Appealing One's Real Estate Tax Assessment

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Okay, to add insult to injury, the town has just sent our real estate tax assessment skyrocketing.

We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 90 year old Cape on 1/3 acre (of which maybe 1/6 is flat usable land).  Total living space is by all accounts no more than 1800 square feet.

Our new assessment is now considerably higher than every other house in our little neighborhood -- including the much larger 4 bedroom houses with central AC, huge flat yards, etc.

Yes, I have a new roof and we had them rebuild the MBR into a cathedral ceiling.  

But, aside from replacing walls/ceilings/insulation/wiring/paint/refinishing floor, etc. that were destroyed when the tree crushed our house, the house is still the same old house.

There were some electrical and building code upgrades, but we did not expand upon the necessary code changes.

How can my house be worth more than the bigger, newer houses??

Has anyone successfully fought for a tax abatement?  If so, any advice or tips?

Oy.  This has been the nightmare that never ends...

[ken a.k.a OMK]

If your assessment is higher then comparable homes in your area then you should appeal. It doesn't cost you anything and I think it's just a matter of sending back the assessment with a check mark. Many times these are increased automatically without a person really looking at the house.

[chiver78]

ugh.....but I'm really not surprised for this area. I've never appealed a tax assessment, but I unsuccessfully fought a low comp appraisal when I was trying for a refinance on the old place near you. last I knew though, tax assessments weren't related to the finish quality/age of the structure so much as the value of the property and the size of the structure on it. appraisals are what add those other things into consideration.

good luck, please keep us posted!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

In one year, my assessment jumped $100,000 freaking dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I did not add on.  I did not renovate.  I did not upgrade.  I simply repaired damaged structures.

I do not need, nor do I want, another fight.  

I'm just so done with this whole f'in catastrophe.  

Did I ever tell you that it wasn't even my tree that crushed my house?  It was my neighbor's -- the neighbor with the 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house on a flat half acre with central air and -- get this -- f'in copper gutters.  And they are assessed nearly $30,000 less than me.  

(We need a stomping, steam-coming-out-of-the-ears emoticon.)

[Bonny]

Yes, at least three times. Always successfully but not always as successful as I wanted.

If your system is like ours, I suspect the problem is from when your contractor pulled the permit. Here whenever one pulls a permit you have to write down the value of the job. Then the assessor takes that value and adds it to your current assessed value.

When we did an expensive addition several years ago I talked to the clerk and said we're spending a lot of money but I know it's not a dollar to dollar increase in value. I threw out a number that I thought it increased the value and she said that was fine. What they were looking out for was the $100k remodel with a $10k "cost".

When we did the double bath remodel two years ago same deal. The manager of the building dept was giving me a hard time (I think I was declaring a $15k value) and I said I was getting a VERY good deal from my contractor (and I was).

Depending on the amount you're spending on the increased tax assessment you might want to hire an appraiser. That will probably cost you about $400. When I was appealing the N. San Diego County assessment I used the appraisal for a refi. No issues and they corrected it because their info is pretty limited compared to a professional appraisal. In other words they don't actually visit the property and/or do an interior inspection.

When I appealed the assessment for the AZ house I pulled up comps I found from digging through Zillow. That was the "less successful" appeal wherein they split the difference from my estimate and their own. I caved because although I thought I was right, the tax rate for our property is actually pretty low. I spent about four hours to save $100/yr on property taxes. We were in Germany and I really didn't have the time to keep trying to make my point!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Thanks, Bonny.  That is all HUGELY helpful.  I suspect that it was happened.  The bonehead contractor (who still hasn't finished my house (windows that won't open because the frames are out of whack, built-in shelves and cabinets not built, missing light fixtures everywhere, missing gutters and downspouts, interior painting that is bubbling and peeling less than a year after, exterior painting undone, stolen towel bars and decorative hooks and valance hooks and tools and a ladder, etc.) and who has now sicked his swanky law firm on me for the remaining money) probably stuck some outrageous value on the permit application.

I can't wait for this to be over so I can post my review of these scam artists EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

[Wisconsin Beth]

My Mom used to work for the assessor's office here but she retired about 8 years ago.  So this is kinda dated.  Here, the assessed value of your house is supposed to be within 2-5% of the sale value of your property.  Appealing means you're contacting the Assessor's Office within the proper timeframe (as documented on your assessment) and then being there to let the assessor into the house to view everything.  They're checking for upgrades, the bones, and are supposed to not assess based on clutter or actual dirt. 

