Market values of homes are skyrocketing and higher property
tax bills are soon to follow. Prepare now to knock your property taxes back
down to earth.
What is happening
Property
taxes typically lag the market. In bad times, the value of your home goes
down, but the property tax is slow to show this reduction. In good times,
property values go up and higher property taxes are sure to follow.
To
make matters worse, you can now only deduct up to $10,000 in taxes on your
federal tax return. That figure includes all taxes – state income, property
and sales taxes combined! Here are some suggestions to help reduce your
property tax burden.
What you can do
Challenge
the assessed value on your property as soon as you get the notice of value.
Unfortunately, most of us go unprepared to these meetings. Here are some
ideas to successfully reduce your home’s appraised value.
Do some homework to
understand the approval process to get your property revalued. It is
typically outlined on your property tax statement.
Understand the deadlines and
adhere to them. Most property tax authorities have strict deadlines. Miss
one deadline by a day and you are out of luck.
Do some research BEFORE
you call your assessor. Talk to neighbors and honestly assess the amount of
disrepair your property may be in versus other comparable properties in
your neighborhood. Call a few real estate professionals. Tell them you
would like a market review of your property. Try to choose a professional
that will not overstate the value of your home hoping to get a listing, but
will show you comparable sales for your area. Then find comparable sales in
your area to defend a lower valuation.
Look at your property
classification in the detailed description of your home.
Often times errors in this code can overstate the value of your home. For
example, if you live in a condo that was converted from an apartment, the
property’s appraised value could still be based on a non-owner occupied
rental classification. Armed with this information, approach the assessor
seeking first to understand the basis of the appraisal.
Ask for a review of
your property. Position your request for a review based on your research.
Do not fall into the assessor trap of defending your review request without
first having all the information on your property. Meet the assessor with a
specific value in mind. Assessors are used to irrational arguments, so a
reasonable approach is often readily accepted.
While
going through this process remember to be aware of the pressure these
taxing authorities are under. This understanding can help temper your
position and hopefully put you in a better position to have your case
heard.
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