If the selling price for the TVA properties were "sealed" from the public, are they also sealed from the Assessor. If so, how can she determine that property sales have risen. It should go on assessed value from the previous year, not sell price from TVA afterward.

...Is just flat out wrong and both you and I know it WC. She's talking out of both sides of her mouth. One day she says property values have increased and the next she puts an actual number on the decrease. Where's her data, modeling, trending, etc. Roane County properties have lost WAY more than 23.5 Million. At this point since Dec 22, 2008 there has not been one sale of a lake property dowstream of the ash spill down to around Dearmond Road, Garlington Point area.....over 10 miles downstream. Those very few properties that have sold went for substantially less than what their value should have been. Nothing on the lake downstream and within 10 miles has sold in a year. The data tells me that properties in close proximity have no marketability or value.

In 2009 MLS indicates a grand total of 6 lake properties transferred in the 37763 & 37748 zip codes directly dowstream from the spill site (None within 10 miles). Approx 8% of 2009 lake listings have sold....thats frightening! Compare this data to Ft. Loudon or Tellico and it gets real frightening!

If you live downstream within 10 miles you cannot obtain financing on a lake property due to appraisal disclosures of the ash spill. There's not a bank or investor in their right mind that will loan money on a lake property anywhere near this ash spill.

If you cant sell it or finance it then what can it realistically be worth?

I submit that 23.5 Million won't come close to touching the property values of these affected properties. Also, if the City of Kingston had any sense they would start calculating the value damage to their lake property which happens to be their most valuable asset. Just the City of Kingston lake property has lost well over 23.5 Million. I would venture to guess that Matt C's holdings has lost over 23.5 Million in value. I'm not even going to begin to estimate future losses, future prospective values and income streams, future absorption rates, etc. This all should be considered also. I have no disrespect for Teresa. She does as good a job at managing the tax rolls as any other county assessor. However, she is out of her league on this playing field.

Last but not least I know what is coming from a tax card standpoint and I hope 10,000 people appeal their taxes and swamp the EQ board.

The sale of lake property in Roane County may not be up to par with Ft. Loudon and Tellico, however that is not a fair comparison. Ft.Loudon thrives off Knoxville population, and Tellico thrives off successful retirement type developments. Roane county has never been on the same scale as these 2 lakes. To compare this properly you would have to look at the sale of property on Watts Bar, Ft. Loudon, and Tellico prior to the spill and compare it to the sales after the spill. Then you could see if the decline on Watts Bar was greater than the other lakes in the area.

I wasn't comparing Watts Bar data to Fort Loudon or Tellico. The only comparisons I made in reference to these other lakes is the obvious which is that these other lakes are humming right along while Watts Bar is in a contaminated slump. There hasn't been a decline in property value on Loudon or Tellico.....only Watts Bar! Loudon and Tellico haven't been affected by the ash spill so why would I want to compare pre-ash spill data to these lakes? Clearly the data shows that Watts Bar Lake properties are suffering tremendously. Furthermore, what you seem to have no understanding of is what Watts Bar Lake was poised to become in the next 5-10 years, which was to to be a viable competitor to Tellico and Loudon due to our plethora of available land, new developments, and price competitiveness. Please allow me to clarify once more. Not only is Watts Bar not up to par with Loudon and Tellico...it is now thanks to TVA not up to par with any body of water in East Tennessee. Now those of us who have a financial stake in this concept and have lost our real estate investments understand the ramifications of this mess. Obviously you do not!

Both assessors said values surged early in the five-year reappraisal cycle and have since hit a plateau. "When something sells now, it's holding pretty true to value," Kirkham said.
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If you can't sell it, what is it worth?

not short term look at say 5 10 or 15 years down the road, and you will see this area as a much desired area, with the new river banks, new roads hey TVA has put in new infrastructure.