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I don't mind them. Higher fees but more difficult. I do well if they ever go to court but they usually settle, typically because I've put together a solid report and lawyers are expensive. Tax tribunal typically falls into three categories, weird like the digester I just did, severely depreciated where there is a highest and best use question or overimproved where cost is higher than value.
Mass Appraisal. I typically work well with the assessors. Most of my work is for local municipalities but there are a handful of assessors who think the mass appraisal methodology is the be all and end all. I had one recently where they assessed it for twice what it sold for and was being listed for after being on the market for a reasonable marketing period. The assessment was what was causing the sale to fall through. The typical line of "we don't chase sales". Sure, but can you look at how educated buyers and sellers are responding along with these five sales? She basically said she could outspend us in court. I made it through an entire tribunal once without one other commercial appraiser showing up or putting in work, just valuation specialists, realtors, lawyers and a judge. A lot of appraisers don't go into because of the cluster that it is.
I understand the system (cluster that it is) pretty well and work well enough with the employees in the Assessors office, they're basically decent people but they know only what the formula and the books tell them. They are generally amenable to a revision if confronted with a well supported report.
