Spring has sprung in Chester County, and with it comes a crucial window for property owners: Property Tax Appeal season! If you own property, now's the time to pay attention, because Annual Property Tax Appeals can only be filed from May 1st through the first business day in August each year. This is your opportunity to review your assessment and ensure it accurately reflects your property's value.

Property taxes are a significant source of revenue for our county, municipalities, and school districts, directly funding essential services like public safety, education, and human services. If you believe your property's assessment isn't fair, Pennsylvania law gives you the right to appeal.

Why Your Chester County Property Assessment Might Be Outdated (Even for New Construction!)

Did you know Chester County hasn’t had a countywide property reassessment since 1998? That’s right—your property's value for tax purposes is likely still based on market conditions from over two decades ago. Unless you’ve added new construction or significant improvements that triggered an interim assessment, your tax assessment might be seriously out of step with today’s market.

The last full reassessment became effective in 1998. Since then, property values have shifted dramatically due to inflation, changing neighborhoods, and broader market trends—but your fundamental assessment might remain unchanged.

Even if you've recently built a new structure or made significant improvements that led to an interim assessment, these new values can still be challenged. This is because those interim adjustments are calculated using the existing (and often outdated) assessment methodology. If you feel your assessment doesn’t reflect your property’s actual value in today's market, you have the right to challenge it.

Understanding Assessments and Appeals

Simply put, your assessment is the value Chester County assigns to your property for tax purposes, used to calculate your tax bill alongside the millage rate set by various local authorities.

An interim assessment happens when you make certain improvements that increase your property's value, like building an addition or a new pool. These adjustments are usually effective the month after completion, and you'll receive a notice detailing the change.

If you don't agree with your property's assessment or the effective date of an interim assessment, you have the right to appeal to the Chester County Board of Assessment Appeals.

There are two main types of appeals:

1. Annual Appeal: You can challenge your total assessment each year.
2. The filing window for Annual Appeals is specifically from May 1st through the first business day in August. It’s important to know that your assessment may be lowered, raised, or stay the same after an appeal. If successful, the change takes effect for the following tax year.
3. Interim Appeal: You can challenge an assessment increase due to new construction or improvements.
4. These must be filed within forty days of receiving your Assessment Change Notice. If successful, the change is effective from the date of the interim assessment.

There's a processing fee for each appeal (check the county website for current amounts), payable to the Chester County Treasurer. You'll need to obtain specific appeal forms by calling the Assessment Office or visiting their website – remember they need to be printed and mailed, not faxed or emailed.

At the appeal hearing, you'll have the chance to present information supporting your opinion of value, such as recent appraisals or sales data for similar properties. The Board will then determine a fair market value for your property.

What If You Disagree After the Appeal?

If you're not satisfied with the Board's decision, you can take your appeal to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days. For details on that process, you'd contact the Chester County Law Library or the Prothonotary's Office.

Have Questions About Your Property Assessment or Considering an Appeal?

Navigating the property tax appeal process can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to go it alone. While Trago Realty cannot guarantee specific results for any appeal, we're here to help you understand your property's market value in today’s Chester County landscape.

We'd be happy to talk through your situation with you on a one-on-one basis, review your assessment, and point out any potential red flags or opportunities.

Call Trago Realty today for a personalized conversation about your property's assessment!

Disclaimer: All property tax and assessment information is based on publicly available sources, including the Chester County Assessment Office (Chesco.org), the Pennsylvania State Tax Equalization Board (STEB), and the West Goshen Township’s 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. This information is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or real estate advice. Individual circumstances vary, and real estate decisions should be based on professional guidance tailored to your specific situation. Please contact Trago Realty or your real estate agent to discuss your particular situation and/or needs.

April is recognized as National Fair Housing Month—a time to reflect on the ideals of fairness and equal access to housing. At the time this blog post was written in 2025, federally, there are seven protected classes under the Fair Housing Act (US Dept. of HUD: https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/fair-housing-act-overview): race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, and disability.

In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) extends protections even further, covering up to 12 classes, including (PA Dept of Community & Economic Development Fair Housing In PA: https://dced.pa.gov/housing-and-development/fair-housing/):

• Race
• Color
• Sex
• Religious creed
• Ancestry
• National origin
• Disability
• Age (but only 40 years and older)
• Use of a guide or support animal
• Pregnancy
• Familial status
• Retaliation

One area that may deserve more exploration is age. Under current Pennsylvania law, individuals under the age of 40 may not be protected from housing discrimination based solely on age. This raises an interesting question:

Should adults aged 18 and older be protected under state law in the same way those 40 and older are?

