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Property Tax Assessment Concerns
“I RECENTLY RECEIVED MY PROPERTY TAX
ASSESSMENT FOR 2006 AND THE ASSESSMENT KEEPS GETTING HIGHER EACH YEAR.
SHOULD I BE CONCERNED? AND IF SO, IS THERE ANY WAY TO APPEAL THIS
ASSESSMENT? MY PROPERTY TAXES ARE GETTING TO BE VERY EXPENSIVE.”
First of all, you should always check your
property tax assessment very carefully because assessments are, for the
most part, guesstimates at best. Most property tax assessments are based
on similar houses in similar areas (taking into account recent sales
data, square footage, number of rooms, etc.) and your home’s assessment
will more than likely vary from assessments of other houses on your
street or even your next door neighbor’s house. However, that being
said, if you’re in an area in which the real estate market and housing
prices have softened over the last year and your assessment came back
higher than last year, you’re assessment may be incorrect.
Fortunately, local jurisdictions give you the opportunity to appeal the
assessment—usually within 30 or 60 days—either in writing or, in some
cases, on the internet. If you feel your assessment is incorrect,
contact your local government and see what your options are. Your local
assessor’s office can guide you in making an appeal and can also provide
you with more specific information on how assessments are made in your
particular city or county. ∆ |
