Not surprising in the least!

But the thread title got you here    ROFL



Was just looking at the list of houses from the open houses in March  Remember, the list posted on here, highlighting those on the taxpayer paid McC bus tour

Haven't gotten through the complete list, checking on updates, but out of the first 20 listed (alphabetically), NOT ONE SOLD!!!!!!   In fact, half of them, 10 to be exact, the listings were removed because NO ONE WANTS TO BUY A HOUSE IN SCHENECTADY.   The owners are STUCK in the city.  

Quoted from Glryinthhighest

  The MAYOR is doing a SPLENDID JOB.

Gosh, if someone was offered a promotion which meant increased pay but moving several hundred miles away, or another state, they would have to turn it down because they wouldn't be able to buy a house in their new town because they'd be stuck with a mortgage and high taxes here.   Well, they could rent it out, but who would want to travel back here every weekend to check on the house?  

Houses put up for sale, no one willing to buy them even when the asking price is dropped to 25%, 30%, 40% less than the assessment value minus 4%!    And yet the dem appointed assessment board still insists that those price drops and inability to sell is "insufficient data" to warrant a reduction in assessment amount.

Why hasn't the city reported to the news media how many people grieved and how many the board reduced (and by how much) and how many got "insufficient data" responses?

.

Hey, I'll post the "results" from that list when I get through them

Saw this somewhere else here, couldn't remember where, anyway I had someone contesting my assessment, today he called said he received news that we were turned down due to the usual insufficient data. Told me it's pretty much business as usual in Schenectady he believes to discourage potential grievers. Make them go extra for it.  But I knew that going in. He had quite an extensive portfolio of properties against mine, most selling minimum 25% less then assessed if not more. That is the ones that sold at all. There were a couple closer to value but majority asking prices were considerably off the pace.Now we're off to small claims court where he told me last year he had 100% success. We shall see, won't be til late summer early fall I'm guessing.

Typical total waste of time from the DEM moron implosion squad. Schedule another park cleanup and talk about the coming festa. It's the record taxes-Stupid. Did you hear that Mexican Radio might possibly be coming again? WTF! 99.9% of property owners received the same "insufficient evidence" response. After the horrible Mayor admitted that all City property were over assessed at 107% of market value. Nothing changes but the taxes keep going up. Newbies are already resigned from the DEM stooge assessment review board. The chickens have come home to roast. Keep the DEM implosion going!

Quoted from benny salami

Typical total waste of time from the DEM moron implosion squad. Schedule another park cleanup and talk about the coming festa. It's the record taxes-Stupid. Did you hear that Mexican Radio might possibly be coming again? WTF! 99.9% of property owners received the same "insufficient evidence" response. After the horrible Mayor admitted that all City property were over assessed at 107% of market value. Nothing changes but the taxes keep going up. Newbies are already resigned from the DEM stooge assessment review board. The chickens have come home to roast. Keep the DEM implosion going!

Benny, the mayor said the city was assessed at 104% (not 107% --maybe a typo)  of market value, that would mean that a house assessed at $150,000 really has a market value of $144,000.

But ALL THE EVIDENCE PROVES that the city is really assessed about about 130% of market value.   If you saw any of the listings I've posted of the actual sales prices of houses, since they are selling for 25%, 30%, 40%, 50% LESS THAN the assessed value, that proves that the city is assessed at much more than 104%.

If a house is assessed for $150,000 and the mayor claims is assessed at 104% of market value, then that means the city is stating that the market value of the house is $144,000, or, another way to explain it is that if the house was put up for sale that it would sell on the open market for $144,000.   But if the house is put up for sale and the asking price is reduced over and over again and it finally sells for $96,000, then first of all the mayor CANNOT CLAIM that the  market value is $144,000 (see above), and secondly the assessment value MUST be reduced to $100,000 (which is 104% of market value, with market value being price at which a buyer paid to the seller as long as it wasn't between relatives, nor a short sale, an auction, and the like).

But what is happening, yet again, is that the values ARE plummeting, people put in a grievance, and the dem appointed assessment board memebers totally IGNORE THE EVIDENCE. by merely rubber stamping every grievance with those two dem moron words "insufficient evidence."


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They'd rather waste the taxpayers $$ and fight it in small claims court.

What happens if the amount of grievance is above small claims limit ($5k)?

Personally, I believe the best Mexican food is only available in Texas or in Mexico, itself.  And even in Texas, you have to get away from the tourist spots and downtowns -- take some back country roads to find a owner-run taqueria to really get the authentic Mexican dishes prepared as only the loving hands of an actual Mexican-American can make.  My favorite taqueria is in a small Texas town southwest of Houston where the husband and wife cook the food and their daughters run the counter where you order your food.  Everything is cooked to order.  The atmosphere is very rustic American south-west -- not "tacky Wolf Road/MegaMall/Chain restaurant".

One more restaurant selling Americanized versions of burritos and tacos with overpriced cocktails doesn't interest me in the least.

Furthermore, I think more effort should be made to attract businesses (beyond bars and restaurants) that would attract more people downtown.   Much more effort should be made to create middle-income residential units downtown.  

