Are DC Property Taxes on Their Way Up?

With $175 million budget deficit, incoming Mayor Vincent Gray is going to have some difficult decisions to make among unpalatable alternatives. One of those alternatives is to raise property taxes. Not necessarily through an actual increase, but by way of restructuring the appeals process to make it more difficult for homeowners to appeal tax assessment increases.  This heads up about property taxes comes to us via the Cleveland Park Listserv:

I was reading an article that Vince Gray, the City Council Chairman, was looking at drastically re-working Board of Real Property Assessments and Appeals. In addition to costing us almost 2 million dollars in new administrative fees, it would also mean a de-facto increase in our property taxes --click here to read more. 

Did anyone catch Mr. Gray explaining this during the campaign? Is this seriously going to go through? I didn't see it any of his campaign literature. It would seem to me that during a deep economic recession would be the worst time to add more bureaucracy and to raise the costs on the tax-paying property owners that we have in the District.

Strange Things DC Real Estate Agents Have to Do

One of the great things about life is what you don't yet know about somebody else's job. For example, the process of going from an idea to a published book is something I hardly think about, because I've done it so many times. But I know that how you get published seems like black magic to a lot of people. I'm that way about other professions: I have no idea what it's like to drive a train, perform surgery or work in art preservation.

This brief story of what one Washington, DC area Realtor, Jen Angotti, had to do was certainly eye-opening: