From: Ellen K. 

Actually our city council representative now got something pushed through
to prevent future McMansions.  Unfortunately that doesn't help against the
ones that are already there.  Boy are they ugly.  If I had any energy to do
stuff on my house I would plant bamboo around the back perimeter.

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 01:11:12 -0500, "Rich Gauszka"
 wrote in message :

>Nope. The property assessors will consider that the McMansion has upgraded
>the neighborhood and everyone within two city blocks will have a higher
>assessment :-(
>
>
>
>"Ellen K."  wrote in message
>news:kdtin11he8fnh13hnrkibmfg0i1i0tt479{at}4ax.com...
>> Does this mean I get a reduction for the McMansion built on the next
>> street that can see into my formerly private yard?
>>
>> On Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:02:50 -0500, "Rich Gauszka"

>> wrote in message :
>>
>>>I can just see the new taxes.  Better air quality will qualily
you for the
>>>'clean air' tax. A safe neighborhood will qualify one for a 'low crime'
>>>tax.
>>>Just think of the possibilities :-(
>>>
>>>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10033745/page/2/
>>>
>>>Learning from the 'View Manual'
>>>So here, property assessors say, was their assignment: Try to judge each
>>>of
>>>the state's properties, and especially each vista, through the
eyes of the
>>>view-hungry buyers who were driving the market. There were no state
>>>guidelines to help them compare views.
>>>
>>>"I hate saying that it's subjective," said Gary J.
Roberge, chief
>>>executive
>>>officer of the company that valued Wilder's view. "But it is."
>>>
>>>There are, in some cases, rules of thumb that appraisers can turn to for
>>>help. For instance, a view of a "name mountain," such
as Mount Washington
>>>or
>>>others in the famed Presidential Range, is usually worth more than a view
>>>of
>>>a less-famous peak. Also, 90 degrees of view is better than 45, and a
>>>river
>>>and hills are usually worth more than hills alone.
>>>
>>>But that is about as hard and fast as the business of valuing views seems
>>>to
>>>get.
>>>
>>>In an interview at his offices in Chichester, N.H., Roberge went through
>>>pages from a "View Manual," showing a range of vistas
rated middling to
>>>spectacular.
>>>
>>>There was a "300" rated property, whose view had a
barn up close and a
>>>mountain in the distance. "You've got a little bit of the
horizon,"
>>>Roberge
>>>said. That little bit, in this case, was enough view to triple the land's
>>>value -- a difference of $96,000 or more for an average property in a
>>>place
>>>such as Plainfield, he said.
>>>
>>>Then Roberge got to a "500" view, with a lot more
horizon and distance.
>>>"It
>>>just goes on forever," Roberge said. It would add $192,000
to the same
>>>property.
>>>
>>>He looked at a "600" view, which was a panorama of
mountains and receding
>>>hills such as Wilder's in Plainfield. "If you were standing up there
>>>looking
>>>at it, it would blow you away," Roberge said. For that
quality, Roberge
>>>said, land such as this would be worth six times its original value, for
>>>an
>>>increase of $240,000 just because of the view.
>>>
>>>To which some landowners say: That's all there is to it?
>>>
>>>"The formula sucks pond water," said John Frado, 60,
whose property in
>>>Winchester jumped in value by $70,000 because of another assessing
>>>company's
>>>opinion of its overlook.
>>>
>>>Forcing residents out
>>>When Wilder contested his valuation in court, a local judge came to a
>>>similar, though more decorously worded, conclusion: The
appraisal was "not
>>>supported by evidence of anything other than the subjective judgment of
>>>the
>>>appraising company." He ordered it reduced, though the case has been
>>>appealed.
>>>
>>>After protests across the state, state lawmakers are now considering ways
>>>to
>>>ensure that, in the future, assessors give more evidence to support the
>>>values they place on views.
>>>
>>>"What do you see?" asked state Rep. Betsey L. Patten
(R). "I want you to
>>>explain."
>>>
>>>For now, though, what residents call the "view tax"
still has many
>>>longtime
>>>residents worrying that the mountain on the distance will soon force them
>>>off the land beneath their feet. When farmer John Lynch, 65, found that
>>>his
>>>view had been valued at about $65,000, he confronted someone from the
>>>assessing company: "How do you think we're going to hang
on here?"
>>>
>>>Lynch, who lives in the town of Hill, N.H., said that one of
the odd parts
>>>about this controversy is that, with his attention always on the land, he
>>>rarely spends time gazing out at his valuable view.
>>>
>>>"You very seldom look," Lynch said. "Well, to
see the weather or the
>>>sunset
>>>. . . ." Suddenly, he was troubled by the thought of a tax
on sunsets.
>>>
>>>"Oh," he said, "don't tell them about that."
>>>
>>
>

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