DH had them in when we were dating.  The kitchen graded to a C then.  It's probably a D now as it's at least 10 years since then and we've not really done much to it. 

I would also ask the assessor about the not finished work and see what their thoughts are.  Esp. if they have any thoughts on how to get occupancy revoked until all the stuff is corrected. 

And you're going to have to be careful on your reviews.  I've seen stuff where even though the contractor did a half assed job, they're still protected by your contract or something.  Get yourself a lawyer.  A good one who deals with contracting and remodeling disputes - both for what you can say in a review and to get your house finished.  And make sure you have video and still photos of ALL the stuff that's not right.  And make if they're going to play hard, I would definitely contact the local news "they did a horrible job on my house and we're supposed to trust them to build/remodel the schools here?!" that sort of thing.  But again, be careful for libel and stuff. 

[hoops902]

Oct 22, 2015 21:44:06 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

In one year, my assessment jumped $100,000 freaking dollars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I did not add on.  I did not renovate.  I did not upgrade.  I simply repaired damaged structures.

I do not need, nor do I want, another fight.  

I'm just so done with this whole f'in catastrophe.  

Did I ever tell you that it wasn't even my tree that crushed my house?  It was my neighbor's -- the neighbor with the 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house on a flat half acre with central air and -- get this -- f'in copper gutters.  And they are assessed nearly $30,000 less than me.  

(We need a stomping, steam-coming-out-of-the-ears emoticon.)

It could easily be that they do reassessments every time they pull a permit or do an inspection. On the next assessment your home may not move at all due to the recent assessment while your neighbors may jump up to catch up to yours.

My dad has fought a LOT of assessments...he basically does it with every rental he buys.  He's had pretty good luck getting them to lower the assessment to near his purchase price. I suspect that's a lot easier than having a current homeowner fight their assessment. He's got documented proof of what the house is "worth" since he just bought it.

Also, unless your areas does re-assessments every year, don't think of it as your house jumping $100,000 in one year.  It really jumped that much since the last assessment.  Assessments typically happen in jumps, not small steps, based on re-assessments.

[brdsl]

Multiple times.  Two different counties. Successful each time.  Have it appraised, fill out the paperwork, and wait.

I usually do not have much of a problem, as most of the properties around here are still assessed at peak prices. 

I liken it to shopping for insurance.

My rentals have been slightly different.  They will go with the purchase price for the first year, then you have to appraise and go through the process. 


Get to know the assessor.  A good one will help you, and give you all the insides and outs of how it works. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Also, unless your areas does re-assessments every year, don't think of it as your house jumping $100,000 in one year. It really jumped that much since the last assessment. Assessments typically happen in jumps, not small steps, based on re-assessments.

I really doubt that this is the issue, especially since the house is appraised so much higher than other local houses that cost way more.  This is very likely due to the fact that since permits were pulled, the assumption was that they were improving, not rebuilding.

[Bonny]

GRG,

One other thought, you might enquire about whether you could get some retroactive relief for the year or so of the disaster. You might want to take the time to do this in person. Bring lots of pix, estimates and perhaps some insurance company correspondence.

Good luck!

[Chocolate Lover]

Oct 23, 2015 6:57:07 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Thanks, Bonny.  That is all HUGELY helpful.  I suspect that it was happened.  The bonehead contractor (who still hasn't finished my house (windows that won't open because the frames are out of whack, built-in shelves and cabinets not built, missing light fixtures everywhere, missing gutters and downspouts, interior painting that is bubbling and peeling less than a year after, exterior painting undone, stolen towel bars and decorative hooks and valance hooks and tools and a ladder, etc.) and who has now sicked his swanky law firm on me for the remaining money) probably stuck some outrageous value on the permit application.

I can't wait for this to be over so I can post my review of these scam artists EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

That's probably exactly where it came from, our assessment people have access to the building permits in our county. Definitely appeal.

[bean29]

I live in Wisconsin (Same state as Beth) and the State law is that they have to be within 10% of market value once with in A 5 years Period.  I pretty much know the rule, but I get messed up by it still.

