to $4,999 a year for us.

 

[TrainTrac]

eledhel,



Your neighbor's religous beliefs shouldn't matter. The right thing to do would be to let them know about this discrepancy. Maybe you informing him of this would be just the the thing needed to start getting to know them.

 

[Bill V]

TrainTrac, I agree that they're religious affiliation shouldn't matter.



However, eledhel may still want to be cautious about breaching this subject with them. I know many "keep to themselves" types, who would likely react rather negatively to someone pointing this out to them. Rather than seeing it as someone trying to save them some money, they'd view it as a case of someone snooping into their lives. They view their privacy on such matters as being worth more than the $1k/year that they could save.



So use your own discretion.

 

[Keith McElroy]

Trust me, religious affiliation has nothing to do with it to me, but THEY do not socialize with the neighborhood because of it. You could consider them religious bigots for not wanting to meet with the neighbors because we have a close-nit neighborhood and I have personally spoke with everyone, except them. Bill hit it on the head - If I told them that they were spending the $1K, I would probably get a threatening letter from their lawyer or something like that.



You really have to live near them to really appreciate how far they will go not to talk to you.



Geez Traintrac, I'm glad I also didn't mention they were African-American, otherwise I would have got the race card thrown at me too.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Eledhel, we have similar neighbors...I started a thread on here lamenting that I might have a "Terror Cell" in my neighborhood when I heard rumored they were Muslim.



They claim to be self-employed realtors, live in a $430K house, have a bazillion kids...but NEVER talk to anyone, return a wave or a kind word of hello. A lot of things just don't jive with them and the claims/statements they make to people. They seem to value their privacy so I give it to them.



Meanwhile, I am known as the guy on our street that gets to know people and help people, but I just can't seem to warm up to them.



You can't pick your neighbors (they moved into a new house built 6 years after we moved in). Everyone else on the street makes you feel like you are in "Hometown USA".



TJR

 

[TomT]

Whomever they are just put them down as ignorant home owners and let it go. There was actually a guy a couple of years ago in my neighborhood that went to the county and complained they assessed him to low. He was worried if he sold the house the low assessment would hurt him. What a dumb-ass. Some people just should not be homeowners just like some people should not be driving.



PS: If they were Jehovah Witnesses, I would stay away from them to. Those people are nuts.

 

[TrainTrac]

Eledhel said:

I would tell him, but they are Jehovah Witnesses and don't socialize with anyone in the neighborhood.

I said:

eledhel,



Your neighbor's religous beliefs shouldn't matter. The right thing to do would be to let them know about this discrepancy. Maybe you informing him of this would be just the the thing needed to start getting to know them.

Then Eledhel said:

Geez Traintrac, I'm glad I also didn't mention they were African-American, otherwise I would have got the race card thrown at me too.

You were the one who pointed out their religious affiliation, not me. In no way whatsoever did I state, or even seek to imply that you were a religious (or anyo other type for that matter) bigot. I could care less what religion they were. I don't know a lot about Jehovah's Witnesses, I was thinking that maybe they just needed someone to take that first step of showing kindness to them to get them to open up and know the rest of their neighbors.



We've had a similar situation here on our street. Lots of folks on my street have had hardly any social interaction with each other, little more than waving as they drive by. This winter, my wife decided to have an open house at Christmas time for everyone on our street. Many folks ended up coming, most of whom we'd never met face to face. Heck, there was even one couple that has lived here for nine years, just like us, and we'd never met them before! While getting to know them, we discovered a similiar interest, RV'ing,and are planning on going camping together this summer. Everyone who came to our open house thought it was a great idea, and now folks are planning other get togethers, like a block party for this spring or summer. And y'know what? Of all the people who came to the open house, I never knew, nor cared what religion they were.



If you were being sarcastic with the "race-card" remark, then please clarify that. Sarcasm is sometimes hard to get across on a forum such as this. Making those kinds of remarks, even in jest, aren't usually taken lightly. Otherwise, as President Bush said, "You can call me anything you want, but don't ever call me a racist."



As far as the whole privacy thing goes, it wasn't Privacy Act information to which Eledhel was referring. It was public information, accessible to anyone with internet access, so I doubt anyone could take any kind of legal action.

 

[Keith McElroy]

<Hold on a sec, have to take my flame suit off>



Wow, everything is taken so seriously. Most of what I stated was "tongue-in-cheek", so don't take offense.



<If you took offense to the last, don't take offense to the next>



My ultra-conservative Republican neighbors, who are more catholic than they are American, have conveniently labeled the "unfriendly" neighbors as: "The witnesses that live on the corner". I, on the other hand, am more of a live and let live type of person, and I purposely avoid discussions of race, politics, and religion. Living in the politically correct charged world we do, I probably should have omitted the JW label, but that is what the neighbors call them, so, whatever.



