TESTIMONY

• MY NAME IS JOE CORLETT, A RESIDENT OF BOISE, IDAHO
• I AM A CERTIFIED GENERAL REAL ESTATE APPRAISER IN IDAHO AND OREGON. I AM ALSO AN MAI MEMBER OF THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE. I HAVE BEEN IN THE APPRAISAL BUSINESS 26 YEARS.
• I AM TESTIFYING IN GENERAL SUPPORT OF S.1938 FOR IMPROVING CONSISTENCY AND FAIRNESS IN APPRAISAL APPLICATIONS ON FEDERALLY LEASED CABIN SITES.
• MY SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE IS WITH THE CABIN TRACTS ON PETTIT LAKE, IDAHO, WHERE I ACTED AS THE SECOND APPRAISER AFTER THE ORIGINAL GOVERNMENT APPRAISER VALUED THE NATURAL, NATIVE SITES AT A MINIMUM OF $450,000 TO A MAXIMUM OF $600,000.
• ACCORDING TO MY ANALYSIS, THE NATURAL AND NATIVE SITES HAD MINIMUM VALUES OF $83,000 TO A MAXIMUM VALUE OF $212,000.
• IN MY OPINION, ERRORS WERE MADE IN THE GOVERNMENT'S APPRAISAL BY CONSIDERING IMPROVED LEASEHOLD SALES THAT HAD OCCURRED IN THE TRACTS, BY NOT RECOGNIZING EXTERNAL FACTORS CREATED BY THE PRE-EXISTING, NON-CONFORMING USES OF THE CABINS IN A COUNTY THAT ZONES THIS AREA FOR MINIMUM SITE SIZES OF TEN ACRES. (EXAMPLE: 6-STORY BUILDING ON 3-STORY SITE).
• ALSO, CABIN OWNERS DEVELOPED THE TRACTS WITHOUT GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE. ACCORDING TO APPRAISAL INSTRUCTIONS, ALL IMPROVEMENTS ON AND TO THE LAND PLACED BY THE LESSEES ARE TO BE EXCLUDED. IN MY OPINION, THE INCENTIVES DUE TO THE LESSEES WERE INCLUDED IN THE GOVERNMENT APPRAISAL.
• A RECENT SALE OF AN IMPROVED CABIN SITE WITH AN 854 SQUARE FOOT, GOOD QUALITY RESIDENCE SOLD FOR $430,000 TO A LOCAL REAL ESTATE BROKER IN AN ARMS-LENGTH TRANSACTION, FURTHER SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT'S OVER-VALUATION.
• INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED TO ME THROUGH REGION 4 VIA A MEMORANDUM FROM CHIEF APPRAISER TITTMAN WERE, IN MY OPINION, CONTRARY TO ORIGINAL WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS. I WAS INSTRUCTED, VIA THE MEMO, NOT TO USE A SUBDIVISION APPROACH, AND TO CONSIDER LEASEHOLD CABIN SALES. I HAVE ATTACHED THE MEMORANDUM, PRELIMINARY REVIEW AND MY RESPONSE REGARDING THESE ISSUES.
• I AM AVAILABLE FOR YOUR QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF PROVIDING THIS TESTIMONY.