Discovery of a dbl wd on a basement

[Tim The Enchanter]

I visited the property and quickly established that the home was in fact, a manufactured home on a basement- with bilco door, a spiral steps to lower level, id tags, the rail structures, and even axle cut offs still evident from basement. Sadly, I lowered the tax assessment, and now the homeowner is upset

Par for the course, them being upset and all. You did your job, no sadness needed. Maybe just a little thicker skin. You need that in this biz.

 

[hellofromfred]

I am a tax assessor, and was asked if our data was correct regarding a stick built home on a basement- by a bank's appraiser. I visited the property and quickly established that the home was in fact, a manufactured home on a basement- with bilco door, a spiral steps to lower level, id tags, the rail structures, and even axle cut offs still evident from basement. Sadly, I lowered the tax assessment, and now the homeowner is upset because the value is diminished and loan apps are not good. We may be doing our jobs- but when we find things that affect value, we can cause a lot of hurt. Very upsetting to me.

A doctor shouldn't feel sorry to tell a patient the true test result. You are not the cause of the fact. You are only the messenger. Our jobs do not include telling "white lies" for people.

 

[Renee Healion]

I am a tax assessor>>>Sadly, I lowered the tax assessment, and now the homeowner is upset because the value is diminished and loan apps are not good. We may be doing our jobs- but when we find things that affect value, we can cause a lot of hurt. Very upsetting to me.

You give yourself entirely too much credit. Assessors do not create value, raise it or lower it. Like fee appraisers, they develop opinions of market value (since that is the basis for their assessment figures). You did not lower value, or affect value, you corrected the assessment which was in error. The market caused whatever hurt and sadness you are reporting, just as it caused joy and pride and refi money for granite countertops.

I am disturbed that an assessor worries about the property owner's "loan apps". If correcting a mistake upsets you, are you not at least as upset that the taxpayer was over-assessed for some time? Appraisers and assessors are both obligated under USPAP to be independent and impartial. But one of us is charged with spreading the burden fairly.

The "bank appraiser" who inspected a property for his client then took that information to you is no prize.