2012 Reassessment: Hearings Begin, But Where Are the Comps?

No. 790 This morning hearings began for the 2012 reassessment. I asked everyone I could when the comps (sales of comparable properties) were going to be posted on the website. Nobody knew. Why do I care? Well, it would be nice to know the comps upon which the outrageous valuation of my client’s property was […]

Landlord-Tenant: How to Deal With Utility Lockouts.

No. 789 If you are a tenant who is having a dispute with your landlord, here is some information you may need to know. A landlord cannot force you out by refusing to pay the utilities. In Pennsylvania, we have a statute which requires a utility to give you the opportunity to pay one month’s […]

Is Rick Santorum Running for Vice President?

No. 788 He’d deny it of course. But Mitt Romney, who is best positioned to ultimately win a majority of delegates to the national convention, will be hard put not to do business next summer with the social conservatives who are rallying around Santorum this weekend. Of course, they’ll insist on a promise that Santorum […]

Reassessment 2012: Does Rich Fitzgerald Really Believe His Own Message?

No. 787 According to today’s Post Gazette, Rich Fitzgerald says that he will let the current reassessment go through once there is a uniform statewide reassessment program. He says it is unfair for Allegheny County to have assessments based upon current sales data, while the other counties use historic data that, in some cases, is […]

Free Thinker.

Serious thinking requires one vital ingredient — the absence of distraction. You must have quiet. Thus, if you always turn on a radio or television to (I’ve been told) keep you company, you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to think. Instead of getting lost your own thoughts, your mind is filled up by someone else’s thoughts. There is nothing wrong with listening to others. What is wrong is abolishing any opportunity for quiet, reflective thought.

Think about it.

Reassessment 2012: Show Me the Comps!

All is quiet, for the moment. Informal hearings have been cancelled. The County has certified the 2002 values. But that will probably not stand. Judge Wettick has ordered a number of senior staff of the County Assessment Office to comply with his prior orders, setting the stage for a contempt citation that includes a larger group than County Executive Fitzgerald. And so we wait.

The Message Box is Back.

No. 784 We had to shut down the message box for a while for updating. It is now open for business. If you want to send me a private message, look for it on the right sidebar. No one but me can read such a message. You can also make public comments at the end […]

Reassessment 2012: Land Value is Meaningless.

No. 783 I have been hearing from clients with properties in the City that their building values seem reasonable (or even went down) but the land values have soared, making the total much higher. Be aware that the total value is the only number that counts. Nobody buys land and buildings separately. Assuming that there […]

Winter Encampment.

No. 782 Now are the times that try men’s souls, the Summer Soldier and the Sunshine Patriot. In the warm days of Autumn, Occupy Pittsburgh set up camp along Grant Street, amid the temples of capitalism. But now it is winter with a vengeance. Living outside in a tent, even […]

2012

No. 781 Having entered into a new year, it seems, so far, to be a lot like the old one. We started it off with another hardly perceptible earthquake, just like last year. And another big windstorm, just like many recent years. The Steelers are in the playoffs. Just like last year. Everybody knows that […]

« go back — keep looking »

Welcome

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.

Pittsburgh Legal Back Talk

Legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus.

1410 Posts and Counting