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property values

Assessment Shock: Know Your Rights

By Elizabeth Razzi
Sunday, January 6, 2008; F01

Homeowners are about to get black-and-white documentation of the latest changes in their property values. Because of the varying ways local governments go about valuation, don't be surprised if your home is still assigned a high value despite the sluggish housing market.

From now through mid-March, local governments are mailing property tax assessment notices. Be on the lookout for this important piece of mail. It's the foundation for the tax bill you will have to pay later. And its arrival starts the clock on a strictly limited appeals period.

Depending on where you live, you could have less than a month after the notice arrives to review the details and put together an appeal. An appeal would be in order if there are inaccuracies or if you can document that your home has been overvalued compared with similar properties.

Maryland residents were the first to receive their notices. The state assesses a property's value every three years. Notices mailed at end of December reflect a statewide average increase of 33 percent since those properties were last assessed, in 2004. That breaks down to an average annual increase of 11 percent to be phased in over the next three years.

For a Marylander's primary residence, those annual increases will be capped at rates that vary by county. In the Washington area, the caps range from 2 percent in Anne Arundel County to 10 percent in Montgomery and Calvert counties. Bottom line: Your assessment is going up, thanks in part to price increases during the peak of the real estate market.

For the first time, Maryland residents have to take action to ensure that they get the benefit of those annual caps. You must file a homestead-tax-credit application to document that the home is your principal residence and not a vacation or rental property, which wouldn't qualify for the cap. Applications can be filed at http://www.dat.state.md.us.

The District and most Virginia counties and cities assess properties annually. In Virginia, procedures vary significantly among jurisdictions. Appeals windows range from less than 30 days in Falls Church to more than four months in Prince William County.

In Prince William, one of the areas hit hardest by foreclosures and stagnant sales, assessments for existing homes will decline by 14 to 16 percent this year, depending on the type of property, according to Allison Lindner, the county's real estate assessment chief. The reduced number of sales in 2007 has made this year's assessments a challenge, she said.

Although nearby foreclosures make it harder to sell your home at a reasonable price, they may not pull down your property assessment. Lindner said foreclosure prices don't reflect market value because they are not normal, arm's-length transactions.

"We don't put a lot of emphasis on foreclosure sales, and hopefully we will have enough non-foreclosure sales so that it's not an issue," Lindner said. "We are going to have neighborhoods where all we have are foreclosures or no sales at all. In that case, we will try to go to a similar neighborhood and establish market value."

And what if a home identical to yours sells for a bargain price in the next few weeks? Surely, you might think, that would be a strong argument for lowering your assessment. Alas, it won't. Sales after Jan. 1 will not count for appeals of this year's assessments. "We tell them we will use that sale for next year's assessment," Lindner said.

Valuing real estate is an imprecise art, so there could be reason to contest the government's estimate of your home's value. At a minimum, you need to ensure that the government has its facts straight.

¿ Be aware of when your assessment notice should arrive. If it's lost or delivered to the wrong address, you could run out of time for an appeal.

¿ Review the notice for factual errors. Is the lot number correct? (You can find that on the land survey tucked away with your home-purchase records.) Is the square footage correct? Are the numbers of bedrooms, bathrooms and fireplaces correct?

¿ Verify that your assessed value is in line with the values being assigned to nearby, comparable homes. Most jurisdictions have online databases of local tax records. They often update these records just before mailing assessment notices. An assessment higher than those for homes that are comparable to yours could be a compelling argument for an appeal.

Your first round of appeal should be to contact the assessor's office by the deadline listed on the notice. Local rules vary, with some requiring this first-round appeal to the assessor's office. If you are unsatisfied with the assessor's decision, you can present a more formal appeal to a review panel.

Prince William County is among the jurisdictions that allows a homeowner to skip the administrative appeal with the assessor's office and instead plead a case directly before the county's Board of Equalization by Aug. 1.

"Residents are not required to file an administrative appeal, but we prefer that they do," Lindner said. "If there is an error, or even if it is just too high, our preference is that they come to us first so we can fix it if there is an issue."

Details about your jurisdiction's appeals process will be printed with your assessment notice and can be found on your local government's Web site.

