Unexpected Consequences Department: Negative Home Equity is Boosting Prices.

Properties under water stay off the market. This deprives non-selling owners of comparable sales at true market value — lower than the mortgage in many cases. Short sales and sales by banks are often culled by assessors as not being representative of the market. Sometimes they are wrong — those low values ARE the market.

Reassessment of the Reassessment by Fitzgerald — Too Little, Too Late?

No. 777 When we wrote “Christmas Reassessment” (below at No. 774) we gave Rich Fitzgerald credit for being shrewd enough to pass a one mill tax increase this year — before the assessment year in which increases would be limited to 105% of the prior year, at least in theory, by Act 146. However, to listen […]

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CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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