Assessor came today.

[Maurice Arney]

I built a 30x40 pole barn last year and the tax assessor came by today to check it out. We live in a small town so the assessor drives up from the capitol. I told him it was a pole barn with a dirt floor. After letting him in to examine, he informed me that "It's not a pole barn. A pole barn is up off the ground on poles." City folk ... :rolleyes:

Assessor: "an expert who calculates the value of property."

[John McClanahan]

So, is he going to determine the value of the structure based on that?

[Brian Libby]

It is amazing he even knows what a barn is!!! You should have suggested that he google pole barn, so he could be better informed!

[Andrew Joiner]

I researched how the tax assessor determined the property taxes in my area before I built my house. I wanted to build a dream home and still keep my taxes low. There are creative ways to design and build that help. After I built, I found this book at the library.
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Low-Tax-Dream-House-Ownership/dp/0942679075/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

I lucked out. I did most of the tricks in the book.

[Maurice Arney]

So, is he going to determine the value of the structure based on that?

LOL... I don't know. I tried to explain to him what a pole barn was but he didn't believe me. Said he would make a note that it had a dirt floor.

[ray hampton]

I built a 30x40 pole barn last year and the tax assessor came by today to check it out. We live in a small town so the assessor drives up from the capitol. I told him it was a pole barn with a dirt floor. After letting him in to examine, he informed me that "It's not a pole barn. A pole barn is up off the ground on poles." City folk ... :rolleyes:

Assessor: "an expert who calculates the value of property."

tell me how a pole barn will stand IF THE POLES is up off of the ground ?
if the barn or house are built in a floor plain [think annual ] then it will be build up on poles high above the water

[Brian Elfert]

Assessments locally are based on the estimated market value of the structure and land. You don't have people building houses or outbuildings with special designs just to reduce property tax bills. I know some states or counties.towns have some strange rules on how a house is counted for tax purposes.

[Gary Hodgin]

Tell the guy that google is his friend.

[Mel Fulks]

Ray, I think the answer to your question is BALLOON FRAMING.

[Greg R Bradley]

He works for the government. If he was actually competent, he would not have qualified for the job and they would have found a person with greater defects for the job.

[Phil Thien]

That's pretty darn funny.

Can you imagine a stilted pole barn with a dirt floor? That would be pretty darn worthless.

Send him a link to this article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilt_house

[Rich Riddle]

How did he know that you built a barn?

[Larry Whitlow]

In my county, a copy of the permit is shared with the assessor's office. If there are drawings, an extra copy must be provided for the assessor's office. I suspect it is that this is fairly common throughout California, but can only speak for my county.

[Lee Schierer]

In my county, a copy of the permit is shared with the assessor's office. If there are drawings, an extra copy must be provided for the assessor's office. I suspect it is that this is fairly common throughout California, but can only speak for my county.

Many states, including PA, now require building permits to erect any permanent structure and it is quite normal for a copy of the permit to be shared with the local tax office. The tax office ids charged with keeping the property values up to date so that the tax burden is shared appropriately. After all, property taxes are how the government finances all the things they do for us like roads, police, fire protection etc.

[David Dockstader]

It's a wonder he didn't think a Pole barn had to be built in Poland.

[Curt Harms]

Assessments locally are based on the estimated market value of the structure and land. You don't have people building houses or outbuildings with special designs just to reduce property tax bills. I know some states or counties.towns have some strange rules on how a house is counted for tax purposes.

You want strange, you should see how property assessment is done in the Philadelphia area. A tax rate of $140/$1000 seems confiscatory until you learn that a property with a market value of $300,000 might be assessed at some fraction of market value and the total tax bill might be $5,000. These number are pulled from thin air but illustrate the point. And in some cases reassessment hadn't been done for decades until owners of new properties discovered they were getting hosed and complained. SWMBO was a Real Estate broker for many years. When I asked about the origin of this practice she really didn't know. "Just the way it's always been done".

[Michael Weber]

Ray, I think the answer to your question is BALLOON FRAMING.
:DMade me laugh. Thanks

[Brian Elfert]

The estimated market value of my house for taxes for 2014 (next year) is $309,000 which is right at what I think it would sell for. My taxes for this year are around $4,200 with a market value of $289,000. I can't even imagine what my taxes will be for next year. My taxes have increased by $700 a year since 2009 which is way over inflation.

My taxes skyrocketed by 10% this because my home value was the same as the previous year. 80% of the properties in the county lost value so my taxes went up. I might be forced to sell my house if the taxes keep going up 5% to 10% a year. My employer has not offered pay raises since 2007 and 2013 is probably the same.

[Brian Ashton]

You want strange, you should see how property assessment is done in the Philadelphia area. A tax rate of $140/$1000 seems confiscatory until you learn that a property with a market value of $300,000 might be assessed at some fraction of market value and the total tax bill might be $5,000. These number are pulled from thin air but illustrate the point. And in some cases reassessment hadn't been done for decades until owners of new properties discovered they were getting hosed and complained. SWMBO was a Real Estate broker for many years. When I asked about the origin of this practice she really didn't know. "Just the way it's always been done".

They seem to do even stranger assessments here. I met a guy that was hit with a higher tax bill for land that was undeveloped than his property that had a dwelling and barn on it. He complained and they said if wanted to pay less taxes then develop it.

[ray hampton]

Ray, I think the answer to your question is BALLOON FRAMING.


your comment is not amazing because a building north of cincinnati were damage by fire yesterday, YES it were Balloon Frame

[Mel Fulks]

Don't forget who told you about it first !