Pssst, Traintrac, the race-card comment was sarcastic, that is why I put the face after it...



Oh well, time to change my handle to: "eledhel, the wrong one", or perhaps, RLOwner. D@mn, that's already taken...

 

[Bill V]

TrainTrac--



Regarding the privacy thing, I agree--there's nothing illegal about it, definitely no legal action could result. However, just because it's not illegal, doesn't mean that some people aren't going to care for anyone looking up information about them that isn't "common knowledge". I mean, regardless of what you think of your neighbors, how would you feel if one day you found out that they were doing criminal background checks on you, credit checks on you, reviews of the records on your home, reviews of your tax records, reviews on your employer, etc.? (I'm not sure what all of this is "public record", and what isn't, so feel free to delete from my list those that wouldn't be legally obtainable--my point still applies.)



There's a saying that "strong fences make strong neighbors"--an extension of that idea is that where fences don't exist, respecting the territory as if the fences were actually there also improves neighborly relationships.

 

[TrainTrac]

I grew up in a small town where most folks were friendly to one another, and weren't afraid to talk to each other. I guess you could call me naive, but that's why I wouldn't have viewed such an action as snooping, but just trying to be friendly and looking out for my neighbors. That's what we do in my neighborhood.



But, in the interest of considering the fact that some folks don't think like that, how about this:



Instead of telling said neighbor that you noticed an error with his taxes, how about saying this, "Hey, I found a discrepancy with my real estate assesement, so you might want to check yours and see if it's correct, and notifiy the city assessor if it's not."



The real issue here is the sad fact that people don't even take the time to get to know their neighbors anymore, myself included. Instead, we're looking on the internet for sex offenders in our neighborhoods...

 

[Thomas Rogers]

TT, so what you are suggesting is that eledehel "lie" to his neighbors rather than possibly offend them with what they might otherwise perceive as an invasion of privacy?



I say "lie", because eledehel said his assessment was okay.



Tell the neighbors "I checked mine; you might want to check yours!" and leave it at that.



TJR

 

[TrainTrac]

No, I wasn't suggesting that he lie, I guess I was thinking back to my own situation and the error with my own assessment when I came up with the alternative idea for eledhel.



Man, first I'm (sarcastically) accused of religous bigotry, now I'm suggesting that someone lie to their neighbor???:huh:



Give me a break, people.

 

[Keith McElroy]

I agree, give him a break. Too many things taken out of context.



BTW: I'm not discussing this with my neighbor. Best let sleeping dogs lie. I was just surprised that he didn't automatically have the assesment seeing as it was a new construction.

 

[Johnny O]

We all hang out with each other, at least in the summer when people are out. I live in an older neighborhood, homes were built mostly in the late-30's to late-40's. I have a lot of customers in new developments and no one knows anybody else. On the other hand, my sister lives in a newer development outside of Akron, OH where most everyone does know each other. I maintain it's because their place has sidewalks everywhere like old neighborhoods do, which is something most new neighborhoods do not have.

Another upside is that she only lives a few blocks from Summit Racing. When I visit her I also go shopping.

I go to church every week and my wife and I are very involved there. My neighbors all know I'm a nutball anyway. :wacko: Gotta strike a balance. I called one of them last week well after midnight as I arrived home from barhopping to tell them their garage door was open and light was on. Just bein' neighborly.

Life is too short not to have fun. I have a lot of fun.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Sorry, TT and eledhel!



However, I didn't take anything out of context; quite the contrary.



Eledhel said, and I quote:

I went to my county assesors website just now and checked on my property. Everything was cool for mine, but my neighbor two doors down is missing his homeowners exemption and is paying over $1K a year more than me

Later, TT suggested eledehel say the following, and again I quote:

Instead of telling said neighbor that you noticed an error with his taxes, how about saying this, "Hey, I found a discrepancy with my real estate assesement, so you might want to check yours and see if it's correct, and notifiy the city assessor if it's not."

That was the lie I was talking about, and I feel that was the context.



Sure I can and will lighten up. I just wouldn't recommend a "white lie" as a way to gain trusts with a neighbor that is a little on edge. I will now give TT the benefit of the doubt that he wasn't aware he was suggesting a lie; but IF eledehel took the advice, given everything said here, he would be lying.



TJR

 

[TrainTrac]

TJR,



I thought I cleared up the whole implied "white lie" with this response:

No, I wasn't suggesting that he lie, I guess I was thinking back to my own situation and the error with my own assessment when I came up with the alternative idea for eledhel.

 

[Keith McElroy]

Crap, I'm not talking to any of my neighbors now.:blink:



"Curse you AquaScum..." - Finding Nemo