I am looking at an appraisal on my desk right now where the appraiser drove from Fresno to Mather to complete the appraisal. Google Maps estimates the 178-mile trip would take 3 hours and 10 minutes (that’s only one way – 356 miles roundtrip). This distance is a very long way to go for a standard tract home inspection, yet technically acceptable so long as the appraiser truly knows the local market. Keep in mind the roundtrip in gas would’ve cost about $45.00 based on 30 mpg.

In this case it’s questionable to think the appraiser understands the local market. There is no mention of ”Independence at Mather” being a PUD with a monthly HOA fee. In fact, the appraiser says there is no HOA fee. There is no mention of the neighborhood being located within close proximity to the Sacramento Speedway or Mather Airport (formerly an air force base that is a Superfund site). The appraiser probably didn’t know portions of the neighborhood were formerly military barracks before new houses were built by SHRA and KB Homes. The appraiser was likely not aware of Aerojet, the meat rendering plant nearby, the limited amount of commercial properties and future plans with the Anatolia area. The appraiser most likely was not aware that Mather is not a city or CDP, but rather an area of Sacramento County.

I don’t bring this up to toot my own horn, but only to say that it’s important for an appraiser to know the local market well. This is called geographic competency. When you hire an appraiser, ask him if he has experience in your area and if he understands issues that may impact real estate values in the local neighborhood. Unfortunately there is very limited control over hiring a local appraiser for a loan, but home owners, attorneys and agents can still pick their own appraisers for estate settlement, divorce, bankruptcy, pre-listing, tax appeal, etc…

Questions: How do you think it might impact value on an appraisal report if the appraiser does not know the local market? If you are an agent, do you find most of your appraisers lately have been local, or are they coming from far away?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook or subscribe to posts by email.

Property owners ask me this question every year….. often after the deadline has already passed. The last date to dispute your property taxes in Sacramento County and in many surrounding counties is November 30, 2010. This deadline is for a typical “decline in value” reassessment. See the video below or share with friends.

If you have any questions or a need to convince the Assessor’s Office of the true value of your home, contact my property tax appeal company at 916.595.3735 or see www.SacramentoTaxAppeals.com.

Today I took the last batch of property tax appeals for the year to the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board at 700 H Street in Sacramento (as pictured below). Before I headed out of the office though I thought it would be interesting to calculate the difference between the Assessor’s property tax assessment and my calculation of fair market value. Guess what, when considering only these eight tax appeals, the Assessor’s Office had these properties valued higher by $2,860,000, which essentially means local property owners were scheduled to pay $30,000 more in property taxes than they should this year. Ouch.  

Today was the last day to appeal property taxes for 2009 in Sacramento County (and in most if not all counties in California). If you did not dispute your taxes this year, you will have the opportunity to do so next year. You can expect new assessments for 2010 to come out at some point between May to July 2010 depending on which county you are located in. The assessment appeals period will then go from July 2010 to either September 15, 2010 or November 30, 2010 (depending on which county you are located in). Remember, your property assessment for next year will be based on your property’s value on January 1, 2o10.

If you have any questions or a story to share, comment below.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Assessor Value vs. Market Value: A Difference of 2.86 Million Dollars