Especially when it comes to housing access for college students and young renters, this question might become even more relevant.

🎓 Student Rental Permits: A Policy Worth Reconsidering?

Municipalities such as West Chester Borough—home to West Chester University—enforce policies like student rental permitting. While such policies may be intended to maintain neighborhood balance or control density, they might also create certain unintended consequences that disproportionately affect student renters and the broader rental market.

For example:

• These policies could create an artificially limited supply of student rental housing.
• Rents might become inflated due to scarcity.
• Students—most of whom are legal adults—may find themselves restricted from renting in areas based solely on matriculation status.
• Landlords who do not hold a student rental permit may be unable to lease their homes to qualified student tenants.
• Permit holders may have fewer incentives to improve property conditions due to demand outpacing supply.

Of course, not all municipalities enforce these policies in the same way, and not all students experience housing insecurity. But in some markets, the cumulative effect may be driving up costs while limiting options for both tenants and property owners.

🎓 Are Housing Costs Fueling the Student Loan Crisis?

While much of the national conversation around student loan debt focuses on tuition, it may be worth considering how rising housing costs—especially in college towns—may also be contributing to the student debt burden. In municipalities with restricted student housing options or limited permit availability, rental prices for student-eligible properties can become inflated due to high demand and constrained supply.

When landlords are able to charge a premium for properties with student rental permits, it’s possible that students are absorbing those higher costs—often with financial aid, federal student loans or private student loans. In these scenarios, students aren’t just borrowing to pay for books and classes; they may also be borrowing to afford rent that’s been elevated by municipal regulation or market distortion.

This pattern could be one of several factors that contribute to the ongoing student loan crisis:

• Students may borrow more to afford off-campus housing in restricted rental markets.
• Limited competition due to permit caps or zoning regulations could prevent market-driven pricing.
• Long-term financial impacts might follow students into adulthood, as they pay interest not only on their education—but also on the basic cost of living.

While more data is needed to draw direct correlations, it’s worth examining whether housing policies that limit student access to rentals are inadvertently encouraging greater reliance on debt—and whether that reliance might be quietly exacerbating the student loan crisis.

🏛️ A Legislative Perspective: HB 809 & HB 121

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania have proposed pieces of legislation that may help to address some of these housing challenges for students.

🔓 HB 809 – Preempting Municipal Bans on Student or Unrelated Individual Housing

View Memo →
Introduced by Rep. Susan Helm (R-104), HB 809 proposed limiting the authority of local governments to prohibit the occupation of a dwelling by students or unrelated individuals. The bill suggests that:

• Matriculation status (i.e., being a student) should not be grounds for exclusion.
• Housing arrangements should not be restricted solely because the tenants are unrelated.
• Reasonable criteria—like parking availability, occupancy limits, and code compliance—should guide decisions, rather than assumptions about who the tenants are.

Helm noted that municipalities may have valid concerns about health, safety, or quality of life—but targeting individuals based on their student status or relationship structure may not be the most equitable solution.

This proposal might offer a more consistent, statewide approach to housing policy while still allowing municipalities to address legitimate issues through neutral standards.

🛠️ HB 121 – A Student Tenant Bill of Rights

View Memo →
Introduced by Rep. Joe Ciresi (D-146), HB 121 aims to support student renters by requiring:

• The PA Department of Education to create a Student Tenant Bill of Rights.
• A one-time online course on tenant rights, safety standards, and common landlord-tenant issues.
• Colleges and universities to share these materials with students before or during their move to off-campus housing.

The idea here is that when students are equipped with practical knowledge, they may be more prepared to identify unsafe housing conditions or unfair treatment. If implemented effectively, this could contribute to better outcomes for both student renters and landlords.

💬 A Perspective on Fairness, Choice & Property Rights

From a broader perspective, policies that limit who can live where—based on age, student status, and/or family structure—may deserve deeper scrutiny. Students are often legal adults, yet they may encounter barriers to housing access that older adults do not.

Likewise, property owners who wish to rent to students might face unique restrictions that affect the value or use of their real estate. In some cases, this could alter market dynamics in ways that might not benefit renters, landlords, or long-term residents.

