5 Tips for Appealing Your Property Taxes

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Get in touch with your local tax assessment office

Your local tax collector has the necessary forms to file your appeal. Whether you visit the office in person or use the office’s website, make sure you stay long enough to check out comparable home tax valuations in your neighborhood. These are public records so don’t take “no” for answer. When you file your appeal, use at least five examples of lower property taxes in your neighborhood. (Here’s a typical local tax assessment office web page, with an appeal form.)

Try to go it alone

While you can hire a tax attorney or a real estate agent to help file your appeal, know going in that they may charge you up to 50% of your first year’s property tax reduction. So, if you save $2,000 on your property tax appeal, $1,000 will go into the pocket of your paid professional. When you handle your case, check again with your local tax assessment office – there’s likely a filing deadline that you’ll need to meet.

Leverage necessary house repairs

If your home has a leaky basement, or a crumbling dry wall, for example, that’s usually bad news. But not in the case of a tax assessment. Such home disrepair projects can actually lower the value of your home, so make sure to bring them up in your appeal.

Get a good home appraiser

You’re going to need the services of a solid home appraiser who will check out your home and report his/her findings to your local property tax office. Make sure you work hand-in-hand with your appraiser, letting him or her know about key factors like zoning issues or construction projects in your neighborhood that might reduce the value of your home. This is one area where a real estate agent can help. Call one you know and ask for a referral. Chances are, they’ll give you the appraiser’s name free of charge – it’s good business for the agents since they’ll figure you’ll use them again should you decide to sell your home.

Don’t hesitate

You’ll probably win. About 75% of all home property tax appeals are successful, and the average appeal nets homeowners around $450. Despite those numbers however, only 7% of all homeowners actually file an appeal.