45857AshfordCir.pdf
Yi Cui Petitioner V City Of Novi Respondent · 26-000900-TT
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Subject Property & Assessment Facts The subject property is a single-family residence located at 45857 Ashford Cir, Novi, MI 48374 (ZIP 48374), situated within Oakland County. The relevant assessment facts are as follows: Item Value Property Address 45857 Ashford Cir, Novi, MI 48374 Purchase Date May 23, 2025 2026 Assessed Value $390,420 2025 Assessed Value $341,680 Assessed Value Increase % 14.3% Arm's-Length Transaction Price $715,000 Assessed vs. Transaction +$65,840 (+9.2%) Above-Grade Living Area 3,370 sq ft The appellant believes that the 2026 assessed value overly estimate value of the property is higher than market value. It is 14.3% higher than 2025 assessment, which is materially higher than Oakland County house price index yearly increase of 4.15%. My argument is strengthened by my 2025 May Arm's length's transaction, which also indicates that 2026 assessment is 9.2% higher. The appellant believe the correct assessed should be $355,860. Market Home Price Index: Oakland county house price index had 4.15% growth per Federal Reserve Economy Data. 1) Data from FRED: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS26125A Zip Code Housing Price Index (From Zillow) 2) 3% yearly price increase from 12/31/2024 to 12/31/2025 2026 Tax Appealing Supporting Evidence Saturday, February 28, 2026 1:49 PM New Section 1 Page 1
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Zillow Data: https://www.zillow.com/research/data/ Detroit Metropolitan Data: 3) Market Detroit metropolitan home price index indicate a flat-to-lower (-0.7%) residential estate price from my purchasing date to 2025 year end. More detailed data in appendix. Data from FRED: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/DEXRNSA Detroit Metropolitan Area consists of following counties: Wayne County (Detroit, Dearborn, Livonia) a. Oakland County (Troy, Pontiac, Farmington Hills, Novi, Southfield) b. Macomb County (Warren, Sterling Heights) c. Livingston County d. St. Clair County e. Lapeer County f. Comparison Research: Address Transaction Price Transation Date 2025 Appraisal 2026 Appraisal Appraisal vs Transaction Recent Transaction 45857 Ashford Cir 712500 5/23/2025 341,680 390,420 109.6% Recent Transaction 24145 Windridge Ln 675000 12/22/2025 299,440 333,570 98.8% Recent Transaction 24116 Windridge Ln 728000 5/23/2025 321850 355,310 97.6% Two other properties in the same sub-division transacted last year both have their 2026 appraisal value very close to their New Section 1 Page 2
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transaction price. Also the two comparable properties have similar total transaction price to mine. Their per unit sq ft sales price premium could be justified by their better features as list below. A rough $/sq ft appraisal method is not accurate when it comes down to price variance within 10 to 15%. Similarly, 45726 Jaslyn Ln property managed to sell at 10% more $/sq ft because of its recent remodeling and maintenance effort. Address Size(sq ft) Unit Sales Price Other 45857 Ashford Cir 3370 211.4243323 24145 Windridge Ln 2933 230.1397886 finished basement with a third full bathroom and second kitchen 24116 Windridge Ln 2832 257.0621469 Finished basement. 3.5 bathroom and a second kitchen 45726 Jaslyn Ln 2978 277.0315648 new gutters in 2024, fresh exterior paint in 2024, completely remodeled kitchen with all new cabinetry, countertops and appliances, new hardwood floors throughout the first floor, and brand-new carpeting upstairs Property Specific Items The discounted unit size price for my property could be partially justified by defects & delayed maintenance effort identified by the inspection report created during sales. Executive summary of inspection report is attached. There are 56 identified defect/deficient items. Following is a selective sum of them whose repair cost could easily be thousands. Rodent Infestation: Old and Minorly Broken Windows: New Section 1 Page 3
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Damaged Bathroom Vanity: Basis for Appeal A. Statutory Definition of True Cash Value New Section 1 Page 4
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Under MCL 211.27(1), true cash value is defined as: “the usual selling price at the place where the property to which the term is applied is at the time of assessment, being the price that could be obtained for the property at private sale, and not at auction sale… or at forced sale.” The Michigan Constitution (Const 1963, art 9, §3) further requires that property be assessed at 50% of its true cash value. The assessor’s implied true cash value of $780,840 (SEV of $390,420 × 2) therefore requires justification against the private-sale evidence presented here. B. The Transaction as Market Evidence Michigan caselaw defines true cash value as “the probable price that a willing buyer and a willing seller would arrive at through arm’s length negotiation” (Huron Ridge LP v Ypsilanti Twp, 275 Mich App 23, 2007). The May 2025 transaction satisfies all three elements of an arm’s-length sale: Voluntary — no compulsion, duress, or foreclosure • Open market — property was publicly listed on the MLS with full marketing exposure • Self-interested parties — buyer and seller were unrelated and each acting in their own interest • The Michigan Tax Tribunal has held that a sale on dates fairly proximate to the relevant tax days “is of probative value as to the usual selling price” within the meaning of MCL 211.27. This sale occurred in May 2025 — directly proximate to the assessment date. The Appellant acknowledges MCL 211.27(6), which states that purchase price is not the presumptive true cash value. Accordingly, this appeal does not assert the sale price as the automatic answer. Rather, it presents the transaction as the strongest available evidence under the market/sales-comparison approach, supported by corroborating comparable sales data and market trend analysis. C. Primacy of the Sales-Comparison Approach The State Tax Commission’s own Assessor’s Manual, as affirmed in Antisdale v City of Galesburg (420 Mich 265, 1984), states: “Of all appraisal methods, the market data approach is the most direct, the best understood, and the only one directly reflecting the balance of supply and demand for a whole property in actual marketplace trading.” The mass appraisal model employed by the assessor is a statistical estimation tool used in the absence of transaction data. Here, actual transaction data exists and must be given appropriate weight. Appendix: 198.42 -> 197.12. (-0.7%) New Section 1 Page 5
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24145 Windridge Ln: https://www.redfin.com/MI/Novi/24145-Windridge-Ln-48374/home/99040801 24116 Windridge Ln: https://www.redfin.com/MI/Novi/24116-Windridge-Ln-48374/home/99040290 New Section 1 Page 6
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45726 Jaslyn Ln, Novi, https://www.redfin.com/MI/Novi/45726-Jaslyn-Ln-48374/home/99040294 New Section 1 Page 7