One of the most common questions from your assessor is an oldie but a goodie. “How much would you sell your house for”, my answer is always the same, “I’m not selling my house, so the question is not relevant”. Many homeowners will stay in their home for 20-40 years and they really don’t care what the value of their home is. Most Assessors live in a mass appraisal world and only think an accurate value comes from comparables or recent sales. If you purchased your home and have no intention of selling soon, why should you be pushed into throwing out a value.  There are many other factors that go into proper valuation. When Assessors use mass appraisal, they assume your home is perfect. They don’t know about the sump pump or the settling cracks in the foundation or the outdated carpet, they don’t know about the flaws that you know or that in the event you decided to sell, the prospective buyer is sure to notice. These flaws, as small as some may be, are all contributing factors that can lower the assessed value of your home. Use them wisely and you may be in for a positive surprise when you open your next tax bill.