Property Reassessments Hit Ross, West View: How Did you Fare?

Property reassessment notices, mailed out Wednesday by Allegheny County, are starting to appear now in the mailboxes of Ross Township and West View Borough residents. 

For Mark and Mara Addision, on Towers Terrace off of Perry Highway, the notice brought news that their one-and-a-half story Cape Cod home on an 8,000-square-foot lot was now worth about 20 percent more, about $150,000 compared to the previous value of $125,500. 

"I was not happy," Mark Addison said. "I know I can't sell the house for the amount they're quoting me." 

He said homes on his street sell in for around $80,000. He said he thinks one recent sale that went for much higher may have had an impact on how his house was valued. 

"I personally would love to get that much for it," he said. 

Ross Commissioner Lana Mazur said she took calls all day Thursday from upset homeowners. Houses recently purchased for $70,000, for example, have been reassessed at twice that in Ward 4, she said. 

"They are not right. They are wrong," she said. "How did they come up with these numbers?"

Allegheny Councilman Matt Drozd said he is encouraging everyone to file an appeal. 

"People are getting unbelievable assessments," he said, adding that his experience so far has been with properties based in the city of Pittsburgh.

Of four lots he owns next to each other on the North Side, for example, he said two tripled in value, one quadrupled and another was cut in half. 

"This is one councilman who will continue to fight on behalf of the property owners against these ridiculous assessments," he said. 

Drozd, who lives in Ross Township, said he hadn't seen his reassessment notice for his home residence as of Thursday late afternoon. Neither had Mazur. 

But both said they are concerned about the disparities they expect to see across the northern suburbs.

They have scheduled an informational training session on how to appeal the assessments from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 18 at the Ross Township Municipal Center. The session is open to Ross and West View residents. 

In the meantime, homeowners who don't agree with their reassessments can file for an informal review. The deadline for filing for an informal review is March 16. Note that the county's website, as of 4 p.m. Thursday, incorrectly states the deadline date. 

Informal reviews are more causal than a formal appeal, and give you a chance to review information about your property one-on-one with someone from the county, said Amie Downs, the communication director for Allegheny County. 

Depending on the information you provide (showing that the inside of the property is markedly different from the image from the curb, for example), there is a chance that you may resolve your concerns quickly. 

"The informal review allows you to focus just on your property," Downs said. 

The deadline for filing a formal appeal is April 2.

Addison said he wasn't sure yet if he was going to appeal his reassessment. 

He said he did that once before, after the last reassessment and was denied his appeal.

"It was an incredibly irritating process," he said. 

Quick FAQs: 

If you haven't gotten your assessment yet, you can access the information online immediately by clicking here to search for a specific address.

This year's county, township and school district real estate taxes will be based on the 2012 assessed value. The court-ordered assessed values will not be used to calculate tax bills until 2013.

For frequently asked questions about the court-ordered reassessment, click here.

If you do not agree with the assessment amount, you can file for an informal review by calling 412-350-4600 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday or go online to the Informal Reviews website. 

For filing the formal appeal, you may obtain the 2013 Court-Ordered Reassessment Value Formal Appeal Form by downloading it or by calling 412-350-4600.

How did the reassessment turn out for you? Do you think it is fair? Tell us in the comments.