You'll need to find out what home the tax assessor has used for his estimate of your home's value. This is necessary in order to counter his argument for imposing his valuation by point out areas that are not similar and introducing more similar comparables that you have chosen.
Make a written request via a fax to the appraisal district. Get that information in advance so you are prepared. Show how those homes do not compare to yours. This is an adversarial confrontation and you need to be armed with the evidence that the opposition is using. The Freedom of Information Act allows you to get this information.
Use photos to prove your point. Show how the tax assessors chosen comparable is not similar to yours and how the comparables you choose are comparable. Make any adjustments you need to make for differences in location, sq. ft. size differences, condition, age of the home or similar type adjustments
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.
Look for similar features to your home such as living space square footage, similar number of baths, bedrooms, age of home, condition and style of home, swimming pool, decks and so forth. You'll be cherry picking ones that sold reflecting a lower market value while the tax assessor will likely cherry pick those with higher values. You'll need to defeat his argument and get your side of the story to look like the natural choice.
There will be differences that you need to adjust for in the comparable's that you chose. These are simple plus or minus adjustments you'll need to enter for the applicable category in order to equalize the comparable's value to your home.
After you've put together your information it will be time to make an appointment with the tax assessor. Likely, the will not budge from his position and you'll have the take it to the next level of appeal.
Even with tax cuts, towns are still asking for tax hikes and are forcing many who are on the edge into foreclosure. If you can find sales of homes for the tax year you are appealing whose market value is less than your home, you'll have savings for many years in the future. Seems like few people want to go through the work it takes to appeal their property taxes. When one looks at the money they will save over the period of time before the next blanket reassessment (which may be 10 or more years in the future), appealing an unjust property tax appeal makes more than enough sense.
Make a written request via a fax to the appraisal district. Get that information in advance so you are prepared. Show how those homes do not compare to yours. This is an adversarial confrontation and you need to be armed with the evidence that the opposition is using. The Freedom of Information Act allows you to get this information.
Use photos to prove your point. Show how the tax assessors chosen comparable is not similar to yours and how the comparables you choose are comparable. Make any adjustments you need to make for differences in location, sq. ft. size differences, condition, age of the home or similar type adjustments
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.
Look for similar features to your home such as living space square footage, similar number of baths, bedrooms, age of home, condition and style of home, swimming pool, decks and so forth. You'll be cherry picking ones that sold reflecting a lower market value while the tax assessor will likely cherry pick those with higher values. You'll need to defeat his argument and get your side of the story to look like the natural choice.
There will be differences that you need to adjust for in the comparable's that you chose. These are simple plus or minus adjustments you'll need to enter for the applicable category in order to equalize the comparable's value to your home.
After you've put together your information it will be time to make an appointment with the tax assessor. Likely, the will not budge from his position and you'll have the take it to the next level of appeal.
Even with tax cuts, towns are still asking for tax hikes and are forcing many who are on the edge into foreclosure. If you can find sales of homes for the tax year you are appealing whose market value is less than your home, you'll have savings for many years in the future. Seems like few people want to go through the work it takes to appeal their property taxes. When one looks at the money they will save over the period of time before the next blanket reassessment (which may be 10 or more years in the future), appealing an unjust property tax appeal makes more than enough sense.
About the Author:
After you find a few similar houses and added and/or subtracted your adjustment data against the amenities your home enjoys or lacks, you will have arrived at the market value of your home. Our book provides easy to use forms to make the process realistic. Get a Property Tax Appeal Help book or Property Tax Assment Appeal downloadable Kindle book.
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