Realtors Attend Workshop to Learn About Property Assessment Numbers

Government serving its citizens was never more evident than on Thurs afternoon in the Porter County Administration Building’s Commissioner Chambers where approximately 50 REALTORS® attended an informational workshop designed to unravel the mystery behind how the most recent property assessment numbers “came to be” aka Mass Appraisal. The event was co-sponsored by Porter County Assessor Jon Snyder and the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS® (GNIAR®) and featured a presentation by Porter County Assessor Jon Snyder and Porter Count Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA) President Joe Wszolek.

The key points covered in the workshop were: (1) How to use the Assessor’s website: www.PorterCountyAssessor.com to find information on any property in Porter County and a review of how to read a Property Record Card, (2) the Assessment and Reassessment Process including a review of how the basis for land values and how assessments on structures was determined for the current tax year, and (3) what to expect when you appeal your assessment in Porter County.

Initially, one would think that government officials presenting a topic as “exciting” as assessing property would be greeted by blank stares, however, this was furthest from the truth. Utilizing the modern technology put in place by the Porter County TQM (Total Quality Management) Team, the discussion used live demonstrations of the Assessor’s website and computer based assessment tools that kept everyone’s attention from one topic to another. Everyone had an opportunity to learn how to find a record card, how to “read it” for accuracy and how to use it for the basis of an appeal of a correction of an error.

Now that everyone had a basic understanding about “how” the assessment numbers “came to be” the topic turned to “What can I do about an assessment I don’t agree with?” Assessor Jon Snyder walked everyone through the first step of the process from filing an appeal, including discussing the various options of filing on-line, in-person, by fax or by mail, the “45 day window” and what to expect when called by his office when trying to work out a settlement. If a property owner is unable to come to an agreement then second level of appeal is that with the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (PTABOA).

PTABOA President Joe Wszolek described the function of the board and the market evidence needed to successfully “win and appeal”. Fellow board members Vice President Vicki Urbanik and Nick Sommer were also introduced and contributed to the discussion. Each member gave their own insight as to how they view their roles on the board and how they each work cooperatively together to reach a decision. While most property owners feel intimidated by coming in front of a government board, the members added that they try to make everyone feel at ease so that a meaningful discussion about the market evidence can take place.

Lastly, a time for questions and answers was provided. Many questions centered around the appeals process and the type “market evidence” that is best to have available for an appeal hearing. The “best” is a market based sale of the property followed by an appraisal. Court rulings indicate that a USPAP compliant appraisal of a property (independent opinion of value) by a licensed appraiser for the assessment/valuation date in question is held in high regard and will usually, but not always, result in an owner winning their case. Following an appraisal, any market evidence within the proper “look back” period including active listings, expired listings, pending listings, sold listings and, effective June 2012, assessments of comparable properties can be utilized to make a case. It must be noted that it is up to the owner to “walk the board” through how the evidence is comparable to the subject and why it should be considered.

All in all, what seemed like could be worse than hearing nails scratching across a blackboard at the outset actually turned out to be a great learning experience by everyone. At the end of the day, everyone walked out with a little better understanding of the “mystery” of the mass appraisal system and how they can use this new knowledge to help others wade through the appeal process.

Photos:

  • Pat Pullara, Chief Operating Officer for GNIAR REALTORS® welcomes the guests in attendance at the workshop.
  • Nick Sommer explains the appeals process and the roles of the PTABOA members to the audience.
  • Jon M. Snyder, Porter County Assessor and Joe Wszolek, PTABOA President take turns at answering questions from the audience.
  • Jon M. Snyder, Porter County Assessor shows the Realtors a property record card that can be accessed online through the new website.
  • Joe Wszolek, PTABOA President, Vicki Urbanick and Nick Sommer, PTABOA board members, spoke to the audience about the appeals process.
  • Jon M. Snyder, Porter County Assessor conducts a presentation to a crowd of Realtors® during a GNIAR workshop sponsored by the Porter County Assessor's office.
  • A crowd of Realtors filled the Commissioner's Chambers for a workshop sponsored by the Porter County Assessor's office.
  • Realtors learned about the reassessment process, appeals, process, land values, and how the mass appraisal method is used for evaluating real estate.
  • Realtors watched a presentation of the new Porter County website and learned about its functionality and how it can be a great resource tool of information.