| Author |
Message |
    
Jem
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 10:50 am: |     |
For the record, I feel that my house is assessed at market value. When we got our assessment, and that was months ago, we looked at it and felt it was accurate, since similar houses in our neighborhood had sold at about that value. We've gotten our property card, it looks accurate, and we still feel the assessment is correct. |
Overtaxdalready
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 10:57 am: | |
For the record, my assessment was way off the mark. The property card contained an incorrect sketch of the measurements of my house, resulting in a significant overstatement of square footage. The first assessment we received from Certified was absurd; the revision for "land value" brought it down some, but still contained the problem noted above. |
Yvette
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:10 am: | |
For the record, I am pleased with my assessment, even though it was $26,000 more than what I paid for it. And there was nothing incorrect about my property card. |
Dytunck
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:18 am: | |
For the record, I am not pleased with my assessment or the job CVI did. |
Yvette
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:22 am: | |
2 satisifed 2 not satisfied
whose next? |
Joancrystal
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:32 am: | |
Townie:
When I met with Certified's representative, he agreed that my property had been overassessed and he was the one who inspected the property in the first place. There were errors in room count (I really wish we had that second bathroom on the second floor), size of the "basement", a mysterious three-foot wall separating the house and garage that was actually a kitchen closet, plaster board walls that Certified claimed were plaster, etc. The Certified representative kept saying that he wished he could remember the property. He said that a lot. When he encouraged me to file an appeal with the Township as soon as Certified's revaluation came through, I was less than reassured. Shouldn't Certified have made the adjustments to my assessment that they believed were appropriate? What weren't they telling me? Based on emprical evidence, I don't believe that my house was assessed at Fair Market Value.
I have spoken with others throughout Town who have had similar experiences. This hasn't contributed to the credability factor.
I have looked at recent sales figures. Four houses within eyeshot of my house have sold recently. Figures for three were included in the database of recent sales figures made available at Town Hall and the libraries. The assessment of my property doesn't seem consistent with those figures. Certified's representative told me they were inconsistent! I have requested a review.
The Town seems divided into two groups: those who want someone to revisit their property and/or assessment to get their revaluation adjusted and those who don't want an assessor anywhere near their home because they are convinced that the assessors missed something that if noted would add to the assessment placed on their homes. A few exceptions to this rule, like you, may think that Certified got it just right but you seem to be in the minority.
We wouldn't have reached over three thousand posts in the reval section of the message board if this were a settled issue. Nor, would you see the number of different people posting so many different viewpoints or the time of most recent prior post being in mere minutes if this weren't still a very live issue.
There are still a few weeks until the Township completes the revaluation process. I hope they are spent wisely. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:33 am: | |
i'll break the tie. I hate my tax amount, but I think the assessment is accurate. |
Nakaille
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:40 am: | |
I think my assessment was somewhat high (NOT at all outrageous) but I couldn't find a concrete problem on my property card on which to base an appeal. (And I did run home at lunchtime yesterday when someone posted info about calculations of land value.) Overall I feel satisfied with both the reval and the TC's response to the problems associated with it.
Bacata |
Willfalaise1
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 11:43 am: | |
Regarding the Local Budget Review questions, add another "no" vote. I read the recommendations made for other towns, and don't want to see those kind of cuts made here. I also have a problem with Trenton giving us a lousy tax structure to work with and then turning around and blaming towns when their residents are facing high property taxes.
And if you want to start tallying votes of people who are satisfied with their current assessment...count me too. As of the last TC meeting only about 300 people had submitted written requests for review in this last round of reviews. Out of more than 6800 homes in town. Certainly this number has gone up now that the due date has come and gone, but even if it's doubled or quadrupled it's hardly every home in town. |
Melidere
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 12:08 pm: | |
i thought mine was high till i started looking at the sales data.
now i think it is about right for october 1, 2000.
and incidentally...i've never bothered to correct anyone since i've been generally arguing *for* this reval for the good of the town...but my taxes are going up about 15% |
Davel
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 12:55 pm: | |
Where is the harm in having Trenton do a "Local Budget Review" of both the town and the school district? The Town(s) can pick and choose what they want to implement. While I agree with Melidere that many of the recs made for the W. Orange School District were not municipal employee friendly, other suggestions might lead to real savings without inflicting pain. So why not move forward with a review? |
Mwood
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:08 pm: | |
When things are tight in your family budget what do you do? Do you say well I'll try to cut back here and there or do you just ignore it and go into debt?
What is the harm in seeing what can be cut back? Frankly we are a little spoiled in this town - why don't we have to bag leaves?
Why is summer day camp so cheap?
Does the rec dept break even?
The days of firefighters and police officers getting these ridiculous benefits should come to an end. I'm all for paying people what they are worth but there is a limit.
p.s. for the record here's a vote that our assessment is fair but our taxes are just too damn high |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:14 pm: | |
Mwood, what are the benefits the firefighters and the police get, and which are you considering ridiculous? |
Melidere
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:14 pm: | |
i don't know how state funds are allocated...but does letting them in give them access to data and information that they can point to for the purpose of LOWERING the amount of state aid we get?
like...bag your own leaves or suffer the consequences?
i don't know. |
Mwood
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:22 pm: | |
njj see Mtierney's post above |
Octofoil
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:25 pm: | |
Townie: "...people who don't know Maplewood..have no accountability..." Isn't that an advantage, not a disadvantage in this case? The LGBR folks don't know a soul in M'wood, have no preconcieved notions, no inclininations toward one side of town or the other, and no vested interests in the outcome of their work. Their only accountability is to the quality of their work. Sounds like an independent voice. My initial skepticisim has given way to "why not?"
Everyone else: This thread is supposed to be about the LGBR Yes or No? question, but I suppose it is invevitable that contributions concerning the reval get in here as well. The reval is just all pervasive!
So, just to up the count of voices heard from: I am not happy with my assessment and did appeal. I would love to think that our home is worth the price put on it by CV/Galante and (dare I say it?), I would love to pay the taxes on it were that true! Unfortunately, CV/Galante missed or didn't take into consideration several important factors that should have been obvious to anyone that holds themselves out as professional appraisers.
Now, to reiterate, I'm not arguing the legitimacy of the reval at all; along with my desire for more accuracy, I only wish it had been done on more periodic basis so that we wouldn't be playing twently years of catch-up all at one time. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:32 pm: | |
Mwood, if you're referring to Mtierney's comment: "In the real world, not many folks can look at 14 paid holidays, 3 weeks vacation, 4:30 p.m. closings, fully paid health, precriptions, and amazing retirements inducements." I don't see ANYTHING out-of-line, especially since these men and women put their lives on the line for us everyday. What do you see? |
Octofoil
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:33 pm: | |
Melidere,
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the information that they would be looking at is all a matter of public record, as is almost all of any municipalities finances, contracts, books and records. |
Townie
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:36 pm: | |
Octofoil,
You could have made all the same arguments for hiring an outside firm to do the reval. And unlike Certified, you can't even hold money over the head of the LGBR. Why do you trust people in government so much? They are rarely independent. |
Njjoseph
| | Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 1:42 pm: | |
Octofoil, if you think an outside review of our books by someone who doesn't know Maplewood is an advantage, then you certainly must agree that a review of market values by a firm that doesn't know Maplewood is also an advantage. |
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