Perhaps there’s room for policy adjustments that better balance community interests with individual rights and economic opportunity.

A Question of Perspective: Applying the Fair Housing Lens

Consider this: if you were to say the statement listed below:

"No ______ allowed to live here."

And into that blank you inserted any one of the other federally protected classes—race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, or disability—it would likely be immediately recognized as a discriminatory housing practice.

When a municipality or a landlord places restrictions specifically targeting "students", it's worth reflecting on whether this practice, while perhaps not directly analogous to discrimination based on those protected characteristics, similarly limits housing access for a specific group of adults based on their status. Viewing the policy through the lens of the Fair Housing Act's fundamental principles of equal access might lead to a different perspective on policies like student rental permitting.

📣 Final Thought: Looking Forward During Fair Housing Month

National Fair Housing Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on what fair access really means. Some questions worth asking:

• Should Pennsylvania consider adding all legal adults (18+) as a protected class under state housing law?
• Are local student rental ordinances solving the right problems, or could they be refined to avoid unintended harm?
• Could statewide policies—like those proposed in HB 809 and HB 121—help level the playing field for students and property owners alike?

These issues may not have simple answers. But asking the questions, encouraging dialogue, and supporting thoughtful legislation might be a good place to start.

If you like what you see...

✅ Sign up for our Newsletter to stay updated on next month’s market trends!

• https://www.tragorealty.com/#subscribe

✅ Explore other March 2025 Market Reports:

• Chester County Residential Real Estate Market Report
• Chester County Residential Rental Market Report
• Downingtown Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report
• West Chester Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report
• Coatesville Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report

⚠️ Disclaimer:

This blog post is intended as an opinion piece and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are encouraged to explore the resources of the Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, speak with a real estate and/or housing attorney, or contact your local elected officials for further guidance on tenant rights and housing regulations.

The old adage “Location, Location, Location” is a fundamental truth in real estate. Of course it would be, right? After all home’s location is fixed—it doesn’t change.

In this case, all of the properties analyzed are within Downingtown Borough, meaning their location is relatively the same. However, location alone doesn’t determine price. Condition is the key variable, and as the sales below illustrate, it can cause significant differences in price—even between nearly identical homes.

Group 1: Small Condition Differences, Result in a $38,000 Price Gap

Two twin homes, just 0.1 miles apart, sold at noticeably different prices, from what I can tell due to condition.

• 228 Mary St. (Slightly More Deferred Maintenance, Carpets Need to Be Replaced & Spackle/Paint may have gone a long way)
• Settled: 11/22/2024
• Price: $220,000
• Details: 3 Beds, 1 Bath, 1,162 Sq. Ft., 0.03 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $2,887

• 218 William St. (Better Condition, Less Maintenance Needed, with LVT Flooring and Paint)
• Settled: 08/01/2024
• Price: $258,000
• Details: 3 Beds, 1 Bath, 980 Sq. Ft., 0.05 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $2,756

Both homes offered similar layouts and locations, yet 218 William St. commanded $38,000 more simply because it required fewer immediate repairs.

Group 2: The Value of a Full Renovation – A $124,000 Difference

Two identical twin homes on Grant Ave—just 210 feet apart—show the financial impact of condition on pricing.

• 512 Grant Ave (Needing a "Major Rehab Needed" per the Listing's Condition Category, with NO Interior Photos Provided)
• Settled: 04/24/2024
• Price: $251,000
• Details: 3 Beds, 1.5 Baths, 1,080 Sq. Ft., 0.09 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $1,469

• 523 Grant Ave - Previously Purchased for $250,000 on 12/29/2023
• (Recently Flipped, Move-in Ready)
• Settled: 04/17/2024
• Price: $375,000
• Details: 3 Beds, 1.5 Baths, 1,080 Sq. Ft., 0.14 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $3,483

Despite having the same layout, 523 Grant Ave sold for $124,000 more because it was fully renovated, offering buyers a turn-key home with updates.

Group 3: The Power of a Flip – A $169,500 Gain in Seven Months

This property sold twice in under a year, proving how improvements directly impact market value.

• 512 E. Lancaster Ave (Pre-Renovation)
• Settled: 06/03/2024
• Price: $255,500
• Details: 3 Beds, 1 Bath, 1,626 Sq. Ft., 0.10 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $3,886
• 512 E. Lancaster Ave (Post-Renovation)
• Settled: 01/07/2025
• Price: $425,000
• Details: 4 Beds, 1.5 Baths, 1,626 Sq. Ft., 0.10 Acres
• Annual Taxes: $3,982

After undergoing renovations—including an added bedroom, half bathroom, and upgraded finishes—the property sold for $169,500 more in just seven months.