So when the city sends your assessed value - you need to appeal the assessment if you don't agree within a couple of weeks.  Then they will ask to see the inside of your house and schedule a meeting with you where you can present your "side" of the argument.  They then tell you they will get back to you.

So, in one city where we own a mixed use Commercial/Residential building, I had some success this year, they sent me a notice of an increase in assessment, and I fired back with some correspondence I had with the city development director regarding changing the property to a duplex.  The correspondence says that the only permitted use for our building is commercial and the only occupied residential use permitted is for the person running the business to live above the business.  If we rent it out as residential the people living there have to be designated as "caretakers".  The assessor tried to raise my assessment something like $20-30,000 and I sent him the e-mail I had with this guy from the city.  It included a list of the city's suggested commercial occupancies for things like baseball card stores, vacuum cleaner shops, bridal shops, cell phone stores, nail and beauty salons etc.  Most have failed or are obsolete or are saturated in the area already.  I work for a commercial real estate developer and I was showing our corp. counsel the list once and he keyed in on the fact that if my property was leased as like a bakery, there had to be so much square feet of sit down eating area included.  My company has one building that is a restaurant in a residential area.  Updating an existing building to meet current state code, they way this city wants it, if it is not already grandfathered in with existing use, is cost prohibitive to make it unviable as a business.

So they guy lowered my assessment back down to $2,000 lower than it was for the last few years.  It has basically increased 11% in 9 years.  It is very hard to find comparable values if you have a unique property.  In my state, they will not let you compare a ranch to a two store and argue unfair assessment practices.  Most municipalities have it set in their code that you can not use an appraisal to argue the value of your property.  Both homeowners and assessors are supposed to ignore foreclosures and short sales. 

When they send you the assessment letter, they have a "card" in their office with 3-5 properties that are supposedly comparable to yours that they used to set the value of your property.  You go to the city assessors office and ask for that.  Then go look at the "comparable properties.  Look one realtor.com and Zillow and see if there are pictures of the interior.  I have a habit of looking at comparable properties and keeping the data sheets.  I scored a break on this last years assessment b/c one of the houses they used as a comparable to mine I had interior pics that showed a finished basement.  Their comparable sheet said "unfinished basement" and so they increased the value of the comparable property as if the basement was finished b/c mine is.  I told they guy this house does have a finished basement and he called up something similar to google earth and looked at exterior and interior pictures of the house and said you are right, we screwed up, we missed this, we will catch it next year...but he still refused to lower my assessment at all.

Their value on my house is probably pretty close to accurate, but like you when I look at the assessed values of my neighbors houses, it slays me b/c some of them are bigger than mine, and most also have finished basements.  We chose not to finish the basement w/o permits, but when you pull permits they insist on walking through.  You can say no, but if you say no, you give up your right to fight whatever assessment they slap on your property.  In Wisconsin, your ultimate weapon is to appeal to the state that you think your assessment is unfair.  I did not do that.  I am sorry I did not.  I think I will try next year.

This article is from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2014. (eta. 2 more articles in the series and to note this series of articles won a national award)  The services they note are doing most of the assessed valuations have grown, and more cities have eliminated their assessors.  My commercial property is in Cudahy, and Accurate Appraisal noted in the article is now doing their assessments and maintaining their database.  There is another article somewhere that notes one of the big problems is that owners of commercial properties employ law firms to fight their assessments and have been successful in reducing their property tax bills, therefore a larger tax burden falls on homeowners.

www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/across-wisconsin-uneven-property-assessments-fly-in-the-face-of-fairness-277614021.html

This one is about how commercial property assessments affect the tax base:

www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/retailers-accused-of-bullying-cities-into-lowering-property-tax-assessments-b99454684z1-295519191.html

and this one is about people taking advantage of non-profit exemptions:

www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/117473703.html

[Ryan]

Oct 22, 2015 23:04:54 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Depending on the amount you're spending on the increased tax assessment you might want to hire an appraiser. That will probably cost you about $400. When I was appealing the N. San Diego County assessment I used the appraisal for a refi. No issues and they corrected it because their info is pretty limited compared to a professional appraisal. In other words they don't actually visit the property and/or do an interior inspection.

Why would you hire an appraiser?  All you are looking to do is find comparables with lower assessed values and use that as the basis for a reduction.  Providing the county with an appraisal would be meaningless.  The only outside document they would probably take into consideration is the closing documents if you recently purchased the house.  

