Tax Assessment Help

[Neighbor of the Projects]

I'm offering to help those that need to review their assessment and submit appropriate paperwork as we build a database and review of the towns assessment on-line.

My hope is to educate as many people as possible about the review and complaint process and fight this outrageous hidden tax increase to the public.

Visit Amherst For Dummies and submit your info. If you want to help in this effort, please follow the link to my email as well.

Email Here

[Mike M]

As much as I'd like to encourage the 'censorship' discussion in another thread, I just can't. It's boring.

Seems to me, the issue with the re-assessments is a defective process. Not a mistake, mind you. Rather, it demonstrates that there was little "testing" done on the logic.

I suspect that the logic - that presumably has been endorsed by Amherst Assessor Harry Williams and Supervisor Susan Grelick(?) - may work [i]better[/] for relatively new houses. It fails miserably for established neighborhoods where houses were built in various eras. Eggertsville, for example.

This is a general failing at Town Hall, not one unique to re-assessment practices. Amherst officials' mindset is locked into "new". They simply are not equipped to deal with "old." Wrong people for the job. Even their downfall in that area could be accepted... if they would have the stones to admit their shortcoming(s). They don't/won't.

It brings us to a situation where we have Williams' office sending out notices that are, well, just laughable.

[thurlo weed]

You all are correct, something is rotten in the amherst assessor's office. Someone should look at the no bid, open ended contract the town has with GAR Associates. This firm habitually raises the assessments in various towns {amherst included} without ever looking at the properties and then lowers the assessment a little when someone complains. Take a look at GAR's political contributions, take a look at the freebie junkets that the amherst assessor takes with the GAR president; golf trips to florida, baseball games in private suites, dinners and entertainment at conferences. remember "follow the money" it will give you alot of answers as to what is going on in the amherst assessors office

[Mike M]

Hey thurlo, thems some pretty nasty accusations about Harry Williams and GAR's folks. Sure would be unethical, oh... wait... we're talking politicians aren't we... so, yeah, unethical fits right in.

In any case, I'm not even certain that Williams' alleged relationship with GAR has to be a problem. It might be. But it doesn't HAVE to be. That's up to Williams.

What bothers me is that the process of Amherst's assessment program is clearly defective. Worse, yet, homeowners are placed in an "assumed to be guilty" position. We have to prove to Williams that we're innocent... but he (apparently) doesn't get held accountable. And still even worse(!), it seems that the people to whom Williams is subordinate (Grelick & her cohorts) let him get away with making enormous systemic blunders. Re-assessment may be the largest responsiblity that Williams has, and he made a H-U-G-E goof. And nobody takes him to task about it!!!! What's the deal with that?

So-called money guy O'Loughlin ought to know that houses in Eggertsville have not appreciated 30% in just 12 months. Give me a freekin' break. How stupid can these people be? And, the Eggertsville warrior - Dan Ward - should be all over this crap.

[etc]

I hear O'Laughing is bitching about his assessment on Hidden Ridge. If he pays his fair share, what's the problem?

[|- Amherst Stakeholder -|]

Hello. I just got back and I find a new assessment and no shortage of posts on just about every forum imaginable (paper, web, community) that they are wrong. Can anyone tell me what Harry Williams is obligated to do. Is he nothing more than a pass through for G. A. R.? Why should I have to prove the Assessment is wrong? Shouldn't they have to prove it's right? I have heard that the Amherst Assessor is fuming mad at everyone complaining about the increases. Why is he mad? I'd like to know more about this entire issue.

[Usually Right]

Things acn't be too bad for Billy O'H!. He just left McDonald Investments and is opening some new brokerage firm. Must be the reason he is doing those political sureys about " Does a Supervisor have to work full time?" Duh... not ebough problems with the part time councilmembers, but now a part time Supervisor!........Give us a break!

[Mike M]

Yeah, so, just to keep the peeps in this forum up-to-date about what I know about this re-assessment krappe...

I talked at lenght to a GAR Associates representative today. Spent over an hour on the phone with him. (And you people thought I lead a boring life! heheh)

Mr. Gar (that's not his name, but I kinda like calling him that), was pitiful in his attempt to justify the 30% market value increase his firm is claiming my property saw in just 12 months time. When I slammed that concept in front of him, he was pretty dumbfounded... and pretty much agreed that 30% is rather extraordinary and not too likely to be accurate or valid. Of course he stopped short of actually admitting that GAR made any real "errors". After all, the bank heavily on the whimpy excuse that it's all based on subjective opinion of their employees... so they're absolved of any miscalculations or outright fabrications. No wonder GAR works so well with government entities. They have the same lack of accountability mindset and work ethic. Really sucks, IMO.

It's really hard to imagine that so-called "professionals" would have the nerve to place presuamably "good" values on houses without having a rigid requirement to make detailed element-by-element notes supporting their "opinion". In my case it's excruciatingly clear that the mystery appraiser that did the GAR thing to my house value was completely unfamiliar with the houses; the neighborhood; the market; etc. S/he was no professional... s/he was a child on an assessment playground... seeing how far homeowners could be pushed before they screamed. Duder, you've got yer answer... I'm screaming.

