Polly
& Tim Cairns – Assessors
Polly
Cairns:
Michigan Advanced Assessing Officer
Certified General Real Estate Appraiser
Certified Personal Property Examiner
&
Tim
Cairns:
Michigan Certified Assessing Officer
Certified Personal Property Examiner
CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
Our
work is largely regulated by State law which dictates
when and how we reassess properties. We bring
a significant amount of professional expertise to a
project. In 2007, we prepared a revaluation (re-appraisal),
of the township properties.
A
revaluation is the process of performing all of the
necessary Market Analysis and Valuation steps to determine
accurate and equitable values for all properties within
a municipality. The equalization of the values within
a jurisdiction creates a fair distribution of the tax
burden. The purpose of a Revaluation is not to raise
taxes. The purpose is to create an equitable distribution
of the tax load.
__________________________________________
What
is market value?
Market
value is defined as the amount a typical, well-informed
purchaser would be willing to pay for a property. For
a sale to be a market value (arms- length) sale, seller
and buyer must be unrelated, buyer must be willing (but
not under pressure) to buy, the property must be on
the market for a reasonable length of time, payment
must be in cash or its equivalent, and financing must
be typical for that type of property.
How
will I know if my assessment is equitable?
1)
Can I sell my property for that amount?
The
first thing that you should do is ask yourself if you
could sell the property for approximately that amount.
(Please note that assessments in Michigan reflect 50%
of market value.) It is our goal, as your assessors,
to comply with guidelines and have fair and equitable
values a reasonable reflective market value.
2)
Does the Assessing department have the correct information
on my property?
You
can review the information that the Assessing Department
has collected on your property to make sure the data
is accurate. Sales information, property record cards
and maps are available for your review during normal
office hours.
3)
How much have similar properties in my neighborhood
been assessed for?
If
you do not have any recent sales activity in your local
area, you can look up the assessed value of similar
parcels that are located near your property. Please
be aware that what may appear to be a similar parcel
may in fact be very different from your property.
Additionally,
we are happy to assist you with reviewing your property
card or evaluation sales information. We strive
to have accurate information on all properties to accurately
reflect the on-going area market. |