McHenry County Blog

There are thirty days to appeal one’s assessment after publication of real estate assessments.

Here is the schedule for those whose publication has occurred or who publication is set:

2012 ASSESSMENT PUBLICATIONS

The 2012 assessments for McHenry Township will publish on Thursday September 13, 2012 in the Northwest Herald. The final date for filing an appeal will be Tuesday October 15, 2012.

The 2012 Assessments for Dorr Township will publish on Wednesday September 12, 2012 in the Woodstock Independent. The final date for filing an appeal will be Friday October 12, 2012.

The 2012 assessments for Nunda Township will publish on Friday September 7, 2012 in the Northwest Herald. The final date for filing an appeal will be Tuesday October 9, 2012.

The 2012 Assessments for Hartland Township will publish on Wednesday August 29, 2012 in the Woodstock Independent. The final date for filing an appeal will be Friday September 28, 2012.

The 2012 assessments for Alden Township will publish on Wednesday August 22, 2012 in the Northwest Herald. The final date for filing an appeal will be Friday September 21, 2012.

The 2012 Assessments for Greenwood and Seneca Townships will publish on Wednesday August 22, 2012 in the Woodstock Independent. The final date for filing an appeal will be Friday September 21, 2012.

And, here’s the procedure for filing an appeal supplied by Supervisor of Assessments Robert Ross:

HOW TO FILE AN ASSESSMENT APPEAL

Do you have questions about filing an assessment appeal? Click on the following link for an indepth detailed account of the appeal process.

http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/assessments/PDFDocs/How%20to%20File%20an%20Appeal.pdf

A press release from Pam Althoff:

Senate approves Althoff bill expediting foreclosures on abandoned homes

Pam Althoff on Senate Floor. Photo credit: Senate Republican Staff.

SPRINGFIELD, IL. – Homes abandoned by their owners can now be foreclosed at a faster pace, under new legislation co-sponsored by State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry).

Under Senate Bill 2534, those who hold mortgages can seek an expedited foreclosure process from the courts – under current law the foreclosure process takes about 500 days.

“Abandoned homes and properties are not only a blight to neighborhoods that result in lower nearby property values, they pose a safety threat to people in surrounding households,” Althoff said.

“This legislation will help the courts move quicker in deeming these properties abandoned so they can be torn down or turned into property that’s useful for local communities.”

The measure also generates about $25 million to local municipalities to help offset costs associated with maintaining abandoned homes, funded through a $250 filing fee for plaintiffs who file foreclosure complaints for residential properties.

“Many local governments are facing serious budget deficits – the last thing they need is to pay the cost of maintaining abandoned homes when there are so many other crucial priorities that need attention, from education to public safety,” Althoff said.

“This legislation is a common-sense way we can help cities, towns and villages offset the cost of caring for abandoned homes, at no cost to taxpayers.”

Having passed the Senate by a vote of 38 to 3, Senate Bill 2534 now moves to the House for further consideration.

I found the following information on the Chicago Tribune’s Real Estate page on the internet.

It has an interative map of McHenry County (and all other parts of the six-county Chicago metropolitan area) that tells what has happened to real estate values in municipalies with enough sales from which to pull statistics.

Changes in home prices in McHenry County over the last five years (2007-2012). Only Lakewood homes increase in value.

Code for the map above.

In McHenry County, I was surprised that homes in my village of Lakewood (a suburb of Crystal Lake) have held their value better than anywhere else.

• Lakewood: +17.65% with current median value at $353,250. (Our home is a bit below average.)
• Crystal Lake: -32.98% with median value at $157,500
• Huntley: -39.59%, median at $193,000
• Lake in the Hill: -34.08%, median at $147,000
• Algonquin: -25%, median at $147,000
• Cary: -39.77%, median at $156,000
• Fox River Grove: -42.609%, median at $154,750
• Oakwood Hills: -18&%, median at $164,000
• Island Lake: -30.06, median at $114,000
• Holiday Hills: -100%, but median given at $0, so obviously there is a glitch in the data
• Woodstock: -42.14$, median at $136,000
• McHenry: -31%, median $138,000
• Lakemoor: -29.37%, median $117,250
• Johnsburg: -48.38, median $175,000
• Wonder Lake: -27.13%, median $119,500
• Ringwood: -19,2%, median $201,000
• Richmond: -36.45%, median $197,000
• Spring Grove: -33.52, median $232,500
• Marengo: -42.65%, median $117,000
• Union: -1.59%, median $310,000 (something seems a bit wonky with the median average number)
• Harvard: -50.5%, median $99,000
• Hebron: -31.03%, median $130,000

Other communities have no information.