House taxes

[sealie]

I don't know if this ever got resolved but:
Lawyers: Allegheny's 'base-year system' plan to avoid reassessments not going to work | TribLIVE

Chris Briem also wrote a lot about the reassessments, you might be able to find out more by reading his blog, which is called Nullspace. I think at one point there was some talk of reassessing every three years, which Briem gets rather cynical about towards the end of this post:
Nullspace: Sound Collision

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Am I confused, but as a result of the recent court ruling, isn't the reassessment process to be ongoing in Allegheny County? Aren't assessed values supposed to be adjusted, reflective of the sales price upon the sale of a home?

I cannot help but think that, if not, there will soon be another expensive court challenge that Allegheny County is certain to lose again.

You may be right, but I seriously doubt that if a house is assessed at 150K today and it's sold for 165K in a year, the county will adjust it. They are not that organized.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by Copanut

You may be right, but I seriously doubt that if a house is assessed at 150K today and it's sold for 165K in a year, the county will adjust it. They are not that organized.

I think the School District is the one taking the appeals. Each district has their own police as to when to file an appeal. I agree that an appeal on this situation is unlikely. Probably because they assume most buyers get some sort of cash back at closing.

If they paid 250K and it was assessed at 150K then an appeal is more likely.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I think the School District is the one taking the appeals. Each district has their own police as to when to file an appeal. I agree that an appeal on this situation is unlikely. Probably because they assume most buyers get some sort of cash back at closing.

If they paid 250K and it was assessed at 150K then an appeal is more likely.

You are correct, sir! It's usually the school districts that initiate a hearing, because a lawyer came calling looking for a few bucks. It would have to be a big jump in value for them to go to a hearing.

[AustinExPat]

Does anyone have a good sense of whether this is going anywhere?
PA State Rep. Jim Cox - Cox, Argall and Others Unveil Property Tax Independence Act

[sealie]

House bill died, senate bill is still alive. It's got a facebook page. There's a lot of FUD associated with it, combination of turf war, fear that it's just a state takeover by another name, school districts realizing that it means if someone is broke and has no job they won't be paying, but between that and the 500 school districts of PA, somebody needs to do something. Old couples getting forced out of their home because they can't come up with property taxes is just not OK.