Quoted from 147

They'd rather waste the taxpayers $$ and fight it in small claims court.

What happens if the amount of grievance is above small claims limit ($5k)?

Homeowners are not limited to $5K (Five thousand dollars) in a Small Claims Assessment Review proceeding.   SCAR does fall under the judicial umbrealla of sorts, but homeowners are not limited that same way for this issue.

Homeowners who were turned down, in whole or in part, at the board of assessment level, and choose to continue and go the SCAR route are limited to only the same requested assessment amount that you requested at the board level

That is, if you were assessed for $105,000 and houses are selling for $60,000 to $70,000, and you asked for your assessment to be reduced to $67,000, then that is the limit in SCAR as well.

If the board reduced you to $93,000 let's say, you go to the SCAR level and still ask for $67,000.

Of course in Schenectady city the dem appointed board obviously is daydreaming when grievants appear.   I'll bet they don't even look at the grievances for which people do not have to appear.   I will bet any money that the "determination notice" is just typed in by some clerical person appointed by the dems, and each and every one is entered with a check in the box that says "denied" and then the infamous phrase "insufficient data" is typed in and the board signs them blindly, and a clerical person mails them out after filling in the addresses

This mayor has an obligation to the homeonwers to explain WHY the dem appointed board is totally ignoring the EVIDENCE.


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Oh, by the way, the filing fee that homeowners pay for SCAR, that MUST be refunded to them afterwards.   But I'm not sure if all entitles (city, county, school) split the cost, I'd have to look up and see which entity pays.

Most of the time, the hearing officer at SCAR does indeed lower the assessments.   And because of the timing, and the homeowners will have already paid the school tax bills, then the school district is mandated by law to refund to the homeowner based on a recalculation of their taxes based o9n the lower assessment.

Then of course, homeowners have the option, if still unsatisfed, to file a tax certiorari lawsuit.  And if you have noticed, watch those city council meetings.   The DEMS KNOW DAMN WELL that the home values are far lower than the 4%.   Why do you think the Schenectady city council meetings have tax certiorari settlements on the agenda at almost every meeting lately.   Example.  If homeowner is assessed at $150,000 and homeowner grieved to get lowered to $70,000.  The dem patronage board denies totally.   Let's say that SCAR lowers them to $90,000.  But they really believe, based on the EVIDENCE of ACTUAL SALE PRICES that supports $70,000, the city will offer a settlement at $80,000, because the CITY DEMS KNOW DAMN WELL that the CITY WILL LOSE in a certioari lawsuit.   .

the city dems know damn well they don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning.   But I think they secretly pay off the board of assessment members to deny all grievances because they hope homeowners will not be ambitious enough to continue to fight their assessments.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Personally, I believe the best Mexican food is only available in Texas or in Mexico, itself.  And even in Texas, you have to get away from the tourist spots and downtowns -- take some back country roads to find a owner-run taqueria to really get the authentic Mexican dishes prepared as only the loving hands of an actual Mexican-American can make.  My favorite taqueria is in a small Texas town southwest of Houston where the husband and wife cook the food and their daughters run the counter where you order your food.  Everything is cooked to order.  The atmosphere is very rustic American south-west -- not "tacky Wolf Road/MegaMall/Chain restaurant".

One more restaurant selling Americanized versions of burritos and tacos with overpriced cocktails doesn't interest me in the least.

Furthermore, I think more effort should be made to attract businesses (beyond bars and restaurants) that would attract more people downtown.   Much more effort should be made to create middle-income residential units downtown.  

so what constitutes middle income? $15/hour battery job to support a family of 4? Only with services of course.....then
where do you think the 'blight' would move to? YOUR HOUSE?

as for something other than bars/restaurants how about SHOPS.....like Saratoga.....and something other than
headshops or cheap urban 50-cent clothes....pull your pants up.

however I did get an eye full(of sh!t almost) of some redneck at the big gas station on altamont ave. we were stopped
in the line of traffic at the red light and this guy gets out of his red pickup (filled with work tools) and his pants were
NO LIE, half way down his a$$. there was almost parts a-showin'....he had no underwear on, but I bet if he turned around
there would have been OTHER parts just a-peekin' out....

all in the day of an American blue collar worker.....

anyhow I thought DVOR and that guy would have made a great couple...you know, open up a shop downtown selling
stylish whiteboy redneck knickers....

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Personally, I believe the best Mexican food is only available in Texas or in Mexico, itself.  A  

Uh, DV, this thread has to do with property values, and the PROOF that NO ONE WANTS TO BUY A HOUSE IN SCHENECTADY.  

Notice, this is about houses sitting for a year without selling.   And homeowners who took their houses off the market because they didn't sell.

How about instead of talking about downtown, you post about the homeowners in the neighborhoods who are seeing their taxes increase, their property values plummeting.

And instead of writing about taxpayer funded housing downtown, how about doing something about the EXISTING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of vacant homes that people have left because they either couldn't afford the taxes and/or they wanted out of the city?


By the way, WHEN are YOU going to buy a house IN the city.   Mortgage rates are now at a new low, reported yesterday, 3.62% and you can find a house for $40,000.

