Sales Validation Codes Dictionary

ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENT

Sale validation codes are used to indicate whether or not a sale price was representative of current market value. They are subjective and are assigned
by the Allegheny County Office of Property Assessments as sales are reviewed. The assigned code may change as additional information is discovered,
but typically they do not change once set.

The purpose of sale validation codes is primarily for use by Pennsylvania's Tax Equalization Division (TED), formerly the State Tax Equalization Board
(STEB). TED annually determines the aggregate market value of taxable real estate property in each political subdivision and school district throughout
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They also establish a common level ratio of assessed value to market value for each county for the prior calendar
year. All sales in Allegheny County are reported to TED for this purpose as required per state law.

Valid sales indicate that the sale price was judged to be representative of the current market value. These sales are often referred to as “arm's length”
transactions.

Validity Group Code Code Description Additional Description

Undetermined AA SALE NOT ANALYZED Pending review. Determination of validity status for the sale has not yet been
made.
Valid Sale 0 VALID SALE Review found that sale was valid.
Valid Sale U OTHER VALID Preliminary review found that sale was valid.
Valid Sale UR OTHER VALID Preliminary review found that sale was valid.
Invalid Sale 1 SHERIFF SALE These sales usually include all sales from the Sheriff, Tax Claim Bureau and
other forced sales. These sales are often made in lieu of foreclosure and are
not exposed to the open market.
Invalid Sale 32 COURT ORDERED SALE These sales may include all sales from Tax Claim Bureaus and other forced
sales, including sales pursuant to judicial order. These sales are often made in
lieu of foreclosure and are not exposed to the open market.
Invalid Sale 2 CITY TREASURER SALE Sales to or from any governmental agency or public utility are usually invalid.
These sales include but are not limited to schools, municipal buildings, or
former utility buildings and rights-of-way. Sales to government agencies can
involve an element of compulsion and often occur at prices higher than would
Validity Group Code Code Description Additional Description
otherwise be expected. When the governmental agency is the seller, values
typically fall on the low end of the value range.
Invalid Sale GV GOVERNMENT SALE Sales to or from any governmental agency or public utility are usually invalid.
These sales include but are not limited to schools, municipal buildings, or
former utility buildings and rights-of-way. Sales to government agencies can
involve an element of compulsion and often occur at prices higher than would
otherwise be expected. When the governmental agency is the seller, values
typically fall on the low end of the value range.
Invalid Sale 3 LOVE AND AFFECTION Sales between close relatives (parents, children, aunts, uncles, nephews,
SALE nieces, and grandparents) are usually non-open-market transactions. Family
transfers often have a sale price of $1 or $10.
Invalid Sale 6 CHANGED AFTER SALE The physical characteristics of the property have changed significantly so that
the current value is not representative of the value at the time of sale.
Invalid Sale 9 OTHER INVALID SALES The appraiser feels the sale should be invalid, but the reason does not fall into
INDICATED any of the listed categories.
Invalid Sale 13 EXEMPT BUYER OR Sales to or from any charitable/religious/educational institution or other tax
SELLER exempt agency are usually invalid. These sales can include but are not limited
to churches and hospitals. A sale to such an organization can involve an
element of philanthropy, and a sale by such an organization can involve a
nominal consideration or restrictive covenants. These sales often involve
partial gifts and therefore are generally not representative of market value.
Invalid Sale 14 TIME ON MARKET Sales of properties that have been actively listed on the market too long, not
(INSUFF/EXCESS) long enough, or not at all may not represent market value. Actively listed
usually means listed with a realtor or other real estate professional. The
typical marketing time is dependent upon local factors and may be longer in a
depressed market.
Invalid Sale 16 BUILDING NOT YET Sales where the sale price includes the improvement (building) but the
ASSESSED assessment office has not yet assessed the new construction.
Invalid Sale 19 INCLUDES PERSONAL Sales that include equipment or personal property are invalid unless the
PROPERTY consideration paid for the real estate is set forth separately.
Invalid Sale 27 NO ASSESSED Sale of Property conveyed only a portion of the assessed unit and/or had no
VALUATION Assessed Value at time of Transfer, i.e. Subdivisions, Splits or Cut-offs.
Validity Group Code Code Description Additional Description
Invalid Sale 33 SALE OF PREVIOUS Resale of a foreclosed property below market value. Usually a bank is the
FORECLOSURE - INVALID seller.
Invalid Sale 34 SHORT SALE - INVALID Sale was for less than market value, with the mortgage holder's consent, in
order to mitigate losses. Often done in order to avoid foreclosure.
Invalid Sale 35 CORPORATION Sales between Corporate Affiliates are usually non-open-market transactions
TRANSFER involving business considerations not related to the real estate. Acquisitions
or Divestments are transfers between related corporate entities. For
example, if the buyer and seller have the same mailing address on record
then they likely are affiliates. Sales between related entities will be invalid
because they would be considered corporate affiliates.
Invalid Sale 36 QUIT CLAIM / SPECIAL Sales in which title is in doubt tend to be below market value. When a sale is
WARRANTY made on other than a warranty deed, there is a question of whether the title
is merchantable. Deeds of doubtful title include but are not limited to Special
Warranty Deeds, Bargain & Sale Deed, and Quit Claim Deeds.
Invalid Sale 37 ESTATE SALE A conveyance by an executor or trustee under powers granted in a will may
not represent fair market value, particularly if the sale takes place soon after
the will has been filed and admitted to probate in order to satisfy the
decedent’s debts or the wishes of an heir.
Invalid Sale 99 CORRECTIVE DEED / A sale of a property that occurs more than once in the same calendar year, or
DUPLICATE SALE a transfer of property done for the sole purpose of correcting defects in the
title. These sales usually have no consideration.
Invalid Sale BK BANK/FINANCIAL Property transfers where the financial institution is the grantee (buyer) could
INSTITUTION be in lieu of foreclosure and are most likely a forced sale. These sales are
often not exposed to the open market. The majority of the sales in which the
financial institution is the grantor (seller) are properties that were formerly
foreclosed on by the financial institution. These sales typically are on the low
side of the value range because the financial institution is highly motivated to
sell and may be required by banking regulations to remove the property from
its books. The longer the property is carried on the books by the financial
institution, the lower the asking price is likely to be.
Invalid Sale DT DATE OF TRANSFER The date of execution of a deed is the date of sale. As long as the document is
(RECORD YR <> SALE YR) recorded in the same calendar year, the sale is valid. However, if the date of
Validity Group Code Code Description Additional Description
execution is in a different year than it is recorded, the sale should be
considered invalid.
Invalid Sale H MULTI-PARCEL SALE These are sales which include additional side lots to a primary residence or
when multiple lots are sold together on one deed with one consideration.
These sales will generally be considered invalid because it is often impossible
to determine the actual consideration paid for any single parcel. The sale
price indicates the total price paid for a group of parcels, not just for one
parcel.
Invalid Sale N NOT APPLICABLE Conveyances of certain types of personal property are not considered sales of
real estate.
Invalid Sale PA PREFERENTIAL ASMT The sale of properties which include special tax abatement programs will
generally be considered invalid. These include any parcel receiving Special or
Preferred Assessments (i.e. Clean and Green, Lerta, KOZ, TIF, PILOT, etc.)
Discontinued Codes all other OTHER These are formerly used codes that have been discontinued. If any occur they
codes should be considered invalid. (UX, VB, VH, 0X, 50, PX, X, XX, YY, Z, 21, 24, 25,
26, 28, 29, 4, 5, 7, 8, S, V, ND)