BREMEN, Ind. — Donald Raider appealed the 2025 assessed value for a condominium at 160 Branch Drive at an administrative hearing in Marshall County on Aug. 21, 2025, telling the board he believes the structures and improvements portion of the assessment rose excessively.

Raider, who identified himself as the trustee for the property, said he bought the unit for his parents in about 2008–2009 and that the total assessed value when he purchased it was $145,200. He told the board that since 2021 “the whole structure's improvements amount has been up 59% since 2021,” and that the assessor’s office was showing an unusually large increase for 2025 in the improvements line.

The county assessor’s office told the board that condominiums can be difficult to appraise because units differ in basement finishes and homeowners do not always report upgrades on the annual questionnaires. Peter Paul, representing the assessor’s office, said assessors look to recent sales and to the market price for similar units. “We are trying to get to . . . what that market value is,” Paul said, noting nearby sales in the neighborhood recently reported prices in the $235,000–$265,000 range.

County staff explained that some units in the block have finished basements and some do not; the department’s records show zero basement finish for Raider’s unit. The assessors said that when a sale with a finished basement appears in the sales file, it raises the market level for the whole type and leads to an upward adjustment across similar units. Paul also noted other market drivers, including rising HOA assessments as buildings require new roofs and higher replacement costs generally.

Raider told the board he had made only one improvement — an upright fence on the front porch — and that the basement remains unfinished. He said he understands land values rise but questioned the magnitude and speed of the improvement-side increase.

The board did not announce a decision at the hearing. The record includes the petitioner’s statements about purchase timing and the county’s explanation that sales-comparison data and differences in basement finish among units drove much of the assessed increase.

The matter is an administrative appeal under Indiana Code chapter IC 6-1.1 and will be resolved under the board’s standard process for valuation appeals.