Even with a first-round appeal, you will need facts to back up your case. Assessors may decide to remeasure your home or confirm your claim that it has fewer bedrooms than stated in their records. You will need printouts from their property tax database demonstrating that similar homes are assessed at a lower value. Photos of comparable homes wouldn't hurt. If you need to research sales prices for similar homes, a real estate agent active in your neighborhood may be willing to help. You may also find that information in the county or city's online records.

"What we don't want to hear is people who come in and just say, 'It's too high,' " Lindner said. The appeal isn't the time to rant about local government spending, either. Tax rates and government budgets are beyond the assessor's domain. All the assessor is supposed to do is come up with a value for your home, so keep your arguments focused.

Finally, brace yourself for the idea that even a lower assessed value won't guarantee a lower property tax bill. A number of local governments are still considering increasing the tax rate to compensate for the revenue they stand to lose from lower assessed values.

E-mail Elizabeth Razzi atrazzie@washpost.com.

Step 4 .......... Aerating the lawn.

Friends,

It's time for Step 4 in the cycle of grass growing lawn maintenance.......

This step involves a bit more time and effort...... Aerating and seeding your lawn.

Kim Meyers has reserved an aerator for this Sunday (Oct 8th) I will pick it up sometime late Saturday afternoon and use it on my yard........ after that it's first come first serve. We will have it all day Sunday to use as well.

This is best time of the year to grass now and especially for next spring/summer.

Here is what you need to do/know.

Cut your lawn a little shorter than normal .......... rake or bag the clippings. I recommend raking up as much of the dead/bare area's as possible . Pull any large weeds you find as they will choke out the new grass.

Grab the Aerator from whoever has it.......... and then Aerate the hell out of your lawn. It's much like cutting your lawn in terms of time/pass's you need to make but requires a little more finesse to maneuver around trees and driveways. Please hose off the Aerator as it gets ugly and I have to return it clean.

Put down seed using a spreader.......... I recommend buying Rebel tall fescue from True Value......... 20 lb bag if your grass/yard is just so-so.......... 2-20 lbs if your yard looks like a barren desert. (and you know who you are) Don't buy "cheap" seed as it usually contains lots of weed seeds as well. (you also know who you are)

Put down Starter Fertilizer using a spreader........... important to use only "Starter Fertilizer" as many of the other fertilizer contain chemicals that prohibit new seed growth or are to harsh for new grass. Scotts brand is usually the easiest to find.......

Water your lawn.............. no need to water every day but do make an effort to water in the seed and fertilizer at first and then try to keep the ground moist giving the seeds a chance to grow this fall.........also try to keep foot traffic and leaves off your new lawn as well. Leaves block the much needed sunlight and water newly establish grass needs.

The cost of the Aerator usually works out to about $ 20 a yard.......... any access money collected I will donate to the BWC block party via Joe Discerio (president BWCCA) Drop off a check/cash for $20 when you pick up or return the Aerator to my yard. My house number is 3213 on the main drag.

and last but not least.......... anyone who has a couple of hours free Saturday morning and would like to help one of our neighbors (Gail Ponne) put down some sod in her back yard would be much appreciated by her and my aging back!

Gary

Lawn Care........ it's time for another application

Ola'

It's May and time now is a good time to put down another application of fertilizer and weed killer.

Jog off to the store and buy a bag or two (depending on yard size) of SCOTTS Step 2 fertilizer and week killer. It's important to read the directions as you'll need to apply this application while the lawn is wet/damp. The weed killing part of this step will only be effective if the chemical can attach itself to the weeds in your lawn. You'll need to water the lawn first or apply right after a rain or first thing in the morning while the lawn is wet from the evening dew.

If you want to help your lawn to look it's best and stay green and healthy through out the summer try following these steps......

1) Cut your grass on a weekly basis...... you don't want to allow to much thatch (grass clippings) to build up in your lawn. Thatch will prohibit grass from growing and encourage disease.

2) Cut your grass no shorter than 2 inches long....... longer thicker grass will choke out weeds and need less watering. Cutting your grass longer will allow the root system to grow deeper and need less maintenance.

3) Sharpen or replace your lawn mower blade....... a dull blade will pull and tear your grass and harm/destroy the root system.

4) Water your grass ....... but don't over-water......... depending on how much rain we get a newly established lawn should be watered at least 3 times a week for no more than 30-45 minutes at a time. If your lawn is established you can get away with twice a week.

April Lawn Care Advice

 

  March and April's lack of rain have made getting lawns off to a good start difficult so far this spring. As long as there is no water restrictions posted for AA county I would recommend putting sprinklers out. The rule of thumb is 30-45 minutes of water in each area at least 3 days a week until Mother Nature catch's up.

 

  It's to early for another application of granular fertilizer ......... if you haven't put down Scotts step 1 you may want to give it a whirl if you can find it in the stores. The lack of rain has slowed the germination process of most grass's and weeds.

 

 I have had several inquiry's about the chickweed that is attacking most of the lawns here in BWC. Chickweed looks like a vine flowering type of grass that spreads and grows quickly in the cool spring and fall temps. The quickest and easiest way to kill it (and many other weeds) is to grab a bottle of any WEED & FEED that you can attach to your garden hose. Follow the directions as to the best time to apply the spray to your lawn. Don't wait to long to attack the weeds as they will choke out the grass you want to grow all spring/summer.

 

 April is also a good time to tune up the lawnmower and have the blade sharpened or replaced. It is important to make sure your not cutting you lawn to short.Cut your lawn on a weekly basis using a good mulching blade. The best height to try to maintain is between 3-3 1/2 inches.......or for most lawnmowers the next to the highest setting on wheel height. If you maintain your lawn to this height you'll find it requires less water and chemicals.

Spring lawn Advice Gary "lawn ninja" Lidard

 Friends & Family,

 

             I was asked to share my lawn care techniques with a few friends and thought you may appreciate the info as well.......so here goes......

 

           If you do only one thing for your lawn this year now is the time....... Now is the ONLY time of the year to prevent Crabgrass. It's actually a pretty simple process that'll take less than an hour of your time.....but it must be done within the next couple of weeks or it will be to late. (the Sooner the better).

 

          1) Using a leaf rake ..... rake the lawn clean of any loose dead grass,leaves and sticks. Try to stand the grass up from all the winter traffic and weight from frost and snow.

 

         2) Using a spreader....... put down a bag or two (depending on size of your lawn) of SCOTTS Step 1 fertilizer........ it contains both fertilizer and crabgrass preventer. The fertilizer will help the grass you have to grow and thicken........ the other chemicals will prevent the crabgrass not to germinate. Left untreated crabgrass will begin to take hold in your lawn and choke out most if not all your lawn as soon as temps get above 80 or so degree's.

 

         Good idea to try to stay off the lawn and not rake it for at least two weeks as you don't want to disturb the barrier you've set down.......

 

          Now is also a good time to cut back/prune branch's before the leaves appear. The rule on thumb on tree branch's is you should be able to walk underneath them and not have to stoop. The other rule is tree's are meant to compliment and shade your home........ not hide it!

 

      Lastly........ don't do any lawn seeding for at least a couple of weeks after putting down Step 1 as it interferes with new seed germination.

 

         I'll let you know when to put down STEP 2........

 

                                                                                          Lawn Ninja

 

          

 

WELCOME TO THE BLACKWALNUT COVE

WELCOME TO THE BLACKWALNUT COVE
Blackwalnut Cove is a small community of 132 single family homes situated on the Annapolis Neck Peninsula close to the Chesapeake Bay. A most desirable quiet family oriented community which takes great pride in its friendly and welcoming ambiance. We are located off Arundel on the Bay Road, and close to shopping, schools and County library.
The community of Blackwalnut Cove offers water access for canoeing, kayaking, as well as a picnic area, with deck overlooking the water for a quiet respite. Among our many amenities, we have a canoe ramp for ease of access to the water, and a soon to be built canoe/kayak rack for the convenience of the homeowners. Blue Heron and fish abound.A tot lot for toddlers, a basketball court and a gazebo offer a wonderful recreational area for family use.
Come look us over. You may decide to join us