So, now I have an "Application For Public Access To Records" (a/k/a Freedom Of Information) request form that I'll fill out to see the complete logic/reasoning/process/etc that GAR Associates and Amherst's administration utilized in their self-professed "professional" valuation of my house.

If you live in any of the Towns that utilized GAR Associates, I'd take a hard look at the numbers presented. I wouldn't trust GAR with an ounce of Amherst's famous sludge pellets... their word isn't even worth that!!

[thurlo weed]

Mike M talking to Mr GAR, you have entered the twilight zone. Welcome to the world of NO BID municipal contracts. This cozy little arrangement with Amherst has been going on for years. Isn't it interesting that Amherst is an annual reassessment town and you see new assessment increases of 30% plus. Tells you one thing, either they screwed up last year or they screwed up this year. And you really think somone looked at your property, I doubt it, they more likely than not sat in an office and just printed the assessment numbers, all the while the great Amherst Assessor just sat they shining up his golf clubs. GAR's track record is crystal clear, screw up the assessments and then get a bigger contract to fix the mistakes. Its a pattern they repeat throughout western new york, check out the City of Lockport last year. They reassessed them, screwed them up and then got more money to fixup the mess. There can only be one reason they are permitted to continue; FOLLOW the MONEY!

[|- Amherst Stakeholder -|]

I've been following the reassessment investigation. I'd love it if Mike from RealAmherst would write a summary of his findings.

From what I've read and heard it seems like he is the only one that has uncovered real hard facts to show that assessments are garbage.

[WNYresident]

Talking about garbage, in cheektowaga our home assessment went from 110,000 (what we paid for the house 6 years ago) to $162,500. Sort of sets you back some. We argued and after getting the excuse of "Curl appeal" as the reason our increase we got it lowered to $130,000.

If I knew for sure the value of homes increase this fast I would just buy a few as investment and sell them 6 years later.. Look how you could clean up on your investments.

Hoenstly I think the assessment stuff has to stop and your assessed at what you paid for your home or lower. Thats it. You only get a true value when you physically sell you home.

[absolivious]

Originally posted by WNYresident
...Honestly I think the assessment stuff has to stop and your assessed at what you paid for your home or lower. Thats it.

WHOA! Not to discourage your creative juices, WNYres', but you may want to think about the long term economic dynamics of that as a proposal. There might be a few realtors who'd scream just a little too.
Remember the objective is equalization.

[Mike M]

Why would a realtor care about the assessed value of a house? And "equalization" only occurs if every house is assessed in the identical manner and relative to every other house in the area. It should also consider houses nearby, but outside Amherst. For example, houses in my neighborhood are effected by values/sales/conditions on the Tonawanda side of Niagara Falls Boulevard... and I suppose similar effects are present near Transit Road or Wherle Drive. GAR & the Amherst Assessor have purposly refused to consider a lot of this. I realize their actions are "Legal"... but that does not mean it's good or reasonable.

[absolivious]

Mike, the only problem is with WNYRes' suggestion that the assessment on any residence ought to be the most recent actual sale price of that property.

Chaos for realtors - considering that the price/value of all real estate in fact actally continues to appreciate.

It is already the case that neighborhoods with higher transiency bear a disproportionally greater portion of the tax burden, while the tax bills in neighborhoods of lesser transiency tend to go down.
Example: Lebrun Road

Under WNYres' plan eventually nobody would be able to sell their home for anywhere near the market value.

Then again, I suppose we could pass a law that every property owner be required to sell and move every 3 years. Fer sure, such a law would make both the assessors' office and GAR unnecessary.

[WNYresident]

Originally posted by absolivious
WHOA! Not to discourage your creative juices, WNYres', but you may want to think about the long term economic dynamics of that as a proposal. There might be a few realtors who'd scream just a little too.
Remember the objective is equalization.

Equalization of what? A reason to take more money from me? That's all it is. The economy should make growth not just blanantly saying someones home is worth more lets take more of thier money. Each time a home is sold let it be assessed at the next value it was sold at.

What keeps a town from pricing thier own residents out of thier homes? Right now in a little over 6 years my taxes seem to be about 25% higher than when I purchased my home. If it happens every 6 years I'll be priced out of my house. My land rent now is currently $379 a month. You call it taxes I call it rent.

I'm 41 now and will hopefully die in my home. Now some ass will come along and build a subdivision a mile down from my house with $300,000 homes and the town will use the excuse look how much homes are selling for your is worth more here's your bill. It's bull****. And there's a lot of people who think just like me about this issue. Lets say I live to 80 and every 5 or so years its up 25%. When does it stop? When my tax bill is $700 a month? $900 a month?

Maybe if i had the retirement package government workers had I wouldn't worry about it so much but I happen to be one of the self employeed in the area who would like to retire one day.