Your Property Tax Appeal Questions Answered Here

[Dante]

Question: do we appeal now, or do we wait until we receive the actual assessment later in the summer, not the estimate?

Appeal now. I received my notice of assessment yesterday, and my appeal has to be sento to them by 6/21 or I lose all chances of appealing!

So what you're saying is wait to appeal until I actually receive the assessment.  Some of us received an ESTIMATE, but not the actual assessment.  I guess it makes sense not to appeal until you actually get the assessment.  Heh.

[ODB 3000]

Question: do we appeal now, or do we wait until we receive the actual assessment later in the summer, not the estimate?

what you got was the actual assessment notice.  The tax bill comes later.  You have 45 days from the assessment notice to appeal - so the answer is appeal NOW.

[ODB 3000]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

[Cap'n Ken]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

Do I face a possibility of an appeal resulting in a higher value than is listed on the current reappraisal? Like they say it's worth $50K now and I appeal saying it should be $45K but the appeal results in them examining things again and saying the actual value is $60K?

[J. Grouchy]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

Do I face a possibility of an appeal resulting in a higher value than is listed on the current reappraisal? Like they say it's worth $50K now and I appeal saying it should be $45K but the appeal results in them examining things again and saying the actual value is $60K?

Anyone know how much the county appraisal affects the actual resale value of a house?  If I successfully appeal and reduce my tax appraisal, does that necessitate adjusting my asking price downward? 

[Cap'n Ken]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

Do I face a possibility of an appeal resulting in a higher value than is listed on the current reappraisal? Like they say it's worth $50K now and I appeal saying it should be $45K but the appeal results in them examining things again and saying the actual value is $60K?

Anyone know how much the county appraisal affects the actual resale value of a house?  If I successfully appeal and reduce my tax appraisal, does that necessitate adjusting my asking price downward?

I've never viewed county appraisals as having any basis in actual market price.

[ODB 3000]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

Do I face a possibility of an appeal resulting in a higher value than is listed on the current reappraisal? Like they say it's worth $50K now and I appeal saying it should be $45K but the appeal results in them examining things again and saying the actual value is $60K?

Ken, the max they can raise you is to your 2008 value under the moratorium, so if they have lowered you since then, they cant raise you above 2008.  Since the Great Recession, I have never once had the county try to argue that their own value was too low.

[Cap'n Ken]

And should you appeal when you get a notice that your valuation has gone way down, reflecting reality?

Ken, yes, appeal - here is why.  By State law, your values have not been allowed to be higher than your 2008 value.  The moratorium expires this year.  So in 2012, look for them to start jacking up the values again.  BUT, if you appeal, whatever the value is determined to be, then you get a three year "freeze", thus extending the moratorium until 2014.  And that is the reason to appeal even if your value is low.

Do I face a possibility of an appeal resulting in a higher value than is listed on the current reappraisal? Like they say it's worth $50K now and I appeal saying it should be $45K but the appeal results in them examining things again and saying the actual value is $60K?

Ken, the max they can raise you is to your 2008 value under the moratorium, so if they have lowered you since then, they cant raise you above 2008.  Since the Great Recession, I have never once had the county try to argue that their own value was too low.

Yeah, but in this case (a Downtown condo we own that's in a heavily-foreclosed building) we're talking a drop this year from $80.6K to $48.8K and in 2008 it was probably $90K or more. I'm concerned about angering the Assessment Gods. I don't think there's a big risk that they would come back with a higher value after appeal, but wanted to float the question.

If I appeal and say it should be $48.5K instead of $48.8K, does that get me what I want?

[wthrman]

Question -- I appealed last year *successfully*.  Can I appeal again to re-set the 3-year freeze?

[T@Nk]

simply notifying the county that their record card has an error

How do I do this?

[ODB 3000]

Question -- I appealed last year *successfully*.  Can I appeal again to re-set the 3-year freeze?

yes you can.

[ODB 3000]

simply notifying the county that their record card has an error

How do I do this?

I would go in person and tell them.

[T@Nk]

simply notifying the county that their record card has an error

How do I do this?

I would go in person and tell them.

Thanks.

[The Lord of the Jungle]

I have a related procedural question:

If some information (say the # of bathrooms) is listed incorrectly on the property tax site, how do i go about requesting a change?  And will they physically have to come to my house (since they never physically came in before)?

Cheers!

If simply notifying the county that their record card has an error does not work, then a formal appeal would do it.  If the county does not fix it then, the BOE will order a "field check" to verify the data.  You do not have to let them in the home, though they may ask to verify it.  If you have an appraisal of your house when you bought it showing the beds and baths, that would probably work.  But they have no legal right to go inside, not even if the appeal is taken to court.  I am very wary of letting the county inside.

Amen.  They had us listed as a 3/2 (we're a 2/1), and when we called to notify them of the error, they wanted to come out and see all our improvements.  They subsequently modified our assessment UP (lady on the phone said - I sh*t you not - "bathrooms have no real effect on the value of the home"), whereupon we appealed and won.  Then again, this was back in about 2005, I think, and they were being a little more dickish.  I think the attitude is slightly better now.

[J. Grouchy]

I have a related procedural question:

If some information (say the # of bathrooms) is listed incorrectly on the property tax site, how do i go about requesting a change?  And will they physically have to come to my house (since they never physically came in before)?

Cheers!

If simply notifying the county that their record card has an error does not work, then a formal appeal would do it.  If the county does not fix it then, the BOE will order a "field check" to verify the data.  You do not have to let them in the home, though they may ask to verify it.  If you have an appraisal of your house when you bought it showing the beds and baths, that would probably work.  But they have no legal right to go inside, not even if the appeal is taken to court.  I am very wary of letting the county inside.

Amen.  They had us listed as a 3/2 (we're a 2/1), and when we called to notify them of the error, they wanted to come out and see all our improvements.  They subsequently modified our assessment UP (lady on the phone said - I sh*t you not - "bathrooms have no real effect on the value of the home"), whereupon we appealed and won.  Then again, this was back in about 2005, I think, and they were being a little more dickish.  I think the attitude is slightly better now.

heh...if going from a 3/2 to a 2/1 is an improvement, can i knock my whole house down and sell it for double the 'Zestimate'?