Allegheny County is getting ready for assessment appeal hearings. The
County has put together an information page called
Tips for 2009
Assessment Appeal Hearings
These tips include such things as arrival and what to
bring, how to get in-depth property data on your house (there may be
errors which could affect your assessment value), what type of evidence is
needed to prove a 2002 value and what to do if you can't attend a
scheduled hearing.
If you decide to have an appraisal performed, an
appraiser can create a (RETROSPECTIVE) appraisal for the year 2002.
Tax appeal hearings for the present tax year have
already started. Remember to contact your appraiser prior to
receiving your hearing notice to give both you and the appraiser ample time to have all documentation ready and
available for your scheduled hearing time and date.
AS always, we here at Bostedo Appraisal Services would be pleased to perform a Certified Appraisal on your property. Simply click on the
ORDER APPRAISAL link or call us with the information available under the
CONTACT US link.
UPDATE: Base Year Methodology
Under Pennsylvania state law the last county-wide
reassessment is the base year. In October 2005, Chief Executive Dan
Onorato and County Council passed legislation implementing a base year
system. Allegheny County’s last county-wide reassessment was 2002. All
values represent the estimated base year market value of the property as
of January 1, 2002, unless otherwise updated due to permits, appeals,
corrections, flood loss or catastrophic loss. Base year methodology allows
similar homes to have similar assessments until the next county-wide
reassessment.
For up to date information see above.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY 2001 REVALUATION PROGRAM
How Is Property Valued?
ALLEGHENY COUNTY REVALUATION PROGRAM
Allegheny County has completed a major project to revalue close to 580,000 properties
in the Southwestern portion of Pennsylvania. In 1997 a Common Pleas Court ruling
determined that current assessments were not uniform and therefore inequitable. The
countywide revaluation program required that all Allegheny County properties be assessed
at their fair market value.
WHO CONDUCTED THE PROGRAM?
In 1998, the Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment, Appeals and Review hired
Sabre Systems and Service, a division of Manatron, Inc., to perform the countywide
reassessment. Sabre Systems is one of the nation's largest mass appraisal firms and has
appraised more than 11 million parcels in 15 states to date. The company permanently
employs a team of professional appraisers, skilled technicians, and experienced project
managers. In addition, the company hired and trained over 200 local employees, including
many Allegheny County residents, to conduct the revaluation.
DATA COLLECTION
Before properties could be assessed, basic property information was collected on each
parcel. A pre-assessment form was mailed to every homeowner to ascertain additional
information on each property along with data collectors, hired and trained to visit each
property in Allegheny County.
MARKET VALUE
Definition Of Market Value: The most probable price which a property
should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair
sale, the buyer and seller, each acting prudently, knowledgeably and assuming the price is
not affected by undue stimulus. Implicit in this definition is the consummation of a sale
as of a specified date and the passing of title from seller to buyer under conditions
whereby: (1) buyer and seller are typically motivated; (2) both parties are well informed
or well advised, and each acting in what he considers his own best interest; (3) a
reasonable time is allowed for exposure in the open market; (4) payment is made in terms
of cash in U.S. dollars or in terms of financial arrangements comparable thereto; (5) the
price represents the normal consideration for the property sold unaffected by special or
creative financing or sales concessions granted by anyone associated with the sale. (FNMA
1004B 6-93)
Generally, Buyers and sellers create the market and determine what the market value of
properties are in any given neighborhood. The appraiser, in turn, studies the market and
collects information about properties to make a fair estimation of value using the closest
and most similar recent sales that are available. The assessor should follow the same
guidelines as the appraiser to ascertain a fair market value for any property being
assessed.
Market value can change for many reasons. The most obvious is that the property itself
changes: a new room is added to the existing house or maybe a new detached garage is
built.
The most frequent cause of a change in value is a change in the market conditions. If
an area's major industry closes, property values can decrease. As declining neighborhoods
with good housing are discovered by new homebuyers, prices gradually rise. A shortage of
good housing in a desirable neighborhood can send prices to extremely high levels. In a
recession, larger homes may stay on the market for a long time, but more affordable homes
are in demand, so their prices tend to increase. In a stable neighborhood, with no
extraordinary pressure from the market, inflation may increase property value while
depreciation may decrease those same values.
These are just a few examples of factors that have a direct effort on market value.
Every property, no matter how big or small, is constantly influenced by changing market
conditions.
VALUATION OF PROPERTY
The assessment/appraisal of all Allegheny County properties has been a massive effort
involving a team of skilled technicians and staff appraisers. Using current technology and
computer programs, they analyzed the various factors that affect property values. Such
factors as location, size, age, style, number of bedrooms and baths, garages, and
construction quality affect market value. The appraisers establish values based on this
data, calculate replacement costs less depreciation, and estimate current market values
based on recent sales within each neighborhood. Commercial and industrial appraisers
analyze the potential income and expense to estimate the value of real estate (not the
business) in addition to estimating the replacement cost. All properties are now be
assessed/appraised at fair market value.
HOW YOUR PROPERTY IS APPRAISED
To determine the market value of any property, an appraiser must know what properties
similar to it are selling for, what it would cost to replace it, what rental income it may
generate, and how much it may cost to operate and keep it in repair. Using this
information, the appraiser arrives at a property's market value using up to three
different methods to determine it.
Market Data Approach or Sales
Comparison Approach
Cost Approach
Income Capitalization
Approach
CERTIFIED APPRAISAL REVIEW
The final step in the valuation process requires that appraisers who are designated by
the State of Pennsylvania as Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators (CPE) review each property
value. The CPE's help establish the final appraised values to ensure that they are
consistent with the value of similar properties. Click
Here to find out the Standards Of Professional Conduct for a Certified Pennsylvania
Evaluator (CPE).
PROPERTY OWNER NOTIFICATION
A notice containing the new property value was sent to each property owner between late
August and late November. The notice provided instructions for the owner on how to contact
company personnel to discuss the property value.
INFORMAL REVIEW MEETINGS
After the value notices were mailed, Sabre Systems provided a call-in service for property
owners to schedule appointments to discuss the values with the Sabre staff. During this
time, Sabre Systems established satellite offices at convenient locations throughout
Allegheny County in order to conduct these informal reviews. Any property owner who
believed the new value was not accurate was able to schedule an appointment for an
informal review and discuss the issue with the Sabre staff. Any property owner who is not
satisfied with the results of the informal review, or any other property owner who
believes their assessed market value to be incorrect, may file an appeal with the
Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review after the issuance of the
notice of assessment change in mid-January 2001 and before the June 1, 2001 filing
deadline. The County Board hearings are scheduled to begin shortly after this time.
FINAL RESULT
The final result of the revaluation program is a fair market value on all properties at
the same point in time.
