Litigation

By: John K. Fiorillo

Every County in Pennsylvania conducts periodic sheriff’s sales of real estate.  The sales are conducted in an auction format with open bidding.  The properties at sale are being sold as the behest of a creditor attempting to recover money owed.  While there are numerous opportunities, there also exist numerous risks.  In order to minimize the risk, you will need to identify some of those risks.

Please read my article setting out some helpful tips if you are interested in buying a property at sheriff sale.  Keep in mind that this article does not identify all potential risks.  The first tip is to contact me for more information.

By: John K. Fiorillo

We can easily and quickly assist you in evaluating whether your property is over assessed. Your real estate taxes usually support your local school district, County and in many instances, your local municipality. Two things factor into your real estate taxes; your tax rate and your assessment. The tax rate is a political matter and one that only your local school board, county commissioners and municipal officials can address. The assessment is a different story. Your assessment is supposed to represent a specified percentage of the fair market value of your property. If you are assessed at a higher percentage of your fair market value than the average for your county, you should consider an appeal. You have the right to challenge your assessment on an annual basis. Usually, this is in the late spring or during the summer months. Each county has a different period for filing an annual appeal. We can quickly determine whether your property is over assessed and explain the appeal process. Simply pull out your current or most recent tax bill and call us with your assessment. It will be listed on your bill. If you do not have the bill available, we can look up your assessment for you and help you determine if you are paying too much. A simple phone call could result in significant savings that will compound year after year. Please contact John K. Fiorillo for more information.