Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutM102695 Jefferson County Board of Equalization TELEPHONE: 385.9100 COURTHOUSE P.O. BOX 1220 PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON 98368 sri=:; 7: .~, Qt .' '~7< i _ .E " I~ ~~ /-"" 11 ' r ,~ 1/> ,,' I~ - .,.:.- I ~' t 1 ~..".;X'"_ ,cc" 'f,_'~ ~)i\" '. ~ 1'1' '- "~fA"!i1 r ~ _;> ~!i' LrY' . f' [~."~,, - ~ ,If, J ~ <' I ' L , .... ,II 'e', ,,.. , 'Ill ' 4 \ ~ f I, 'p, ~ 1 ~1'~Ii-~'I~.,-- ...~J'!!' cI:~~--- -' . J _ ~~_~-+~=--~ JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MINUTES OCTOBER 26, 1995 William S. Marlow Richard A. Broders James A. DeLeo Chairman Vice-Chairman Member Chairman William S. Marlow called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. in the presence of Vice- Chairman Richard A. Braders and Member James A. DeLeo. HEARINGS Robert Ammerman 30 Phinney Lane Port Ludlow, W A 98365 BOE: 95-53-R PN: 990400167 Mr. Ammerman was not present. Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow, The appellant's property is located in Port Ludlow. The appellant stated in his petition that his property only has a partial view. In the last four years his view has been impaired due to development by Pope Resources. He thinks the buildings and roof tops are ugly and believes the view will only get worse when it is finally completed, The appellant is requesting the property value be reduced from $185,340 to $165,000, Mr. Pownall stated the appellant's property overlooks the harbor in Port Ludlow Bay. He based the value on a sale that occurred next to the appellant's property, All the lots in the area are assessed at a base value of$75,000 and then are adjusted down depending on the view, Lots with improvements such as water, sewer and power are assessed an additional $6,000. He is confident the improvements are valued correctly, so he is just addressing the valuation of the land, He presented a map charting sales which occurred in the area. At the close ofthe hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. .. \.: 100% Recycled Paper BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MEETING MINUTES - OCTOBER 26, 1995 Page 2 Robert & AnD Radwick 270 South Bay Lane Port Ludlow, WA 98365 BOE: 95-60-R PN: 969400019 Mr. and Mrs. Radwick were present. Assessor Jack Westerman and Appraiser Dennis Pownall were present on behalf of the Assessor's office, Chairman Marlow explained the hearing process and swore them in. The appellant's property is located in Port Ludlow, The property is assessed at $647,070 ($196,000 for the land and $451,070 for the improvements). The appellant's are requesting the value be reduced to $500,000 ($170,000 for the land and $330,000 for the improvements). Mr, Radwick presented an outline of his concerns that he will be addressing, He stated that they realize property values increase, however, such large increases in property values makes it difficult for a retired person, on a fixed income, to afford the taxes, let alone plan for them, He stated there have been evaluations ofreal estate nationwide, that indicate there are some places where the market it good, but by and large the country is in a real estate depression, Numerous financial magazines have been reporting over the last couple of years that real estate is not a good investment. He feels this is especially true of high-end homes. Individuals are tending not to put a great deal of money into an expensive home. High-end homes in Port Ludlow are not selling. Records indicate that the most a high-end home has sold for in Port Ludlow is $400,000. The middle range homes are the ones that are selling. One of his neighbors put his home on the market for $780,000 and kept lowering the sale price. The lowest he listed it for was $585,000 and he eventually took it off the market because he had no offers, Mr. Radwick provided the Board with information on properties he feels are comparable to his, Mr. Westerman stated that the one of the properties the appellant is comparing to his is not comparable due to the sale date. The previous owners of the appellant's lot purchased it on July 18,1990 for $110,000. The appellants purchased the lot on July 2,1991 for $142,500, The lot the appellants are trying to compare to theirs, sold on December 20, 1991 for $110,000. Comparing these two lots from the market place, indicates that at that point in time, the appellants lot was worth more than the other lot and the appellants could have chose to purchase the other lot. The other lot has since resold on July 29, 1993 for $150,000, The home that the appellants were comparing to theirs is not comparable either. The Radwi<:k's two story home is 3,975 square feet plus 1, 155 square feet of finished basement. The home they are comparing to is one story and consists ofa total ofl,759 square feet plus 1,026 square feet of finished basement. Mr, Westerman presented comparable sales in the area, He pointed out that the Radwick's and every other property owner in Ludlow Point Village #1 have already received a 5% reduction to the improvement value for economic obsolescence due to the uniqueness of these properties. He added that if the Board makes an adjustment to this property, he would recommend they adjust all the lots located in Ludlow Point Village #1 for purposes of equity, Mr. Radwick stated that when they purchased the lot they did not know the other lot was for sale. Just because his home is larger than the one he compared it to doesn't mean it is better and more valuable. He feels that the larger homes are not selling and therefore have less of a market value, Having a larger home is more of a detriment than an advantage. He believes their high-end home should not be compared to the sales used by the Assessor's office. High-end homes are not in the same category as high sales. Being in the high-end home category means they are in the low sales category because they are not selling, Mr, Pownall added that the quality of the appellant's property is one of the finest in Ludlow Point Village. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MEETING MINUTES - OCTOBER 26,1995 Page 3 After hearing the testimony of both parties the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date, Robert & Sandra Flaherty 65 Montgomery Court Port Ludlow, W A 98365 BOE: 95-61-R PN: 990 900 004 Mr. and Mrs. Flaherty were not present. Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The appellant's property is located in Port Ludlow. The appellant's petition states that home values in their area have not increased in 1995. Mr. Pownall stated the improvement value increased due to the completion of the garage, He then presented comparable sales in the area which indicate that the appellant's property is assessed at fair market value. At the close of the hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date, Marilyn Elgin 31 Trader Lane Port Ludlow, W A 98365 BOE: 95-67-LO PN: 990603178 Ms. Elgin was not present. Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The appellant's property is located in Port Ludlow. Her petition states that her view has been impaired and should no longer be valued as having partial view, When an area is badly depressed for selling property, it seems unreasonable that assessments should be increased by 100%. She is only appealing her land value, It is currently assessed at $36,000 and she is requesting it be reduced to $25,000, Mr. Pownall presented comparable sales and explained that the appellant's lot is valued as a non- view lot. He reduced the house value by categorizing it as average with two years effective age, rather than average +. He added that it was never valued as a view lot. He feels the value of this property is correct. At the close of the hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. David & Sally Unieski 333 South Bay Lane Port Ludlow, WA 98365 BOE: 95-68-LO PN: 969 400 029 Mr. and Mrs. Unieski were present. Dennis Pownall was present on behalf of the Assessor's office. Chairman Marlow eXplained the hearing process and swore them in. The appellant's property is located in Port Ludlow, Mr. Unieski stated he purchased the land in August of 1991 for $79,500. In 1993 he appealed the Assessor's valuation of$90,000 and at that time an BOARD OF EQUALIZA nON MEETING MINUTES - OCTOBER 26, 1995 Page 4 adjustment was made to reduce the value to $78,000, The appellant's land value is currently assessed at $126,250. That is an increase of almost 60% in just two years. He stated that the property is only 48 feet of waterfront, and approximately 10 feet of it is a drainage easement. The appellants are requesting their land value be reduced to $99,500, Mr. Pownall presented recent sales in the area. He stated that he tried to address the drainage issues during his valuation by making an adjustment of 25% for reduced frontage and topography. He also made an adjustment of 10% for view and easements. After hearing the testimony of both parties the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Russell Trask Trustee P.O. Box 10652 Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 BOE: 95-75-LO 95-76-LO PN: 998 600 007 990 600015 Mr. Trask was present. Bob Shold was present on behalf of the Assessor's office, Chairman Marlow explained the hearing process and swore them in, The appellant's property is located at Termination Point in the Thorndyke area, Mr. Trask stated he purchased the waterfront property approximately 10 years ago. He works in the rock bulk head business and in his opinion the property is in need of bulk head structure for stability and to stop the erosion of the land. A year ago he applied for a permit to improve the property and ultimately replat it, but due to County shoreline regulations a permit has not been approved. Additionally, he has drilled two wells on the property and no water was found. P.D.D, is working on a water line in that area, but it is unknown if it will serve his property. Due to the slide areas there is a moratorium on his property, Currently, parcel number 998 600 007 is assessed at $6,000 and parcel number 998600 015 is assessed at $1,000. He feels the land is worthless ifhe is unable to use it and is requesting the Board give no value to his property, until it can be developed, Bob Shold stated that the worksheet he provided explains how the two parcels were assessed and the map outlines two sates which occurred in the area, It seems as though the appellant is referring to the entire plat rather than these two individual parcels. The Assessor's office has not placed a great deal of value on these two parcels and adjustments were made for topography, Mr. Trask stated it is the rate of increase he is concerned about. Discussion ensued regarding the amount of the assessment. After hearing the testimony of both parties the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date, Roy & Carol Gray Burien Highline Travel 19701 39th Ave. South Seattle, WA 98188 BOE: 95-70-LO PN: 998200336 Mr. and Mrs. Gray were not present. Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow, The property is located in Tala Shores at Tala Point. The BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MEETING MINUTES - OCTOBER 26, 1995 Page 5 appellant's petition states that their property is unimproved with no water, sewer or electrical hookup. One year ago they paid $15,500 for the property, which was considered to be fair market value. It is currently assessed at $32,000. It's unbelievable that the lot has more than doubled in value in less than a year. There are no buyers for unimproved lots at this time, for any price. It appears that the assessor is basing his value on the "asking" price listed by the Realtor, instead of a "true" value. Listing price is always a negotiable amount and "value" is not established until a sale is made. There are only two possible comparable lots which sold near the appellant's property, The lot next to theirs sold 3 years ago and has a better. Therefore, they feel their property should be valued less. The appellants are requesting the Board reduce the value to $18,500, Mr, Pownall stated that Jeff Chapman of the Assessor's office was the individual who assessed this property. He read the memorandum prepared by Mr. Chapman which explains how the property was valued. Since the sale price of this property was so low, it does not seem to reflect the true market. It is his opinion, the purchase of this property was not an arms length sale which is defined as when a seller and buyer seek to maximize their positions from a transaction, His opinion is based on the sales of other comparable lots in the area, The listing price was not used in establishing the assessed value, The value was based on comparable sales in the area. At the close of the hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Robert Florer 2201 Sunset Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98116 BOE: 95-63-LO PN: 990700030 Mr. Florer was not present, Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The property is located in Port Ludlow, The appellant is appealing his property value based on comparable sales he listed on his petition, The property is currently assessed at $20,000 and the appellant is requesting a reduction in value to $14,000, Mr. Pownall stated that the assessed value of this property should actually be higher than it is, based on comparable sales in the area, The sales listed on the appellant's petition are not comparable to the appellant's property, All the lots in the area are assessed at $20,000 and then adjusted down as necessary. After further discussion of sales in the area, the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Daniel Hutsell Crown Homes, Inc. 16505 A. SE 1st Street - Suite 165 Vancouver, WA 98684 BOE: 95-65-R PN: 968700121 Mr. Hutsell was not present. Dennis Pownall represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The property is located in Port Ludlow. The appellant stated in his petition that the purchase price of$219,000 for the property was influenced by the company's BOARD OF EQUALIZATION MEETING MINUTES - OCTOBER 26, 1995 Page 6 need to defer federal income taxes from the sale of some other property. Rather than paying capital gains, the company reinvested the money in the overpriced Port Ludlow property, He feels this situation is not representative of a "normal" sale and should not be used to establish fair market value. He believes the true value of the property is closer to $175,000, Mr. Pownall stated he doesn't understand the appellant's reasoning for paying more for a piece of property rather than just paying the LR. S, He presented the information he used in valuing the property and explained how he valued the property in comparison to other parcels. At the close of the hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Harry Hendy Gerard Co. 7968 Wesselman Road Cleves, OR 45002 BOE: 95-66-R PN: 801102004 Mr. Hendy was not present. Bob Shold represented the Assessor's office and was sworn in by Chairman Marlow. The property is located on Center Valley Road in Chimacum, The appellant's petition states that there are no comparable properties in the immediate vicinity that support the Assessor's valuation of $46,550, Additionally, the Assessor's office valued 9.51 acres, when in actuality they only own 5,50 acres. The appellant is requesting the value be reduced to $24,750. Mr. Shold stated that he believes the appellant's concern is with the amount of acreage that is being assessed. The discrepancy is with the old maps which indicate he owned 5.50 acres, The Assessor's current records indicate the parcel includes 9,51 acres, The appellant seems to agree with the valuation of $5,000 per acre, It's just the amount acreage that is in question. Twice, Mr, Shold asked a mapper from his office to check into the matter, and after researching it, he still came up with 9,51 acres. Chairman Marlow asked how many acres were documented at the time of purchase? Mr, Shold presented the document and stated that it did not refer to any amount of acreage, At the close of the hearing the Board concurred to conduct an inspection of the property and make a determination at a later date. Meeting adjourned, Attest: liL,~L Y5, ~~/ Erin K. Lundgren, Clerk of the Board JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION ?' ! /, v ~ia"mmt ,'~ ~a~ow, ,Chairman ~~6Z13~_ Richard A. Broders, Vice-Chairman James A. DeLeo, Member