How to Appeal a Real Estate Tax Bill
The National Tax Payer's Union reports that as many as 60 percent of all homes are over assessed when it comes to computing your property taxes. It's easy to see why with today's economy and falling prices. Assessors are hard-pressed to properly assess a home's value and the taxes associated with it.
Fortunately, you can check your tax bill and help the assessor with any errors so you don't pay more than you should.
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Instructions
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Correcting the obvious and appealing the decisions
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Look closely at your property assessment. Is the address correct? Are you being credited with the proper amount of square footage and improvements? Is the age of the house correct? You can check these figures easily with a trip to your local assessor's office. In the United States, the assessor's office is usually found at the county court house.
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Research local housing markets. Find out the sale price of recently sold houses in your neighborhood. This will be a great indication of whether your house is over assessed.
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Use your recent property appraisal, if you've applied for a home equity loan or mortgage. If your property has recently had a professional appraisal, this would be evidence that your house is over valued on the assessment.
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Take your proof to the county assessor's office. If there's a glaring error, just bringing it to the assessor's attention can get the matter corrected. If he doesn't find in your favor, be prepared to file an appeal. Your local assessor's office will have the procedures available if you need to go that route.
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Tips & Warnings
There are usually time frames in which to appeal your property tax such as 30 days from date bill was mailed.