Appealing should be straight-forward.  If you need a little guidance, there are websites that basically help you do the appeal paperwork.  

[Tiny]

I appeal my taxes EVERY year... with little success. It seems that my house with it's original 1940's bath and original 1940's kitchen (with the ORIGINAL stove the kitchen is built around - which cannot be replaced with a modern stove) is compared to the 2 bed/1 bath houses that recently sold with brand new remodeled kitchens and baths. There is NO WAY someone is going to pay 180K or more for my house - when they will have to gut the kitchen/bath - when the house two doors down already has everything nice and neat for the same price.   

The only tax appeal I got satisfaction from was the one where I attached a current appraisal of my house  - all 28 pages with pictures, etc - showing that my house was worth about 130K in it's current state.  That appeal DID cause my property taxes to fall - about 2K. 

As long as the houses you are comparing yours to, are lower in accessed value - your appeal should help.
BUT, if the houses are accessed at the same or higher values - you might need an official appraisal showing your particular house/situation is NOT the same as the other houses.

It's totally worth the work/effort.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Oct 23, 2015 7:09:12 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

My Mom used to work for the assessor's office here but she retired about 8 years ago.  So this is kinda dated.  Here, the assessed value of your house is supposed to be within 2-5% of the sale value of your property.  Appealing means you're contacting the Assessor's Office within the proper timeframe (as documented on your assessment) and then being there to let the assessor into the house to view everything.  They're checking for upgrades, the bones, and are supposed to not assess based on clutter or actual dirt. 

DH had them in when we were dating.  The kitchen graded to a C then.  It's probably a D now as it's at least 10 years since then and we've not really done much to it. 

I would also ask the assessor about the not finished work and see what their thoughts are.  Esp. if they have any thoughts on how to get occupancy revoked until all the stuff is corrected. 

And you're going to have to be careful on your reviews.  I've seen stuff where even though the contractor did a half assed job, they're still protected by your contract or something.  Get yourself a lawyer.  A good one who deals with contracting and remodeling disputes - both for what you can say in a review and to get your house finished.  And make sure you have video and still photos of ALL the stuff that's not right.  And make if they're going to play hard, I would definitely contact the local news "they did a horrible job on my house and we're supposed to trust them to build/remodel the schools here?!" that sort of thing.  But again, be careful for libel and stuff. 

Not to worry.  I will be careful with my reviews.  They will simply reference the contractor's main advertising pitch that he will leave your house not only as good as it was before your loss, but better than it was.  I kid you not.  He says that on his website and on social media.  

I don't need better.  Just put it back together.    

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

The one takeaway from all this is that America is going to hell in a handbasket.

So few people seem to take pride in their work.  So few want to do a good job and be honest and fair in their dealings.  

As my profile quotes:  "How you win, matters."

[Bonny]

Oct 23, 2015 11:56:13 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

The one takeaway from all this is that America is going to hell in a handbasket.

So few people seem to take pride in their work.  So few want to do a good job and be honest and fair in their dealings.  

As my profile quotes:  "How you win, matters."

Keep looking for the good ones GRG. I have found a few over the years.

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2015 23:04:54 GMT -5 Bonny said:

If your system is like ours, I suspect the problem is from when your contractor pulled the permit. Here whenever one pulls a permit you have to write down the value of the job. Then the assessor takes that value and adds it to your current assessed value.

Thanks for the heads-up on this tactic. DH and I are enclosing the back deck to make it a sunroom and it's costing 10% of what we paid for the house. I'd hate to see a 10% increase in the property taxes. I found one Web article saying that the return on putting in a sunroom was about 45% of cost. I should be able to find more ammunition if they increase our assessment. 

[CCL]

Oct 23, 2015 17:40:31 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Oct 22, 2015 23:04:54 GMT -5 Bonny said:

If your system is like ours, I suspect the problem is from when your contractor pulled the permit. Here whenever one pulls a permit you have to write down the value of the job. Then the assessor takes that value and adds it to your current assessed value.

Thanks for the heads-up on this tactic. DH and I are enclosing the back deck to make it a sunroom and it's costing 10% of what we paid for the house. I'd hate to see a 10% increase in the property taxes. I found one Web article saying that the return on putting in a sunroom was about 45% of cost. I should be able to find more ammunition if they increase our assessment. 

