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By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Marge Sims may be able to afford to remain on her Harveys Lake property because the reassessment company says her new assessed value should go down “significantly” as a result of her formal assessment appeal.

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Sims recently said she would be forced to sell if she didn’t receive a substantial assessment reduction because she and her husband, Stanley, live on $11,000 in Social Security disability. Sims, who has owned the home since 1981, said she was unsure how she’d make out at her formal appeal because she has no computer for research, has difficulty walking and could not afford a certified appraisal.

Licensed appraiser Louis Pugh read about her situation and prepared a free appraisal. He also attended her appeal hearing earlier this week.

“I just felt sorry for these people. This is my fifth pro bono appraisal,” said Pugh.

Luzerne County’s reassessment company, 21st Century Appraisals Inc., valued the 1.5-story home and 0.11-acre lot on Lakeside Drive at $305,200, which would increase the taxes from $1,300 to an estimated $3,261.

Pugh determined the house and land should be valued at $72,000.

He said 21st Century valued the property as if it included ownership or rights to use the sliver of shoreline land across the street, but the Sims have no shoreline land or claim to use any. Pugh also presented interior photos showing the poor condition of the house and a letter from the borough indicating that a replacement home couldn’t be built on the property because the lot is nonconforming, or too small for the borough’s current building standards.

21st Century representatives say homes along Lakeside Drive were valued as if they retained rights to access the lake because the county didn’t have the money or means to research all deeds to determine which properties have lake access rights.

The company did this because there were several examples of Lakeside Drive properties that sold off shoreline strips but then retained deeded rights to continue using the land to access the lake, 21st Century representatives say.

“We could have gone into the courthouse and researched deeds, but the cost to the county would’ve been prohibitive,” said Harry Brownfield, a certified Pennsylvania evaluator for 21st Century.

Brownfield, who sat in on the Sims’ appeal, said appeals board members were in favor of reducing the value because of the evidence presented by Pugh.

Appeals boards are not releasing their decisions until around Oct. 31, but Brownfield and 21st Century representative Tim Barr said they expect a large reduction.

Sims could not be reached for comment Thursday.