Q. I purchased my home in 2005 with a mortgage loan of $151,000 and a 5.375  interest rate. I currently owe about $143,000.

Last year, my tax assessment valued my house at $146,000. This year, it's $89,100. I realize that I'll pay less in taxes, but in terms of maintaining the property's value, this can't be good for me or the neighborhood. Should I appeal to get it raised?

A. No, you shouldn't try to get your get your assessment raised, for two reasons.

The first is that your assessment—and those of your neighbors—probably is fair. The Board of Assessors in your County, which oversaw your assessment, says 95% of the notices sent out this year showed a decrease in value, chiefly because of the economy. The only ones that showed increases were new or renovated.

That said, because tax assessments are done on a massive scale, they frequently come in lower than the privately contracted appraisals used to buy or refinance homes. So don't assume that an assessment of $89,100 necessarily means that your home would appraise or sell for the same amount.

The second reason is that challenging your assessment probably isn't in your best interest financially. And that's not because lower assessments automatically translate into lower tax bills. Often taxing authorities raise the millage rate—that is, the rate that's multiplied by your taxable assessed value to determine your tax bill—when the housing market falters and assessments go down. That way, homeowners' tax bills remain fairly consistent from year to year, while local governments collect enough revenue to meet their budgets. Should you succeed in getting your assessment raised significantly, and the millage rate goes up too your tax bill could skyrocket.

Of course, I'm not advocating ignoring your assessment. On the contrary, check it carefully every year as soon as it arrives, just to ensure there's no factual errors in room counts, square footage and other factors that go into its calculation.

Keep in mind, there are additional ways to lower your tax bill significantly. If you haven't already done so, apply for a homestead exemption – that is, a reduction in the assessed value that some tax authorities allow for a person's principal residence

It's upsetting to be told that your home is worth much less than you owe on it. Since the drop is so dramatic, consider contacting your lender to see if you qualify for a loan modification or restructuring.

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If the money being thrown around is any indication, that's just the tip of the slowly melting iceberg. Cleantech Group, an industry research firm, reports venture capital investment in clean technology--including solar, biofuels, batteries and the smart grid--overtook IT and biotech for the biggest piece of the VC pie. The sector swiped 27 percent of all investment dollars in the third quarter--that's $1.6 billion.

Beware of overpricing

Homes sell at a price a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to accept. If a home is priced too low, priced under the competition, the seller should recieve multiple offers to drive up the price to market value. So there is little danger in pricing a home too low.  The danger lies in pricing it too high and selecting agent soley on opinion of value.

Here is a typical scenario when sellers pick the agent who advertises a higher list price.

Seller has been through 2 agents and the house has been on the market for

12 months. By the time the third agent was hired the seller had grown weary and exhausted. The original list price was $1,300,000 and by agent 2 dropped to $900,000. The seller and 3rd agent priced the home at $695,000.

It immediately sold for cash. The sad part is the comparable sales in the neighborhood fully justified a price of $835,000, but the home had been on the market for too long at the wrong price, and now the market had softened.