PROPERTY TAX - Must Read

bowhunter12

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My wife and I purchased an abandoned farmstead with a newer garage on the property (2006) about 4 years ago. Have not done to much to the place except plant trees and add a shed. We purchased it as a recretional property for hunting and just to get out of the city and do things that can't be done in city limits. This passed year Grand Forks County decided to double my taxable value. I had 2 issues with this, the first is they doubled it in one year with no really improvements and the second is comparable properties in the area didn't get the good old double valuation as did I. I do not live there and there is no residental structure on the property, just garage and shed. I really wasn't opposed to the valuation, more that it just doubled and the other properties around the area didn't do a whole lot of increasing.

So I call the county tax office and speak to a woman and ask why they double it, she says the properties in that township have been undervalued and need to come up, but that didn't make sense because a lot of others were not changed. Anyway she says i can contact the accessor, as he lives in that area and can explain to you why he decided to "jack yours up and not others"(didn't really say that specifically but more or less). So I get this guys name just so I can look him up, not to contact him. This guy lives within 7 miles of my abandoned farmstead. According to city records the guy build his place in 2001, it is a ranch 1620 square feet main with finished 1620 square feet in basement on 5 acres. The guy isn't living in some 1930s turn of the century place with newspaper for insulation. He is in a new home basically. His property has not gone up a single cent in the last 4 years, has gone up a total of $4600.00 from 2008-2017. So since 2008 it has gone up 5 times and 5 times it hasn't. I assume he is buddies with the other accessors and they give each other breaks.

So I call the GF county tax office to talk to the same woman and ask why this guys place hasn't even gone up in value for inflation and then precede to ask who accessed his place. She then tell me HE DOES HIS OWN ASSESSMENT OF HIS OWN PROPERTY and has been doing it for quite some time. I about lost it. WTF is wrong with this? Did anyone know that county accessors could access their own properties and get away with s##t like this?

I came to the conclusion that this JACKWAGON decided to jack mine up and stick it in double since i live in the "city" (I Live in Grand Forks) and not out there with all his other buddies. This should be criminal, I can't believe this is even allowed in ND. If you are gonna have property tax it should be fair.

FYI - I bet this is common practice throughout the state, call your local tax office to find out, it is all public information.

I did vote for no property tax when we had the chance, everyone that didn't hand there heads in the sand(or somewhere else). I did pay my taxes on the place back in December, but just got around to call this week to inquire about the major valuation increase. I will be going to the tax equalization meeting in April with plenty of documents to fight this kind of corruption. I may just sent a letter to the GF Herald or Local news about the situation to bring this corruption to the general publics knowledge. I have also tried to call the accessor multiply times, just no answer
 
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espringers

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new valuation is probably based upon your purchase price. sales tend to trigger valuations. yours might have been a few years in the making as maybe they are just behind a couple of years. what is the valuation compared to the purchase price? just spit balling....
 

Colt45

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Keep up the good fight, if your facts are straight I suspect this assessor will be looking for new employment, hopefully sooner than later. It just sucks that you have to go down this road, stay the course and good luck!
 

Account Deleted

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If there is a place that is more of a “good ol’ boys” club than ND, I’m not aware of it.
 

guywhofishes

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this is common I suspect - and it happened to me in mid 90s

when I moved into a little city north of Fargo we got news that the county wanted more tax. So the guy I bought the house from was the city's assessor. He DOUBLED mine and two others that had been recently purchased, and added a few percent (in appraised value) to the other homes. This allowed him to hit Cass County's quota and let his friends - the old school residents - slide by.

I asked him about it and he said "hey, you paid that much didn't you? The others only paid half that." Yeah buddy... in 1976 or whatever.

I told him that's not how this works... that's not how any of this works.

I got steaming mad and made a bit of a fuss. I was on a rampage and I told the county and the city and the assessor that I would hire a lawyer and call the local news before I got stuck making up everyone else's decades old sweet deal they had going. The guy I bought the house from retired from assessing that very week, the city hired a new one, and everyone got assessed from the ground up.

I was not popular for a while. And I did not care one bit. Eff crap like this.

Make a stink. Call Valley News Live "fraud report" or whatever their investigative team is. Don't stop until you are satisfied. Contact others who have recently purchased and probably also have seen doubling - they are your allies.

Godspeed!
 
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cooter00

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My property tax doubled this year also I lived on the lake for 5 years now my tax with one acre is more then my mom's homestead which is forty acres and barns hers stayed the same tell me how that works
 

Bed Wetter

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C71FCEC2-4F03-411E-9AAF-BCE102D8DFC0.jpg
 

riverview

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I think it is the township accessor not county. township politics aren't very fair at all I was on the township board for 6 years.
 

Fishmission

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My Minot home tax went up to a whopping 4700 this year, Was 3100 for years which was way too high. Going to chat with the city incumbent Mayor and see if I get an explination. Paying BIG BIG City tax in ND, WTF
 

tikkalover

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Fish, they dropped the value of my house $17,000.00 and my taxes went up $400.00. According to the people that run the city, county and state, everyone better buckle up, because its only going to get worse, in the years to come. Spend, spend, spend, spend, etc. etc. etc..
 


Fishmission

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Tikka, They had an armload of money during the boom. Way too much ill advised spending and corruption. This champagne government will effectively entice us to move the hell out and go elsewhere.
 
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Putz ND

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I don’t think it’s the increase bowhunter12 is so pissed about (maybe a little)but more so the fact that townships big and small, allow this to go on. How this assessor is allowed to pull his kind of crap is crazy. Appraise your own property, don’t increase its value, but head down to the neighbors place and double it?

Complete BS. If this is remotely true - he should not only lose his job but be liable for felony fraud. WOW
 

eyexer

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you haven't seen nothing yet. the big fucking is on it's way. they're just getting warmed up. you will see another referendum to end property taxes in the not too distant future. I don't think it'll happen until everyone's ass is full of calluses.
 

bowhunter12

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I don’t think it’s the increase bowhunter12 is so pissed about (maybe a little)but more so the fact that townships big and small, allow this to go on. How this assessor is allowed to pull his kind of crap is crazy. Appraise your own property, don’t increase its value, but head down to the neighbors place and double it?

Complete BS. If this is remotely true - he should not only lose his job but be liable for felony fraud. WOW

Yes this is what set me off more or less.
 


eyexer

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Year ago Ward co. tried to raise the valuation on some lots I own from $1350 to $13,800 in one year. Many of the lot holders raised holy hell with them. The comparables they tried to use weren't even close. So after getting an earful they changed it to $3400 or so.
 

Allen

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Silly question here, but who among us would sell our places for what they are assessed?
 

Petras

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If someone was to walk up and offer me a check for what they assesses my house at here in stanley I would say thank you very much and cash the check before they could change their mind....
 

Brian Renville

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Silly question here, but who among us would sell our places for what they are assessed?

I would. In a second I’m in Montana though, it’s stupid. Gotta love paying rent on your stuff. Pretty much all of NE Montana is sitting on a half a mill according to the accessors.
 

Allen

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Interesting, in my limited experience, the assessed rate always seems to be about 80% of market rate.
 


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