Why don't appraisals, assessments match?

The irony of it all. I understand Terri McPherson's frustration with the latest increase in Bonner County property taxes. I am sure she will understand our frustration as well.

In late April we had our house appraised for a remodel loan. We purchased this house last August. We had an idea of its increased value based on what our Realtor felt it would bring in today's market. It was a bit of a shock to discover that our house, according to the appraiser, only appreciated a few thousand, less than what we had already put into it. (It appears appraisals are only based on comps in the area, most of which are six to eight months old. The value has nothing to do with current sales.) Accordingly, we have had to scale back our remodel as the money we needed was not available.

Then, surprise, surprise, our latest assessment arrived in the mail Imagine our emotions to discover that Bonner County thinks our house (before the remodel) is worth quite a bit more than the appraiser did. What a shame a person can't borrow money based on the county's assessment instead of relying on some appraiser's outdated comps!

Wouldn't it be nice if there was some kind of correlation between the two — not that I expect a government entity and the private sector to agree on much of anything. However, the current situation only adds to the frustration level average citizens experience when trying to navigate through daily living.

CHERIE WARBER

Sagle