I added a sunroom to my house and within about 2 weeks the city came out and reassessed the place. Predictably, it went up.

[tskeeter]

Oct 22, 2015 20:54:39 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Okay, to add insult to injury, the town has just sent our real estate tax assessment skyrocketing.

We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 90 year old Cape on 1/3 acre (of which maybe 1/6 is flat usable land).  Total living space is by all accounts no more than 1800 square feet.

Our new assessment is now considerably higher than every other house in our little neighborhood -- including the much larger 4 bedroom houses with central AC, huge flat yards, etc.

Yes, I have a new roof and we had them rebuild the MBR into a cathedral ceiling.  

But, aside from replacing walls/ceilings/insulation/wiring/paint/refinishing floor, etc. that were destroyed when the tree crushed our house, the house is still the same old house.

There were some electrical and building code upgrades, but we did not expand upon the necessary code changes.

How can my house be worth more than the bigger, newer houses??

Has anyone successfully fought for a tax abatement?  If so, any advice or tips?

Oy.  This has been the nightmare that never ends...

My my guess is that someone recorded the value of the repairs as if they were an addition to the house, rather than damage repairs to restore the house to habitability.

Write a letter to the assessor's office notifying them that we want to contest the assessment and ask what the procedure is.

[Bonny]

Oct 23, 2015 21:30:10 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Oct 22, 2015 20:54:39 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Okay, to add insult to injury, the town has just sent our real estate tax assessment skyrocketing.

We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 90 year old Cape on 1/3 acre (of which maybe 1/6 is flat usable land).  Total living space is by all accounts no more than 1800 square feet.

Our new assessment is now considerably higher than every other house in our little neighborhood -- including the much larger 4 bedroom houses with central AC, huge flat yards, etc.

Yes, I have a new roof and we had them rebuild the MBR into a cathedral ceiling.  

But, aside from replacing walls/ceilings/insulation/wiring/paint/refinishing floor, etc. that were destroyed when the tree crushed our house, the house is still the same old house.

There were some electrical and building code upgrades, but we did not expand upon the necessary code changes.

How can my house be worth more than the bigger, newer houses??

Has anyone successfully fought for a tax abatement?  If so, any advice or tips?

Oy.  This has been the nightmare that never ends...

My my guess is that someone recorded the value of the repairs as if they were an addition to the house, rather than damage repairs to restore the house to habitability.

Write a letter to the assessor's office notifying them that we want to contest the assessment and ask what the procedure is.

If her permit system is like ours, the form asks "Cost of Construction" or some such wording. You don't realize that this info is then passed to the County assessor. Now the last time I went through the process I was told that the County only increases the value based on additional square footage. At this point I can't really tell. When I pulled the permits for the double bath remodel I put down a value of $15k and the head of the building dept did challenge me but I was ready. I told him that was the value of the construction because I had a great deal with my contractor who was only charging me time and materials. I also told him that other than re-orienting the toilet there were no structural changes. All true which I knew would be verified when the inspector came.

[iono1]

Oct 23, 2015 21:30:10 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Oct 22, 2015 20:54:39 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

Okay, to add insult to injury, the town has just sent our real estate tax assessment skyrocketing.

We have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath 90 year old Cape on 1/3 acre (of which maybe 1/6 is flat usable land).  Total living space is by all accounts no more than 1800 square feet.

Our new assessment is now considerably higher than every other house in our little neighborhood -- including the much larger 4 bedroom houses with central AC, huge flat yards, etc.

Yes, I have a new roof and we had them rebuild the MBR into a cathedral ceiling.  

But, aside from replacing walls/ceilings/insulation/wiring/paint/refinishing floor, etc. that were destroyed when the tree crushed our house, the house is still the same old house.

There were some electrical and building code upgrades, but we did not expand upon the necessary code changes.

How can my house be worth more than the bigger, newer houses??

Has anyone successfully fought for a tax abatement?  If so, any advice or tips?

Oy.  This has been the nightmare that never ends...

My my guess is that someone recorded the value of the repairs as if they were an addition to the house, rather than damage repairs to restore the house to habitability.

Write a letter to the assessor's office notifying them that we want to contest the assessment and ask what the procedure is.

