Urban checks out $60K garage gripe

Luzerne County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban has started checking out complaints about the new assessed values, including one about a typical residential garage that the reassessment company valued at $60,696.

Urban looked at the Wilkes-Barre Township garage on Thursday and said it’s obvious the new value is “grossly” high.

Incorrect measurements may have led to the ballooned value. The reassessment company, 21st Century Appraisals Inc., indicates in its online records that the vinyl-sided garage is 24-by-281 feet.

The owners, Joseph and Susan Oravec, say the garage measures about 24-by-25 feet.

Their new overall assessed value is $210,500, which includes $107,051 for their one-story ranch and $42,500 for their 0.87 acre.

Their property was previously valued at about $92,200. The increase will boost their property taxes from $1,900 to $4,400, Urban said.

Another taxpayer highlighted in a letter to county commissioners that a Plymouth home was valued at $48,000, even though the property owner bought it for $85,000 in 1998.

Urban said he reviewed the deed and verified the sales amount. He forwarded the information to 21st Century representative Tim Barr to review.

Urban said he will research any concerns, even from people who are nasty. He is reviewing one questionable Harveys Lake value from a property owner who wrote that he should “go rot in hell.”

“I’m just trying to be rational with this. I’m trying to not cause alarm, but I’m looking at this from the standpoint that it’s supposed to be fair and equitable,” said Urban.

Urban, who had voted to conduct the countywide reassessment, said he’s also receiving calls and feedback from property owners who are satisfied with their new values, including some who will have to pay higher taxes.

He does not support postponing the reassessment at this time but said all values must be accurate and correct.

“It’s good that the notices are out, and I hope everybody pays attention to them and makes sure the data on them is correct,” he said.

Barr, of the reassessment company, has said all tips about possible missed items or questionable values will be investigated. He advises property owners to stay calm if they see blatant errors because they will be corrected.

If the company determines that a specific property or neighborhood merits an adjustment, up or down, new assessed values will be issued with new appeal deadlines.

Barr has also cautioned that the purchase price of a home doesn’t drive the value when the property owner paid an abnormally high or low amount, though it’s not clear that that’s the case with the Plymouth property.

Nine top factors used to value homes

Luzerne County’s reassessment company says nine factors have the most influence on the new assessed values. Residential property owners may find information about the nine factors for their properties by viewing their property descriptions at www.courthouseonline.com.

1. Exterior finish: Stone, brick and log are considered the most valuable, followed, in descending order, by stucco, vinyl siding and everything else.

2. Square footage: Living space as measured from the outside of the structure.

3. Number of stories: Structures fall into one of five categories: one-story, bi-level, split-level, 1 1/2-story, and two stories or more.

4. Dwelling type: The range of classifications include detached (a free-standing single home), duplex, row home, townhome, multi-family apartments, double-wide mobile and single-wide mobile.

5. Effective age: Refers to the year the home was built or extensively remodeled. Properties are lumped into one of five categories: 1 (1953 and older), 2 (1954 to 1964), 3 (1965 to 1974), 4 (1975 to 1990) and 5 (1991 to the present).

6. Property type: The most common is "R," or a residential property under 10 acres. More than half of the county’s parcels fall into this category. Other categories include: T, mobile home without land; L, vacant lot; V, vacant land; C, commercial; and I, industrial.

7. Acreage: The property size as stated on recorded deeds. Properties are being lumped into 13 categories, ranging from slivers of 1,000 square feet and less to parcels 120 acres and more.

8. Condition: The appearance of a home. The rankings are: unsound, very poor, poor, fair, average, good, very good and excellent.

9. Quality: This is different from condition and has more to do with the design and construction of a home. The rankings are: A+, exceptional; A, superior; B+, enhanced; B, improved; C+, nice; C, average; D+, acceptable; D, needs improvement; and D-, disrepair.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.