It is very important to ask the tax assessor what homes they will use to compare yours to. You need to do this since they are looking to set you up and use those comparable choices against you. You’ll need to poke holes into their argument and show false values they may attach to those comparables. Introduce your more favorable comparable and shed a more logical light using principles found in our resource and it becomes a slam dunk.
Sometimes the tax assessor might not give you the information you have requested. If so, make or fax a written appeal to the appraisal district and get that information by way of the Freedom of Information Act. Appealing your taxes is adversarial and you need to know what information the other side is using.
Use photos to show that their homes are not comparable to yours. Then offer examples that you found for homes that are comparable to yours in location, size, quality, age and condition, etc. If there are differences, adjust dollar amounts for those differences. That way your facts win the case, hands down.
Hunt for those comparables that sold and are in your own neighborhood. Location is the most important valuation feature since different neighborhoods have different price points.
Focus on other similar features such as number of bedrooms, baths, quality and style of home, number of garages and make adjustments accordingly. The tax assessor will likely cherry pick the more expensive homes and they may have dissimilar features that you’ll need to address in your analysis.
Adjust for any difference in square footage, number of garages, etc. Make additions or subtractions to each of the comparables you have chosen for differences.
When you’re comfortable with the value conclusion you have reached, approach your tax assessor and present your case. The tax assessor not deviate from his value conclusion since they have a built in bias to stick to their figures. They are there to raise money for the town government to spend. You then have to take your case to the next level of appeal.
By winning a property tax appeal, you’ll not only save on this years taxes, but that same reduced assessment will carry on until the next blanket reassessment. A future blanket reassessment of your community may be not forthcoming for another 10 or more years. Unjust property tax valuations need to be appealed.
Get a video walk through on what to do and how to go about the process + presentation format + forms + how to step-by-step and item-by-item eBook + lifetime updates on how to petition your property taxes. Stake your claim now on to Appeal your Property Taxes!
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