High Personal Property Tax? What You Can Do About It
Posted on: 4 September 2019
When you receive the annual tax assessment for your home you probably simply look at it, breathe a heavy sigh, and finally write out the check. The price is hefty but you love your home and don't want to do anything to jeopardize your ownership. However, if it's gotten to the point where your property tax is getting higher by the year and is now so expensive that you have to borrow from friends and family just to cover it, you must start looking at alternatives. You do have recourse and one of the very best things you can do is file a property tax appeal.
Filing An Appeal Could Lower Your Tax Responsibility
Appealing your property tax assessment is all about showing that you won't take unlimited raises without some sort of explanation. If the value of your house hasn't really changed very much on the homebuying market then it stands to reason that the assessment could be a bit off. Everyone makes mistakes and it's up to you, as a savvy consumer, to catch these blunders so you aren't left with a bill that you can't afford.
If you file the appeal the assessor could reevaluate your property to make sure that the value was indeed assessed correctly. This may mean a total inspection of the property or any other number of measures. What you want is to make sure that you aren't overpaying for your property taxes. You owe it to yourself to give it a shot.
Gather Your Evidence
In order to make your case as thorough and believable as possible, you will probably need to gather your own evidence. Get the prices for comparable properties in the area and see if the value lines up with the amount listed on your property assessment. For example, look at the size of your lot, how many bedrooms and bathrooms you have along with any special features and try to find properties that are almost identical and are near your home. If the market value of those houses is listed at prices that are much lower than your own, you want to highlight this discrepancy. Just this one tidbit could be enough to prove your case and get your property tax bill reduced.
Don't take an unnecessarily high property tax bill lying down. Do your part to make sure that you are being properly assessed by filing an appeal.
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