Us more seasoned folk will resist this change since we actually knew what real freedom was! It's the young ones that are being blind sided by all of the BS the government throws at them. And they are either living in the lap of luxury without a care in the world or they are on public assistance without a care in the world. And in the meantime the government is taking them over. And they don't have a clue!

Well said Bum

Quoted from Shadow

You're right Bumble it's seems like the government is too big to change. The way the government is set up right now we're all set to become a socialistic form of government which is where we're heading.

Yep, and it sure will if Hillary gets in.  Between her goverment heatlh care (you know what a mess medicare is) and the "it takes a village to raise a child" crap, totally socialist.  Yep, the village, i.e., the goverment, rule the child, teach the child what the goverment wants taught not what the parents want, and just like the village raises the child by telling them it's perfectly ok to lie to your parents, go behind their back, act promiscuously, get the pill, and have an abortion without telling your parents."  (While I respect those who believe that woman should have the right to choose --abortion or not--the choice should occur before spreading ones legs, sorry to be so blunt, but pay the consequences of your actions.  But it's one thing for an adult to make the choice for themselves, it's another when it's just a child who can't even so much as get a tylenol from the school nurse).  The village rasies the child, give in to political correctness and Christmas is a banned four letter word in schools.  I think I'll stop here, otherwise I'll be sitting here til midnight

MC1, I couldn't have said it any better than you did! If Hillary gets elected....we are done for it! This great country as we know it, will be lost forever!

Dont worry Hillary's wrinkle 'problem' will prevent her rise to the throne.....

Oh I heard something about that on the news. Something about how old Hillary is looking and something about her wrinkles.  Funny...they don't say that about the men now do they? And might I add, that I am NOT defending Hillary. Wrinkles or not, I don't like her and hope to God she does not get elected.

My evaluation is correct....the tax rate is the joke....Taxes on a house comparable to mine in ALL surrounding
communities are LOWER....Guilderland...Colonie etc....

http://www.dailygazette.com 12/16/07

Quoted Text

Taxpayers shouldn’t waste money on an appraiser to beat reval

    Over the past months, the Gazette has published reports and letters to the editor concerning the townwide revaluation project in Rotterdam. It was the first townwide revaluation in town history. I, as the assessor, had the unenviable task of overseeing this project. My staff and I worked diligently through the process, along with representatives of GAR Associates, the firm hired by the town, to educate residents through a number of informational seminars designed to quell fears of a “reval.” We mailed out questionnaires, informational packets and procedural documentation. Over 80 percent of the town residents returned their property data mailers, some with changes, questions and amendments to the data that was collected over a nine month period.
    In March and April, Rotterdam residents were able to speak with GAR officials to present information that might have an effect on their home’s assessed value. Appraisals, square footage, building styles and many other “valuation” issues could be discussed at these hearings. Over 1,500 residents attended the informal process, many receiving reductions based on the above inconsistencies. Not having the opportunity to visually inspect the interior of homes because of security concerns has led to confusion over heated living areas and storage space. We made every effort to inspect those houses where residents asked for interior inspections during the informal hearing process.
    This leads me to the Nov. 10 letter from Peter Prusch, who contended that town officials “were only interested in taking as much money from me as” he would let them. There is no record that Mr. Prusch attended the informal hearing process where a request for an internal inspection would have been scheduled. Later Mr. Prusch presented pictures to a hearing officer that shows a first-floor family room with no carpet, full of junk and accumulated clutter. If there is a heat source in that room, it was obscured in the pictures from May 12, 2007. In my professional opinion, this room, with French doors, track lighting and a drop ceiling, should be valued as living area.
    GAR Associates and I went to great lengths to educate residents on the pitfalls of paying appraisers to reduce assessments when a simple request during the informal hearing process may have saved them a lot of time, aggravation and cash. In the future, I ask that any town resident who feels there is a discrepancy with regard to heated living area to please contact the assessor’s office before hiring an appraiser.
    JOHN J. MACEJKA JR.
    Rotterdam

