In April there has been some good activity in the Fox Run real estate market.

As already mentioned in the previous newsletter, one house sold on Brochardt. One more house sold on Sauer Point Lane and one sold on Comblain Road. Two houses on Whispering Hills Lane are pending.

Having said that, there are quite few houses that are still on the market and we have four new listings: two on Comblain Road, and two on Fox Dale Lane, for a total of 20 active listings as of end of April.

Lately, however, the most concerning thing for many Fox Run residents, has been the Knox County notice of appraisal from the Property Assessor.

What is so concerning about it for a lot of us, including myself, is the fact that we have seen the appraisal of our property

been increased to unrealistic values. Some of us have received a notice of appraisal for more than $100,000 over the fair market value of our property. For fairness, it should be said that while the County appraised values are often really high, the Assessor may lower the tax rate and the end result is not a large difference in tax dollars for many.

If you think the appraisal of your house is unfair, I would suggest you to exercise your option to appeal. The first step in preparing for an appeal, may be to have a real estate professional give you a Comparable Market Analysis. It is usually free and it will give you an idea of the fair market value of your house. In fact, if it is true that for most of us the appraisal was indeed way too high, it is also true that for others, fortunately, was very close if not below the market value of the property. And that is what we want: to pay taxes for

the equity we own, not for a perceived value determined without specific knowledge of our property.

A further step to consider is to have your house appraised from a certified appraiser. Usually an appraisal costs around $350.

For the actual appeal, you will need to schedule a hearing with an Appraiser of the Knox County Property Assessor's Office, or complete the inquiry form that is located online at the top of the page of the Knox County website: www.knoxcounty.org/prop

erty. Remember to support your appeal with your CMA, your appraisal and any pertinent documentation.

In case the appeal process does not produce the desired results, you will be given the possibility of going further (see details on the County Website).

In this newsletter we are going to take a look at another neighboring subdivision: Saddle Ridge.

Saddle Ridge is a very nice subdivision, with

263 lots and houses in a price range from $300,000 to $750,000. The neighborhood includes a community swimming pool, a clubhouse, two tennis courts, and a kids playground.

The public school system is zoned to Farragut Primary, Intermediate, Middle, and Hardin Valley Academy.

As of end of April there are 17 active listings, in a price range from $314,000 -$699,900. The size of these homes ranges from 3,100 to 6,735 square feet.

In the past year (since March 2008) 12 listings closed in Saddle Ridge

Average listing price $477,238. Average closing price $456,825. Average size 4578 sqft. Average price/sqft is $100.

This price per square foot is comparable to the price per square foot of listings

that closed in Fox Run and in Andover Place in the past year.

In the next newsletter we will take a look at another subdivision in our area: Fox Den.

If you have any questions or if you would like more information on listings, please feel free to call me at 865 548 5926 or drop me an email at dcambie@yahoo.com.

So far, I received a lot of good feedback, thank you!