Assuming there was no town-wide reassessment, that very well could be the case.  Back in 1982, I was doing assessment hearings for a revalution company.  I would look at the file before the people came in.  One time I looked at the file for a new house & what happened was when the person who put the value on calculated the assessment, he counted the house twice-once as partially complete & then as finished and added them up.  When the homeowner came in I immediately told him I had good news-we were going to change his assessment to the full value of 1 house-shortest assessment hearing I ever had. 

[Deleted]

Oct 23, 2015 18:24:15 GMT -5 CCL said:

I added a sunroom to my house and within about 2 weeks the city came out and reassessed the place. Predictably, it went up.

Did it go up by the cost of the job, or something less? The cynical part of me says half the reason for permitting is to alert them to projects that will increase the assessed value. I'd go along with an increase for part of the cost of our project but certainly not 100%.

[CCL]

It's been a while, but I believe it was based on the number of additional square feet and whether the space was heated or not. My homeowner insurance also went up. I expected the increases and they weren't really that much, something like $100 per year increase for both combined. It was certainly worth it. We loved that room.

[Deleted]

Oct 24, 2015 13:33:00 GMT -5 CCL said:

It's been a while, but I believe it was based on the number of additional square feet and whether the space was heated or not. My homeowner insurance also went up. I expected the increases and they weren't really that much, something like $100 per year increase for both combined. It was certainly worth it. We loved that room.

Thanks! If that's how it works here, we're OK. It's just enclosing a deck that was already there and, although the floor will be insulated, heating will be from a portable baseboard unit.  We had a similar room in our last house and one of our major priorities when we downsized was a similar room or a potential for it.  I'm not sure if it was a good investment in financial terms in the last place but we lived there 12 years and used it 10 months out of the year so it was worth it.

[tskeeter]

Oct 24, 2015 13:27:58 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Oct 23, 2015 18:24:15 GMT -5 CCL said:

I added a sunroom to my house and within about 2 weeks the city came out and reassessed the place. Predictably, it went up.

Did it go up by the cost of the job, or something less? The cynical part of me says half the reason for permitting is to alert them to projects that will increase the assessed value. I'd go along with an increase for part of the cost of our project but certainly not 100%.

In some respects, I agree with your belief.  Until you hear reports like one I heard a couple of days a go.  Local building permit fees for a single family home run about $30K.  That helps explain why the city annexes any area proposed for significant development.  Even areas 20 miles from current city borders.  The excessive permit fees provide a substantial revenue source.

[Deleted]

Oct 24, 2015 17:12:08 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Local building permit fees for a single family home run about $30K.  That helps explain why the city annexes any area proposed for significant development.  Even areas 20 miles from current city borders.  The excessive permit fees provide a substantial revenue source.

Wow! I'd feel better about homeowners shouldering that cost if I believed the inspections were effective. Most houses seem to have code violations not discovered until a potential buyer's inspector finds them years down the road, or work is done on the house. My Ex bought a condo with the roof beams too far apart for code. When DH and I had our deck enclosed in the old house, they had to reinforce the deck first, also because beams weren't put close enough together to meet code (and for it to be strong enough to support walls and windows). Anything to save a buck here and there- and typically things a competent building inspector could discover.

[tskeeter]

Oct 24, 2015 17:18:45 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Oct 24, 2015 17:12:08 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Local building permit fees for a single family home run about $30K.  That helps explain why the city annexes any area proposed for significant development.  Even areas 20 miles from current city borders.  The excessive permit fees provide a substantial revenue source.

Wow! I'd feel better about homeowners shouldering that cost if I believed the inspections were effective. Most houses seem to have code violations not discovered until a potential buyer's inspector finds them years down the road, or work is done on the house. My Ex bought a condo with the roof beams too far apart for code. When DH and I had our deck enclosed in the old house, they had to reinforce the deck first, also because beams weren't put close enough together to meet code (and for it to be strong enough to support walls and windows). Anything to save a buck here and there- and typically things a competent building inspector could discover.

Some of what you describe sound like they are the result of building code changes over the years.  Structure complied with codes when it was built, but does not comply with current code requirements.  Or, as in the case of your deck, when a change in the use of the structure (such as adding the weight of walls and a roof), necessitates upgrades to the original structure.

Not that building inspectors don't miss things once in a while.