Property Reassessment

August 20, 2008

More are no-shows at formal appeals

Reasons may vary: Property owners satisfied with informal reviews or can’t get appraisal.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
Jennifer Learn-Andes on Facebook   |   @TLJenLearnAndes on Twitter

More Luzerne County property owners are no-shows at their formal assessment appeals, as many as 15 percent in recent days, county officials say.

There are two different takes on the reason for this trend.

Andy Shiner, the county assessment appeals board chairman, believes most of these absent property owners were satisfied with the outcome of their informal reviews or realized through appraisals or appraiser consultations that the county’s values were right.

Gerald T. McGuire, a certified general appraiser from Hazleton, has a different theory.

“I will bet that it’s because they weren’t able to get an appraisal,” he said.

“Our office has had to literally turn away hundreds of calls from people seeking appraisals, and that’s the truth,” McGuire said. “I’m working every waking hour on appraisals, and every single active appraiser I know is at their absolute limit of work.”

McGuire said he and other real estate professionals who recently met with county Commissioner Greg Skrepenak agreed on one key request: Give property owners an additional year to prepare for appeals.

However, unless the county finds a loophole in the law, there’s no way to simply freeze everything for another year, county officials say. The law says property owners must receive their new assessed values before July 1 in the year before the values take effect, county officials say. That means values would have to be mailed again next year, opening a new window for everyone to file formal appeals.

No county commissioners are proposing that at this point. Skrepenak is calling for an indefinite delay, with no timetable on when, if ever, values would be implemented.

Commissioners Maryanne Petrilla and Stephen A. Urban are interested in asking the court for a 30-day extension to hear appeals beyond the Oct. 31 deadline. They also want to give the reassessment company until Oct. 31 to correct errors.

McGuire said a 30-day extension may free up more scheduling time to squeeze in some more appeals, but he believes many other property owners who were unable to secure appraisals have already fallen through the cracks.

He said the county is expecting appraisers to perform the equivalent of two or more years of work in a few months.

Coray S. Mitchell, a state-certified residential appraiser who also met with Skrepenak, said he and other professionals believe the reassessment must be done, but they need more time to meet the demand. Waiting until the end of October to announce an extension – short or long – won’t help appraisers who are currently forced to turn down requests for assistance, he said.

“It’s about doing a job for many, many homeowners out there who aren’t getting full representation,” Mitchell said. “I can only do so much work.”

Bob DeRemer, a certified broker appraiser, expressed concerns about the appraisal backlog last month, saying he had to stop accepting new clients.

“I’m usually up until 2 a.m. doing appraisals,” DeRemer said Tuesday.

DeRemer supports efforts to allow more time to make sure property owners have access to appraisals. He stressed he does not support an indefinite delay that could jeopardize the completion of reassessment.

Roughly 17,000 appeals have been scheduled, and county appeals boards have heard or scheduled about 5,800 so far.

The county has started overbooking appeals so board members are not sitting idle during no-show time slots.

Tim Barr of reassessment company 21st Century Appraisals Inc. surveyed a worker who signs in property owners for formal appeals. The worker said the no-show rate has been about 15 percent.

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

Tweet	Follow @TLnews

Send Question or Remark to the Publisher