property assessment: Unlikely Marriage: Collaboration Between Assessors and Real Estate Professionals? - 05/17/10 01:20 AM

An occasional series that addresses the need for local real estate assessors to collaborate with other real estate professionals with the end desire to assist property owners in the community.
First Things FirstWhy would local assessors want to collaborate with real estate professionals?  And since collaboration means, by its very nature, to work one with the other - to cooperative - why should real estate professionals want to collaborate with local assessors?  The answer is:
Property owners (citizens, clients, customers, and taxpayers) benefit the most Local assessors advance their goal for effective public relations and community outreach Real estate professionals … (0 comments)

property assessment: Starting a Business: What You Need to Know About Property Assessments & Taxes - 04/30/10 03:10 AM

 Knowing the Basics of How Property Assessments Work Can Save You Money
When starting a new business you have so many things to do that it's easy to overlook some important items.  Real and personal property taxes are a real cost of doing business and it's critical that you know the basics when starting a business so that you limit unforeseen expenses that could mean the difference between death and survival for your new business.
If you do just one thing related to property taxes call your local assessor and ask what property taxes you will be responsible for related … (0 comments)

property assessment: What First Time Homebuyers Should Know About Real Estate Assessments & Taxes - 04/26/10 06:01 AM

Important Information Concerning One of the Highest Reoccurring Costs of Homeownership: Property Taxes As a first time homebuyer you are not expected to be a tax expert, but after initial concerns about how much home can you afford and financing terms, one of the most important reoccurring costs of home ownership is real estate taxes.  I know, boring but important.  This is one of those items that if you don't take some time to educate yourself on the basics, you'll get extremely excited once your lender's escrow company notifies you that they are increasing the monthly cost to cover increased real … (2 comments)

property assessment: Use Caution Before Changing Property Tax Laws - 04/24/10 03:36 PM

Change to Reflect Value Declines May Not Be Best Long Term Solution
The ProblemMany property owners are outraged by the fact that their property assessments are not declining as fast as market values, or in some instances even increasing.  Throughout the country news stories are reporting on the concerns and outright disbelief expressed by property owners that assessments are not adequately reflecting real estate market realities.  There has been such an outcry that many have asked state legislatures to do something, including requiring more frequent reassessments.  But this might be one of those situations that calls for being careful what … (2 comments)

property assessment: 2-Day IAAO Assessment Appeal Preparation & Trial Seminar June 7-8 - 04/05/10 12:38 AM

Timely Educational Opportunity Offered by IAAO
On June 7 and 8 the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) will present the 2010 Preparation and Trial of the Property Tax Assessment Appeal Seminar in Kansas City, Missouri.  This seminar offers a great opportunity for professional property assessors to prepare for increased challenges to assessments, especially by owners of commercial, industrial, and special use properties.  I attended a similar seminar before the commercial real estate market decline in 1991 and what I learned proved to be very valuable for trial preparation.
The seminar will present a case study based on an actual … (4 comments)

property assessment: Ask the Assessor Q&A Webpage Launched - 04/02/10 11:19 AM

Are property assessors approachable?
Have you tried one of the many question and answer websites available today?  I've monitored several of these Q&A sites (also advice and discussion sites) that focus on real estate quite actively since January.  I've visited other general Q&A sites for more than a year (Business.com Answers, e-How, and WikiAnswers).  While these sites are quite popular and getting more so every day, I'm still surprised that many people don't go to the best source to get their questions answered.  For example, if you have a question about a personal medical condition you might go to a … (2 comments)

property assessment: How Does Your State Rank for Fair, Efficient & Customer-Focused Tax Administration? - 03/28/10 01:43 AM

If tax policies are to be improved tax administrators and policymakers must hear from all stakeholders that are affected.  As real estate professionals who serve clients and potential clients where real estate taxes are one of the highest annual costs of homeownership, shouldn't you be interested in good tax policy too?  Because I am interested good tax policy I make a point to research the full spectrum of comments on important issues and trade associations and industry trade groups are stakeholders that should be considered.
Trade associations or industry trade groups are organizations founded and funded by businesses that operate … (0 comments)

property assessment: Searching for Real Estate Information in Prince William County Virginia? - 03/13/10 04:37 AM

Help for the Weary First Time Homebuyer: Geography Can Be Fun
In an effort to assist first time homebuyers and real estate professionals searching for information in Prince William County the City of Manassas Park (Virginia) Office of the City Assessor has developed a guide for locating real estate assessment information in Prince William County.  This useful guide is also available to appraisers and other real estate and title insurance professionals who need real estate information.
Anyone who has searched for real estate listings, sales, or assessment information in Prince William County soon finds that determining the political location (city, … (0 comments)

property assessment: Top 5 Websites for Real Estate Education & Training - 03/07/10 07:32 AM

These top five real estate education and training websites can help in advancing your present career as a real estate profession or add additional services for added value to your clients.  According to a recent search of Alexa Top Sites here are the top 5 websites for real estate education and training:
Some readers of this blog may wonder what general real estate training and education has to do with professional property assessors.  But then again many of you know that the more you know about how and why real estate markets react the way the do the easier it is for … (1 comments)

property assessment: Appealing Your Property Assessment: Keep it Simple - 03/05/10 06:00 AM

It's easy to get overwhelmed with the idea of appealing your property assessment.  You're probably venturing into unknown territory where acronyms, methods, and terms, are strange and often intimidating.  You'll do much better and learn more in the process (and hopefully be successful) if you follow these simple steps:
1. Know why you are appealing your property assessment.  Knowing why you are appealing will help lay the groundwork for your plan of action.  Your property assessment notice should include the reasons that property owners can challenge their assessments.  For real estate you can typically appeal for two reasons: (1) you … (2 comments)

property assessment: 12 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Challenging Real Estate Assessment - 02/15/10 08:01 AM
Property owners or tax agents challenging assessments to the appeal board (sometimes known as Board of Assessors, Board of Equalization, or Board of Review) commonly make mistakes or errors in preparing their submission forms.  Here are 12 common mistakes and how to avoid them.
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property assessment: Are You Missing the Opportunity to Become a Local Real Estate Expert? - 01/10/10 05:27 AM
Further Define Your Specialization in Local Real Estate 
Real estate professionals can assist exisitng and potential clients by knowing basics of local property assessments and taxes.  Take advance of notices sent out by local assessors and tax collectors serveral times each year.  Become the go-to person by acting as a liaison between home buyers, or potential clients, and the local city of county assesors office.  Almost everyine pays property taxes.
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Richard L. Sanderson, helping improve local property tax systems (Richard L. Sanderson Consulting)

Richard L. Sanderson

helping improve local property tax systems

Kalama, WA

More about me…

Richard L. Sanderson Consulting

Address: 264 Simmons Rd, Kalama, WA, 98625

Office: 971-707-9607

We love working with corporate asset managers, public policy directors for membership organizations, project managers for think tanks, and academics researching property tax policy.


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