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Sticker Shock: City Residents Receive Property Reassessments

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Residents in the City of Pittsburgh and in Mount Oliver received their updated reassessments first.

Values have skyrocketed and many people are experiencing sticker shock.

Anger, frustration, outrage – KDKA-TV heard it all today in a modest home on Fairston Street.

"This is western Elliott man, this is a bad neighborhood," Mark Englert said. "They're now saying that that house is $90,000 beside me - $90,000! We'll sell now! Come buy the house!"

Honorably discharged from the Marines, Englert and his wife have raised three kids here and were making it until 2005.

"I went from making $4,000 a month to making $749 a month because I had a stroke in 2005," he said.

Englert said his medical issues are terminal and now comes the reassessment on his formerly $24,000 home.

"Here $80,000 appraisal – come get the house now! I'll sell it to you for $60,000. You can keep the $20,000 equity. I'll sell now," he said.

Four years ago, a government loan application set the value of the house minus the property at $15,400.

His main concern is the tax bills that will follow.

"It's going to go from about a grand to $4,000 a year."

By contrast, the assessment notice arriving at the Ely home in Shadyside went from $149,400 to $376,000.

"That's what I expected because that's about what we paid for the house," the homeowner said.

Land values alone in Shadyside in many cases almost tripled.

"I'll pay my fair share," she said. "I actually think the assessment process wasn't correct for a long time."

Mark Englert doesn't see anything fair about it.

"Is there a gold mine here? Did somebody strike gold or oil over here? How does that happen?"

If you want an informal review of your assessment, you have to file for it by January 13. If you want a formal appeal, you have until February 10.

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Allegheny County: Office of Property Reassessments

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