Location, Condition & Price

Every home in this analysis shares the same fundamental factor: location. However, it seems evident that prices vary based on condition. While location establishes the baseline for desirability, condition can significantly influence pricing.

Each home and situation is unique. If you're considering selling, reach out to one of our agents to discuss how, or if, your home could benefit from repairs and updates before listing.

If you like what you see...

✅ Sign up for our Newsletter to stay updated on next month’s market trends!

• https://www.tragorealty.com/#subscribe

✅ Explore other March 2025 Market Reports:

• Chester County Residential Real Estate Market Report
• Chester County Residential Rental Market Report
• Downingtown Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report
• West Chester Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report
• Coatesville Area School District Residential Real Estate Market Report

Disclaimer:
The information provided is not guaranteed, nor does the broker warrant the accuracy of the data. Results are not guaranteed, as market conditions, economic factors, interest rates, and inventory levels all play a role in the successful sale of a home. This blog post shall not be construed as a broker opinion of value or a comparative market analysis. Any statements regarding home values, pricing influences, or market trends are for informational, and entertainment, purposes only and should not be relied upon as financial, legal, or real estate advice. Buyers and sellers should consult with a licensed real estate professional for guidance specific to their situation.

Entering the realm of real estate can feel like stepping into a whirlwind, especially when deciphering signs that hold promises of opportunities and dreams. In Pennsylvania, real estate Sellers and Landlords grapple with a unique challenge—multiple telephone numbers and names crammed onto a single sign that happens to be in front of their listing. Let's delve into this practice and explore why simplicity plays a crucial role in effective marketing.

The Sign Complexity: Juggling Names and Numbers

• Real estate signs, and advertisements, in Pennsylvania legally have to include the Real Estate Brokerage Name and Telephone number.
• Agents can include their own name and telephone number, but it must not overshadow the brokerage's information in size and prominence.
• In cases involving a Real Estate Team, their name and telephone number will find space on the sign, further complicating matters.
• To illustrate, see below: 
• Brokerage Name - Telephone Number - Must
• Team Name - Telephone Number - Optional
• Agent Name - Telephone Number - Optional

The Confusion Factor: Risks of Miscommunication

• The presence of multiple names and numbers on one sign can confuse prospective buyers, leading to uncertainty about whom to contact.
• Dialing the wrong number of the three could lead to a missed connection with the seller's real estate agent, potentially redirecting the buyer's interest to another listing instead of yours.  

Effective Marketing Strategies: Embracing Simplicity

• Simplifying real estate signs to feature one sign and one number can streamline the buyer's experience, reducing confusion and ensuring direct contact with the appropriate agent.
• Clarity and accessibility hold significant value in a competitive market, fostering engagement and facilitating smooth transactions for buyers and sellers alike.

Personal Branding Dilemma: Balancing Identity with Compliance

• Some real estate agents and teams venture into creating their logos and company names that may exceed legal parameters.
• The question arises: Why not obtain a broker's license and establish an independent office if personal branding is a priority?
• Does the emphasis on personal brand overshadow the primary goal of selling or leasing your listing?

In the dynamic landscape of real estate, the inclusion of personal branding raises important considerations. While personal identity and brand recognition are valuable, they should not overshadow the core objective of effectively marketing and transacting real estate properties. Striking a balance between personal branding and compliance with legal requirements is essential to maintain professionalism and trust within the industry.

In a competitive real estate market, clarity and accessibility are paramount. By prioritizing simplicity and clear communication, we aim to make the selling and leasing experience as straightforward and rewarding as possible for our clients. Say goodbye to confusion and hello to a more efficient way of connecting buyers and tenants with your property.

Disclaimer:

The content provided in this blog post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. It should not be construed as Real Estate, Legal, Accounting, Financial, Insurance, and/or Construction advice. Each individual situation is unique, and readers are encouraged to consult the respective specialist for their specific needs.

While efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, we do not guarantee its accuracy. All information was collected from sources deemed to be reliable; however, we do not warrant the accuracy of that information. Readers are advised to conduct their own research and verification before making any decisions or taking actions based on the content of this blog post.

https://tragorealty.com/