News

July 7, 2008

$607K value based on several mistakes, woman says

Harveys Lake home does not have waterfront access and the lot is not level, she says.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Harveys Lake resident Michelle Boice accepted the idea her property taxes would increase with reassessment, but nothing prepared her for the new $607,000 assessed value that arrived in the mail on Thursday.

“I am a licensed Realtor, and I’ll tell you something, my property is not worth half of that,” she said. “If I lived on Lakeside Drive and had lake access, maybe, but I don’t.”

Luzerne County’s reassessment company, 21st Century Appraisals Inc., based the value on several mistakes, she said.

The company’s property description says she has five fireplaces, waterfront access and a level lot.

Boice said she has one fireplace, no waterfront access and a sloped property – details she personally stressed to the data collector who visited her home.

“I’m ticked. I’m real ticked,” said Boice, who is married to borough Mayor Richard Boice.

Boice said she would sell the property on the spot if someone offered $500,000 – let alone $607,000 -- for the three-bedroom Cape Cod, which sits on a 0.59-acre plot.

“I have a very modest house. I have one bathroom, Formica counters and vinyl flooring,” she said.

Boice didn’t waste time logging onto 21st Century’s database to research other properties in the neighborhood.

The adjoining property owner received a new value $100,000 higher than hers, even though that property has 7 acres, hundreds of feet of lake frontage, a boat house, dock and three-bedroom home, she said.

The property owner on her other side has no waterfront access and a 0.28-acre plot, but that land was valued at $28,600, compared to her land value of $306,000, she said.

With the new value, Boice’s taxes will increase more than $5,000, she said.

The property’s current assessed value is $2,620, which equates to a market value of $52,400.

A lifelong borough resident, Boice said she has no problem with a fair increase in assessed value. She’s concerned that “gorgeous mansions” have jacked up the values of the average, older homes, jeopardizing the mix of people who live at the lake.

“The working man and average person is not going to be able to afford to live here. Harveys Lake will be for the elite – the millionaires,” she said.

Tim Barr, of 21st Century Appraisals, said the company was conscious of the varied type of properties in the borough.

21st Century divided the borough into 13 neighborhoods, or sections, because some areas draw higher sales than others, he said.

“The real estate market is widely varied at Harveys Lake,” Barr said. “We wanted to give it lots of attention.”

Barr said fireplaces have little effect on value, though the company wants to make sure the correct number is noted.

“Fireplaces can influence someone’s impression of a property, but it is not one of the top variables,” he said.

Barr said lakefront access sways value, and urged Boice to point out that error at an informal review.

“If a taxpayer identifies on the Web an obvious, significant discrepancy, then they don’t need to be concerned about the final value until they know the result of the informal review,” he said.

Boice said she’s already scheduled an informal review, but said she has “no faith” in the reassessment process.

“I think it was done haphazardly with no rhyme or reason. I expected mine to go up, and I was willing to accept it, but this is ridiculous.”

Formal appeal reminder

Tim Barr, of the reassessment company 21st Century Appraisals Inc., advised property owners to not miss the formal appeal filing deadline printed on their notices.

For example, July 2 is the deadline to file appeals for property owners who received their values in the first batch of mailings.

If property owners have informal reviews after this deadline, they must still submit the appeal form before the deadline to preserve their right to a formal appeal or possible court appeal. If property owners are satisfied with the results of the informal reviews, they may withdraw their formal appeal requests on the spot. The $5 filing fee is not refundable.

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

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