Over the past 3 weeks I have had at least 6 conversations with residents regarding their properties in our township. Some are simple property line concerns, others are easement issues and a number are tax concerns. All of them are based on either misunderstood regulations, inadequate information or just plain lack of understanding of the laws. Please, if you are buying property be sure to research or just ask about the rules and laws as they pertain to property taxes, property lines and property access. These are what I call the big three issues that new homeowners face when purchasing in a new area. You may have bought and sold real estate for years but different areas have different issues especially as they relate to property lines, subdivisions and property access. I will briefly hit on the high points for these three as a complete discussion for each would take more space than this corner is allowed.
Property access, be sure your access is either a county/municipally maintained road or a legal easement that is described clearly or by a survey and is registered with the County Register of Deeds either by itself as an easement of record or on a property deed that fronts the easement. Otherwise you may be located on a private road which has a whole different set of rules to understand.
Property lines are crucial to understanding many issues that you may have with a property. Neighbor disputes, building encroachments from a neighbor or your property and usable land are examples. Do not go by “….the neighbor said….”. Get a survey. It is the only sure way to determine a property line. If you have a corner stake that you believe to be correct, use the property description on your deed and see if it makes sense. If you have problems reading the description, call your local assessor or building department and they can help. Most realtors also have a good understanding of property description abbreviations, as they can be quite confusing.
Property taxes in Michigan are different than many states. We have a term called taxable value which is used to calculate your winter and summer property taxes. We also have a term called assessed value and another one called state equalized value and all three can all be different numbers. In most cases the state equalized value and the assessed values are the same number. When a property is sold to a non-family member all three values will be the same number. This usually only occurs for the first year after the sale. In the following years the taxable value changes by a formula established by the law and the assessed and equalized value change based on the market trend conditions in your area. If buying, do not depend on the taxes paid by the current owner as they will change upon the sale. Also, if you bought at a low price, lower than 2 times the assessed value, do not believe that the taxable value will drop to accommodate the sale. It will not. Over time, if the area market trends show a decline in area prices, then the values may decrease but not immediately as many believe. Values do not follow sales in assessing.
The best advice that I can provide is become knowledgeable and aware. You have to seek out the information. The title companies, real estate agents and abstract offices will tell you any information that you ask, but you have to ask, they don’t know your level of knowledge about property purchasing any more than they know your knowledge of nuclear physics.
As I stated in last month’s Corner, we have purchased more house number yard signs for Pat to hand out in the building department. If you do not have a green and white house number sign in your yard or driveway please stop in and see Pat. These signs are important for our first responders to easily locate your house in an emergency without having to guess at the house number or hunt for them on the house or garage. Many houses do not have mail boxes with numbers as you don’t live up here or use a PO box, so these signs become crucial. It also helps the package delivery companies find you.
If you are interested in helping with the planters downtown contact Hale Garden Club , PO Box 174, Hale, MI 48739 or call Bev Mason at 989-305-8823. Wanting to find a way to get and stay in shape, consider a membership at the Community Center and Eagle Point Plaza. You can come and enjoy pickleball at any time, yoga, cardio drumming, fitness training, walking or some more intense TOWANDA. So stop in and see Roma about a membership. We have family rates and business/group rates also. We would love to see you. When you’re here stop in on Tuesdays to the Plainfield Township Historical Museum. They also have genealogical workshops, so stop and ask about the next event. As we are in summer, stop in to the library for their summer youth programs and check out the programs offered at the Lumbermen’s Monument starting every Tuesday in July and August.
As always if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns regarding our community please contact me. I am in the office Monday – Friday 7:30 – 4:00 at 989-728-2811 or my cell at 989-984-7073 or by email supervisor@plainfieldtwpmi.com.
Fred Lewis – Supervisor Plainfield Township
Iosco County, Michigan
