Trulia Voices: Is it true that the County Assessor won't use short sales as comps to lower property value to lower taxes?

Trulia Voices: Is it true that the County Assessor won't use short sales as comps to lower property value to lower taxes?http://www.trulia.com/voices/Market_Conditions/Is_it_true_that_the_County_Assessor_won_t_use_shor-70736(as a decline in value).en-usAnswer by CJ Brasiel, Broker Associate, SRES®, GREEN®http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-San_Jose_CA-42513/http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-San_Jose_CA-42513/Cheryl - According to different appraisers I have spoke with all sales are taken in account when considering value. It is a weighted average in the sense that if there are only a few foreclosure (or pre-foreclosures like short sales) then the effect is not as great compared to if there are many in the neighborhood. Most appraisers are working within 1 mile and 3 months to pull closed sales for comparison. If a neighborhood has several foreclosures, it indicates a declining market situation and that can affect values of even the most updated home. Condition does play into it (dead grass, broken windows) but mostly it is a square footage of lot and building that sets the basic value. CJFri, 28 Nov 2008 17:01:35 -0800