Janesville board reduces assessment for 3717 Blue Wing Place to $651,800

The Janesville Board of Review voted unanimously to approve an amended assessment for the property at 3717 Blue Wing Place owned by Christopher Angstrom, reducing the total assessed value to $651,800.

Board members accepted the assessor’s recommendation to remove an unfinished portion of the basement from the assessed living area, which the assessor said reduces the improvements by $81,800. The assessor presented a mass-appraisal analysis and a cost-based model calibrated to 2022 construction and sale data to justify the revised assessment.

Angstrom testified that he believed the original assessment overstated value and told the board he thought the property was “approximately 200,000 over assessed.” He submitted an appraisal showing a $620,000 market value and requested a $520,000 assessment. Assessor Heather Hassler summarized the city’s work, saying the office used the Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual and a maintenance-level mass appraisal for 2025, and that where data showed the basement finish was not in place, the office would remove 886 square feet of finished basement living area, 424 square feet of recreation area and one full bath — a change Hassler said would lower the improvement value by $81,800.

Hassler explained the office’s methods: “The valuation hierarchy is tier 1, arms length sale of the subject… tier 2 based on comparison to properly adjusted arms length sales… or tier 3, all other accepted techniques, primarily the cost and income methods.” She said the assessor reconciled to a tier 3, market-modified cost approach for uniformity and consistency with the city’s revaluation policy.

Board discussion focused on whether the assessor’s data and the owner’s appraisal, and the comparable properties cited by Angstrom, supported the adjustment. Assessors and staff said the subject property’s higher construction grade and a recent comparable sale supported the office’s valuation; Angstrom and his counsel disputed the grade and the size of the adjustment. The assessor noted that an on-site verification and an open-book appointment would allow the office to confirm finishes and other attributes.

After deliberation the board moved to adopt the assessor’s amended assessment — land $52,900, improvements $598,900, total $651,800 — and approved the motion by voice vote, 4-0. The clerk will send written notice of the board’s determination by certified mail. The assessor’s office said it plans to schedule an in-person field review to verify basement finish and other details if the property owner requests a meeting.

The decision amends the assessor’s earlier value (the assessor’s summary packet listed an assessed total of $733,600 before the corrections) and records the assessor’s planned data corrections to the property record card.