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Board upholds assessor value for unfinished hillside home after site review
Summary
The board affirmed a 2025 assessment of $331,778 for Philip Summers’ unfinished custom hilltop house in Fairbanks after assessors re-evaluated incompletion percentage to 45%. Appellant argued the house had not been worked on for five years; assessors and board members cited inspection notes and comparable complete sales.
Philip A. Summers appealed his 2025 assessed value for an unfinished custom-quality hillside dwelling (3,442 sq ft living area with attached garage). Summers told the board he has not completed work on the house for about five years and that the assessment increases since 2021 felt excessive. He argued the house remains unfinished and not habitable because it lacks completed water, sewer, interior finishes and other systems.
Assessor appraiser Pam (assessor’s office) explained how the borough uses a standard incompletion chart to value unfinished properties. The assessor originally estimated the house was 35% complete, met with the owner and revised that estimate several times after discussions and a field inspection; the final borough determination was 45% incomplete (meaning a 55% completion factor applied to the replacement cost). Pam presented three comparable completed single-family sales and the assessor’s cost-based estimate for a finished structure; after applying the incompletion factor the assessor arrived at a 2025 assessed total of $331,778 (land $44,003.55; improvements $287,423).
Board members reviewed the incompletion tables during the session and asked detailed questions about what systems and finishes were in place (hydronic heating and boiler present, rough electrical, tanks installed but not hooked up, no finished interior flooring/cabinets). Several board members noted the appellant bears the burden of proof; board members also said the assessor’s field inspection and the completed incompletion chart supported the borough’s number. The board voted to uphold the assessor’s 2025 value.
Ending The board will issue written findings and conclusions and mail them to Summers and the assessor; assessing staff said they will correct any clerical items (e.g., GLA notes) in next year’s roll if needed.
