Tuesday, April 29, 2014

OK to sell widow's home over $6 bill, judge rules

 http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/46a42b60e283fcbe9c7b77724f155ecd4af66bc8/c=0-50-3000-2303&r=490x368/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/04/28//1398730287001-eileen-battisti.jpg#IGNORE_QUERYSTRING&Border=0

A widow was given ample notice before her $280,000 house was sold at a tax auction three years ago over $6.30 in unpaid interest, a Pennsylvania judge has ruled.

The decision last week turned down Eileen Battisti's request to reverse the September 2011 sale of her home outside Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania.

"I paid everything, and didn't know about the $6.30," Battisti said. "For the house to be sold just because of $6.30 is crazy."

Battisti, who still lives in the house, said Monday that she plans to appeal to Commonwealth Court. That court earlier ordered an evidentiary hearing, which led to last week's ruling.

More @ Fox

5 comments:

  1. I am wondering if this was the school tax or county tax. We have been fighting hard in PA the removed the archaic school property tax system and are on the cusp of doing such but unbelievably, the house REPUBLICAN chair is the obstacle. Folks are having to to take out reverse mortgages and borrow money to pay the yearly school property tax. Thousands each year in PA are loosing their homes at sheriff's sales for unpaid property taxes. In counties close to big metro areas like Philly, an average $200k house has a yearly school property tax bill of around $12k. The reality is that you do not own your home. You are renting it from the state and school districts.

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    1. an average $200k house has a yearly school property tax bill of around $12k.

      Insane. My Dixieland is insured for $400K+, but the taxes are around $1,500.

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  2. In PA we have school districts. There are 4 districts in my county- each with their own hierarchy. The school tax on my main property assessed in 1992 at 175K is a little over 2K per year and county tax is $860 per year. With Common Core rolling along, once the Federal subsidies stop, everyone will be looking at a hefty tax increase. That doesn't even address the $1 billion unfunded state retirement system that the teachers are part of. Makes me think that owning an RV motor home may make sense.

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    1. Makes me think that owning an RV motor home may make sense.

      Yes and it's a great life also.

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  3. This woman appears to have paid all of her taxes, but it is some penalty interest of $6.30 she didn't know about. Sounds like a dirty system where someone is going to come in and buy her house for half of what it's worth. Terrible!
    Michigan is the same as Pennsylvania in that you could have multiple school districts within a single county, all with their own school boards and superintendents and support staff. Michigan lost population, particularly in the younger adult and school age children cohorts, but does anyone want to make a sacrifice here and get rid of all the bureaucracies and big budgets that go with it? Not just NO, but HELL NO. The property taxes are high here, but nothing like what Wrench is reporting for PA. Good grief. Yup, I do need to go get my van for down by the river ;)

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