I could help you figure out how to spend it, but I will expect a % of it for doing so. Letting you know that... right up front. I'm not divulging just what that % is for the present time, hoping to undercut any other offers you might receive.

:-D

You drive a hard bargain, Bee. And here I thought someone would volunteer an idea. Silly me! ;-)

It's a dog-eat-dog world, alisande. And today, you have on Alpo underwear....

LOL!

I'd take it back to the tax assessor in person and asked how much of common sense could he buy with that amount, because that's what he needs instead of following guidelines and rules on page 423 paragragh 6 line 12 of their handbook. You should have received a whole lotta more than that!!!

If you know of anyone who is putting in a pool ask them how much their taxes went UP!

That doesn't sound right at all--I'd be investigating the appeal process AND doing my homework on what comparable houses with and without pools were being taxed in the area. What have you got to lose by appealing?

Iowagirl, LOL--where are you and your camera when I need you?

Actually, Azzalea and others, I did speak with the head tax honcho. He said the pool had been downgraded some time ago to zero value because we had it permanently covered and could not be used. Apparently the 71-cent reduction was based on the elimination of our deck off the back of the house. I won't be disputing that because the deck is actually still there; it's just covered with firewood.

I live in a very rural area. There may be other houses with pools comparable to the one we had, but I haven't heard of any. I should have asked if the tax assessor gives a senior citizen discount. I wonder if there is such a thing......?

Your tax assessment may not be in the hands of the county assessor, but determined by local authorties depending on your governening structure. I live in s amsll village and its the village that sets property values that are on the tax rolls. They hire an outside assessor firm to adjust the taxable amount. We have only one time per year to request an adjustment; That period is called 'open book". We have to make an appointment ahead of time to get an audience with a member of the assessor firm to review a request. If you thing your taxes are too high, you must present in writing your view and provide the reason before any consideration is made.

If you live in an incorporated toen, village, or city, check with those authoites about how to procede with a tax review. If you live in an uncorporated part of a county, then contact the tax assessor's office about how to proceed. In any case, you have to dig up data, facts and numbers, to show why there should be an adjustment.

Our village takes the lazy way. A general property tax assessment is made once every 10 years. In my case, it was a 'drive by' assessment where the assement team drove by the house and made note that it was the same house and buildings that were there 10 years ago and made no change except for the usual depreciation for wood structures. They never entered the property. In between assessmsnts, the village uses building permits to adjust property values. That's why we need a permit to remove a structure such as a storage shed.

Was your liability (homeowners) insurance reduced when you filled it in?

I don't know about a senior discount, but here in AR, you can notify them when you turn a certain age (65, maybe?)and they freeze your tax assessment unless you make an improvement. And we now get a Homestead exemption, which is fairly new here.

Was your liability (homeowners) insurance reduced when you filled it in?

It will be, big time. I've been paying a hefty premium for years (and well aware of it) because my pool wasn't fenced. At one point several insurance companies didn't want to cover me at all because of this. My agency found one who would insure the property provided I kept the cover bolted down and never used the pool. That was okay with me.

Now that the pool is gone, the agency came up with new quotes representing a large reduction in premiums.

Flamey, I should look into what (if anything) PA offers. Thanks!

When I had my kitchen remodeled, I got a bill for an additional $12 in taxes from my township. Now how did they come up with that? I wonder why they didn't gradually lower my taxes as the old kitchen disintegrated. I didn't make any kind of addition to the house, just new cabs, floor, etc -- the usual.

Enjoy your windfall.

How about this?

Our house, built around 1922-23, and which we bought in 1965, had a partially finished basement, with usable kitchen and bedroom. There was also a good sized room which still had a dirt floor, and shelves for home canned goods, bins for potatoes, apples etc. Great resource!

What I always wanted was a bathroom in the basement. I was then an auction addict. At one sale I bought a toilet and vanity, nice clean, lovely PINK! DH and I put it in the "dirt room" as we always referred to it as, and there it stayed while we were planning where to put the BR.

So along comes the Tax Assessor, and eventually the bill. The dirt room had suddenly become a half bath! Forget the fact that the charming pink fixtures were in the middle of the floor and there were no pipes or drains going anywhere. There had never even been water piped in there.

I went to the tax folks and they told me there had been a new assessor working that route, and they would take care of it, which they did. They also told me the new person was a female. We all had a good laugh about it, and nice person that I am, I did not ask them if the new female person was a BLONDE!!

That was years ago; I don't remember what the increase was, but the City Tax people all enjoyed the story about the new half bath.

Laughter is good for the soul.

Sue

That is funny, Sue! When she made that mistake she gave you a good story. :-)

Are you aware of the PA property tax rebate?

Here is a link that might be useful: PA property tax rebate

Gini, I had no idea the rebate exists! Thank you so much!!

Check on this one as well. This is not income qualified. We used it last year and there was a significant reduction in our property tax.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homestead Exemption

Sue, how did the assessor even know about the "half-bath"? Our assessors don't come into the house or yard, they are only allowed to look around, not enter.

about the REBATE... how come RENTERS get a rebate?
I find that interesting.

FlamingO, I bet the worker looked in windows.
They actually do FLY bys here.

Gini -- thanks so much for those links! As a 65 year old natural person who lives in PA -- I qualify, at least this year. Woo hoo.

Yay! Cool! Don't forget to check the Homestead Exemption as well.

Flamey, here, they go through the whole house and check.

Sue

Thanks, Sue. Gosh, that sounds so invasive! What if you were growing pot plants or something? LOL Do they make an appointment or just show up?