http://www.dailygazette.com 12/27/07

Quoted Text

Homeowners should seek independent property appraisals

    Re Dec. 16 letter by Rotterdam Town Assessor John J. Macejka Jr., “Taxpayers shouldn’t waste money on an appraiser to beat reval”: I probably would have missed Mr. Macejka’s letter if not for the eye-catching headline above it. Perhaps a few added comments are appropriate, however, to expand on Mr. Macejka’s view of appraisals.
    An independent appraisal of the market value of one’s property is never a waste of money, for several reasons. An appraisal provides the property owner with information most individuals do not often have at hand. It includes an objective estimate of value and a complete explanation of how it was determined. That information is useful for several purposes, including discussions with the assessor. It is neither a “pitfall” nor an “aggravation,” except, probably, to the assessor.
    An appraisal is a professional’s opinion of one’s property value. It’s done by a state-certified and licensed appraiser according to recognized national standards. Those standards are the same for the assessor as for the appraiser and are defined by the state Office of Real Property Services (ORPS) in their valuation standards documentation. These are available on the ORPS Web site [/ http://www.orps.state.ny.us/].
    An appraisal also provides a benchmark that the property owner can effectively use to evaluate the accuracy and fairness of the assessor’s estimate.
    Additionally, it is important to consider that all New York assessment practices involve the issue of “agency” or, put another way, “who does what for whom?” Local assessors are representatives, or agents, of several government bodies — the city that pays their salaries, the county, the school district and state. Assessments are done directly for government purposes. The local assessor, however, is not a property owner’s agent or advocate. Furthermore, as an agent of government, the assessor’s estimates are considered authoritative and accurate. The property owner bears the burden of proving otherwise. Appraisals are effective in that effort.
    Property owners should understand that contesting the accuracy of their assessment usually requires substantial objective information. Simple requests, as Mr. Macejka puts it, are very seldom sufficient to alter the assessor’s judgment, but an independent appraisal can be very helpful. During the Broadalbin revaluation, my initial assessment was $70,000 higher than the independent appraisal I had previously obtained. When I presented my agent’s appraisal, the revaluation representative reluctantly lowered my assessment by $50,000. Later, the town’s assessor reduced it another $20,000.
    Mr. Macejka is certainly entitled to his opinion regarding independent appraisals. As a property owner, however, I would suggest they are invaluable if used properly.
    EDWARD BERNIER
    Broadalbin
The writer is a trained New York state assessor.

http://www.dailygazette.com

Quoted Text

Housing market ‘remains grim Prices in many regions continue to decline
BY STEPHEN BERNARD The Associated Press

    NEW YORK — U.S. home prices fell in October for the 10th consecutive month, posting their largest drop since early 1991, according to a key index released Wednesday.
    The record 6.7 percent slide in the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index also marked the 23rd consecutive month that prices either fell or grew more slowly than the month prior.
    “No matter how you look at these data, it is obvious that the current state of the single-family housing market remains grim,” said Robert Shiller, who helped create the index, in a statement.
    The previous record decline was 6.3 percent, recorded in April 1991. The index tracks prices of existing single-family homes in 10 metropolitan areas.
    It is considered a strong measure of home prices because it examines price changes of the same property over time, instead of calculating a median price of homes sold during the month.
    Home prices could fall another 10 percent over the next 12 to 18 months before bottoming out, said Patrick Newport, an economist with financial consultancy Global Insight, in an interview.
    Newport said four of the largest groups currently trying to sell homes — banks holding foreclosed properties, homebuilders, speculators and unemployed consumers — are typically flexible about lowering house prices because they need to get rid of the property.
    Sales of homes will likely start to rebound late in 2008, with price appreciation to follow, Newport said.
    A second, broader Case-Shiller index, which measures 20 metropolitan areas, fell 6.1 percent in October. Among the 20 areas used in the broader index, 11 posted record year-over-year declines and all 20 declined in October compared to September.
    Leading the index lower was Miami, where prices fell 12.4 percent in October compared to the same month last year. That led it to surpass Tampa, Fla. as the worst-performing city. Tampa posted a yearover-year loss of 11.8 percent.
    Besides those two cities, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Diego also posted double-digit year-overyear declines.
    Atlanta and Dallas, which had previously posted price appreciation, fell in October. Prices fell 0.7 percent in Atlanta and 0.1 percent in Dallas compared to a year earlier.
    Only three areas — Charlotte, N.C., Portland, Ore. and Seattle — posted year-over-year home price appreciation in October. Charlotte posted the largest gains at 4.3 percent.
    Among the three, only Charlotte is likely to be saved from declining house prices within the coming few months, Newport said, because the area has not seen periods of rapid appreciation like the other markets.
    Kevin Johnson, co-founder of Homes of the South Inc. in Charlotte, agreed.
    “We never jumped very high like other areas,” Johnson said. “We don’t have a hard fall as other places.”
    Bob Morgan, president of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, said the area’s strong economy is also playing a role in supporting price appreciation. While the numbers are preliminary, more than 14,000 jobs were created in the Charlotte area in 2007, he said, compared with more than 12,000 jobs in 2006.
    The job growth is coming from a “pretty healthy” variety of sectors, including the financial industry, Morgan said. Charlotte is home to two of the nation’s four largest banks, Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp.
    Carole Brake, the sales manager at Bissell Hayes Realtors SouthPark Office in Charlotte, said prices are still up despite an increase in inventory.
    “Sellers are not in a mode to reduce their prices. They want a fair market price for their home,” Brake said.

We need a new reval with the current housing values instead of the inflated reval that we're being taxed on.

Dream on Shadow...dream on!

Another reval, reduce everyone, say, 10%, and the tax rate will increase 10%, no change in the bill basically.

Oh, but then since the article says values should go up at the end of 2008, then a reval this time next year would be in order.

OK, just trying to play devils advocate