In a recent article, CNNMoney.com listed the Back Mountain as one of the 25 best places in the U.S. for affordable homes.

“Want to retire near the water, but without paying premium prices for a home? Residents who buy real estate in these towns see their incomes go the furthest,” the article states. The Back Mountain region is ranked 20th out of 25, between Bismarck, N.D., and South Windsor, Conn.

Back Mountain officials agree the region is rich in amenities, such as good schools, lots of recreational activities, a small-town atmosphere and low crime rate. But some of them wondered about the “affordable” tag, when property values are currently in a state of uncertainty due to reassessment.

Jackson Township supervisor chairman John J. Wilkes Jr. said he was “shocked” to hear about the Back Mountain’s place on the list. Not because it isn’t a great place to live, because it is, he said.

But homes in the Back Mountain are “outrageously priced,” and there are flaws in Luzerne County’s recent reassessment, Wilkes said. He said homes have become larger and more upscale, so they require two incomes to buy and maintain.

“It ranks right up there if you’re talking about lifestyles and neighborhoods and things like that,” Wilkes said. “But affordable housing — I can’t understand that. I’d really like to know the source of this study.”

Matthew Polevoy, associate producer of audience development for CNNMoney.com, said the information came from Onboard Informatics, a real estate data provider. The article also states a consultant, Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, was brought in to crunch the numbers.

The reaction was different from Greater Wilkes-Barre Association of Realtors President-Elect Michael Johnson, who is executive vice president of the commercial and insurance division for Lewith and Freeman Real Estate.

“I’m not at all surprised by this,” he said. “The cost of housing in this area, not just the Back Mountain, is much lower than in other areas throughout the country.”

The Back Mountain boasts assets such as Harveys Lake, Lake Silkworth, Frances Slocum State Park, four golf courses, close proximity to the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, and two institutions of higher education: Misericordia University and Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

“We at Kingston Township, being a part of the Back Mountain, are very flattered and excited to be named one of CNN Money’s top 25 places to live,” Kingston Township Manager Kathleen Sebastian said. “We are close enough yet far enough away from any amenity one could think of. We feel our area is beautiful, and the perfect place to live and raise a family.”

The CNNMoney.com article notes that: “In addition to waterfront housing at Harveys Lake, other developments offer proximity to country clubs and golf courses: A newly-constructed four-bedroom home with a golf course view at the private Newberry Estates costs about $400,000. The region boasts three hospitals within 10 miles.”

The housing market is also relatively stable, Johnson noted. From Jan. 1, 2007, to Sept. 15, 2007, the median home price in the Back Mountain was $175,000, he said. During the same period this year, Jan. 1 to Sept. 15, it’s $173,738, which he said is about even.

“We’ve not seen the drop in real estate values as in other areas, because we haven’t had the drastic swing,” he said.

Harveys Lake Council President Larry Lucarino questioned whether the borough should make the CNNMoney.com list since reassessment has changed property values.

“Not at this time, with this reassessment. Everybody’s very upset,” he said. “As far as affordable homes, unless they pay what the assessment is going to be — people are not happy.”

Some property values increased from almost nothing to more than $400,000, Lucarino said as an example.

“We have to see where the assessment comes out. But as far as affordable, I don’t know,” Lucarino said. “Come out and look around. Some people have signs up. If they could get that for their homes, they’d sell today.”

Johnson admitted Harveys Lake is “something of an anomaly right now” regarding property values, and will be until the reassessment issue is ironed out. Until the tax issues are resolved by appeal, it might be hard to sell properties in the borough, he said.

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com,