Nellie Stevens

Hi Crystal! Thank you for your response. You make a very interesting point. The comparables used to determine the appraised value of my property were three properties all within 4 miles of mine.  One property was actually on the same road less than 3/4 of a mile from mine. It had sold within the year of 2015. I had the certified appraisal done in October 2015.  I read somewhere that if the tax value is $10,000 per acre, then one could simply add 20% to the tax value to reach a fair asking price.  I'm wondering if the area in which I live might be caught in some kind of "trendy" or popular place to live. It has been voted by several magazines as a high-ranking place to retire. It also is high on the list for wonderful year-round weather.  It just makes me wonder.  I was shocked to read this post and see what the price of farmland is in other areas of the country.  I spoke with a realtor friend recently and he thought I should ask more than it was appraised for.  I think I read you settled on northeast GA.  That area is absolutely gorgeous.  A bit more mountainous than where I live...a bit colder in the winter months, yet cooler in the summer months.  I'm just baffled and wonder what to do or like you mentioned...who to trust.  Thanks again for taking the time to reply to my post.  

I am absolutely amazed at these prices!  I live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina.  I recently inherited 6.5 acres of fenced-in pastureland when my father passed away last fall.  There is an underground spring-fed creek the entire width of the property.  As executor of his estate, I was required by the County Clerk of Court to have a Certified Appraisal done of all of my father's property.  This was required due to the wording of my father's Last Will and Testament that each daughter (heir) was to receive a fair and equitable distribution of the estate.  The tax value of the property which I received was $28,500 for the front acre (road frontage), classified by the county assessor as Residential, the remainder of the property was classified as open or raw land. The tax value of the remaining 5.5 acres was $10,000 per acre. (Everything was Zoned R3).  When I received the written Certified Appraisal for this particular parcel, the front 4 acres was appraised at $19,565 per acre.  The remaining acerage (2.5 acres) was appraised at $17,600 per acre.  This property is definitely in the country. It has been in my family for over 100 years.  It is totally organic.  It has always been used as pasture for cattle and pigs. In fallow years it was used for hay.  Some of the property in my father's estate was appraised for $22,000 and $22,500 per acre.  How can there possibly be such a difference in the value of farmland throughout this country?  I will admit, however that the soil on this property is rich and fertile....but I doubt the Appraiser knew that.