Quoted from senders

so what constitutes middle income? $15/hour battery job to support a family of 4? Only with services of course.....then
where do you think the 'blight' would move to? YOUR HOUSE?

as for something other than bars/restaurants how about SHOPS.....like Saratoga.....and something other than
headshops or cheap urban 50-cent clothes....pull your pants up.

however I did get an eye full(of sh!t almost) of some redneck at the big gas station on altamont ave. we were stopped
in the line of traffic at the red light and this guy gets out of his red pickup (filled with work tools) and his pants were
NO LIE, half way down his a$$. there was almost parts a-showin'....he had no underwear on, but I bet if he turned around
there would have been OTHER parts just a-peekin' out....

all in the day of an American blue collar worker.....

anyhow I thought DVOR and that guy would have made a great couple...you know, open up a shop downtown selling
stylish whiteboy redneck knickers....

Once again you prove that you can't carry on a somewhat intelligent and rational discussion.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Once again you prove that you can't carry on a somewhat intelligent and rational discussion.

Oh, I'm gonna carry it on and bring you along for the ride.....if you can't pick through the verbage then I can't help
you.

I say what I mean and I mean what I say....so please respond to the $15/hour family of 4 question posed, stop
being so easily distracted.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Once again you prove that you can't carry on a somewhat intelligent and rational discussion.

YOU are the one that cannot carry on a somewhat intelligent and rational discussion.


How about it DV.   The discussion on this thread has to do with the fact that a sampling of the houses for sale several months ago, during one of the taxpayer subsidized open houses, shows that half of them have had the listing removed due to not being sold.   The other half still is sitting their for sale, with constant reductions in asking prices.

The actual sale prices of houses in the city is far far far below the assessed value, and equally far far far below what the city claims is the current market value (96% of the assessment value), market value being what McC claims it is.

Now, DV, let's discuss this intelligently and rationally.

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars thrown at downtown and no private businesses are choosing to open there if they have to pay themselves.   The 100% tax exemptions on owners of the downtown properties are very very very highly wealthy--millionaires---are one of the big factors in causing the property and school taxes to be increased on the homeowners.   The evidence shows that these homeowners have median HOUSEHOLD incomes of just slightly over $37,000 per year and the tax BILLS often are approaching 30% of their income.  

All the spending on downtown is taking virtually all focus off the neighborhoods which is resulting in an ever lower quality of life in the neighborhoods where homeowners and residents are seeing an increase in crime---highest crime rate, and seeing a huge increase in vacant and abandoned properties.  

Quality of life? HA!  It's getting much too dangerous for children to play outside in their neighborhoods, as indicated by the lockdowns that occur because of shootings and other violent crimes during the day, and murders and rapes in city parks and playgrounds.  

The mayor thinks he is going to appear to be giving attention to the neighborhoods by going after code violations.  But the absentee owners don't care and are not doing anything and the mayor is NOT sending city workers out to the decrepit houses of the absentee owners to install new porches, fix roofs, etc.  Penalties will be assessed perhaps for failing to fix up the properties, but as the absentee slumlords don't fix up the homes, the penalties will simply get added to the tax bill and the absentee owners will hire Popolizio's lawyer to get them out of paying it all (same lawyer who saved Popolizio at the 11th hour from a mortgage delinquency of upwards of $800,000).  But the honest owner-occupant homeowner will have it added to the tax bill and will have to pay in order to keep their house.  Or they have to fix their house. The mayor is going after STUPID little things like the size of house numbers too--at a time when children are getting murdered in the daylight on city playgrounds.  

And then we have the issue of the mayor claiming he is reducing home values by 4%, when that doesn't do anything whatsoever to the value on which people are being taxed.   If a homeowner was taxed last year with an assessment value of $100,000, then despite the mayor's "announcement" the homeowner will STILL be taxed at an assessment value of $100,000.

The TAXABLE tax based is plummeting big time causing homeowners to have to pay increased tax BILLS.  Homeowners can't sell their homes no matter what.   The evidence proves that houses sit on the market for a year, unsold.   THe mayor's key to the city program is obviously a failure and he refuses to make public the numbers.  The mayor has an obligation to the homeowners in the city to put together a list of all houses for sale IN that program, to state what the assessed value is, what the original asking price is, what the sale price was (if ever sold) and the date listed and the date sold.  Then he is also obligated to report to the taxpayers the amount of the mortgage on the houses that sold, i.e., if the house was sold for $50,000 but got a mortgage of $49,000 to supposedly renovate.   Taxpayers have a birthright entitlement to know what is getting done with their money.   Then IF buyers of these houses are getting the additional mortgages, the current homeowners in the city, i.e, the taxpayers, have an entitlement to see before and after photos and details of the renovations, along with revised appraisals from an appraiser not connected in anyway with the city, we don't want the dems paying off an appraiser to claim a house has increased in value by 100% when it went up really only by 10%.

This is a start DV, can you discuss these issues?


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Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

Personally, I believe the best Mexican food ....  

There is a separate thread dedicated to talking about the mexican food restaurant....since the only thing on your mind is food