Assessments are in the news again. Mt. Lebanon resident and Lebo Citizens reader, Mike Suley offers advice to the newcomers going through the appeals process.
Properties sold in 2013 fetched a price that averaged about 10 percent higher than their 2012 assessed value, according to tentative figures released by the state Tax Equalization Division. Property owners could use that to appeal for a lower assessment.
Gap between property values, sales a homeowner's boon in Allegheny County
“What it says is that properties are appreciating at such a rapid clip that we are almost back to where we started before the reassessment,” said Michael Suley, a real estate consultant and former manager of the Allegheny County Office of Property Assessment. “Every taxpayer should use that argument in the appeals process.”Another fine mess to add to the Commission's legacy.