Last week we received our annual home appraisal notice from the county.
Two days later, we got the first in a
series of mailings from folks who want to help us protest that
assessment.
Some of the offers are quite elaborate, like the mailer from
Texas Protax. That company's flier, the cover of which is pictured
below, assures us that it s the "largest and most successful property
tax representation firm in Central Texas."
If we use its services, we'll
have access to its "state-of-the-art database" and assistance from staff
that have "over 200 years of combined experience" in appealing property
tax valuations.
Even better, if we don't save money on our tax bill, we don't
have to pay.
However, if we do get a break on our tax bill, 40
percent of those savings will go to Protax.
A national
process: As I noted, this was just the first such
solicitation. And we're not alone.
In addition to our neighbors getting the same come-ons, it's a
process that happens nationwide.
In Seeking
Lower Property Taxes on a House of Sinking Value in today's New
York Times, Alina Tugend writes:
It seems as if every week I get a postcard
or letter that reads something like this: "Save money by reducing your
property tax. 100 percent risk-free. No Reduction, No Risk." …
Challenging property taxes is becoming a national sport, as homeowners
contend they are paying too much as their houses decline in value. Some,
too, have lost their jobs or have seen their salaries cut and can no
longer afford their hefty property taxes.
Here in the Austin area, we aren't suffering as much as other
places with overpriced homes.
And,
based on what I've learned of recent homes sales in the area, the
Travis County appraiser looks to have done his homework this year.
Our valuation is substantially lower than last year's.
While that's a blow to the old home-owning ego, I'm definitely not
complaining.
Plus, this year's assessment is still more than what we paid
for the place five years ago and well above what we owe on our mortgage.
So
we won't be taking advantage of the offers from Texas Protax and
similar companies.
A detailed, but not impossible task:
Even
if we were so inclined to protest our property tax valuation, I'd probably take the advice that Peter Sepp,
executive vice president of the Alexandria., Va.-based National Taxpayers
Union, gave Tugend:
The appeals process is so simple that
homeowners shouldn't pay anyone to do it.
In fact, along with our appraisal was a legal-sized insert,
covered front and back with instructions on how to appeal. Such "here's
how to challenge us" info is standard procedure in most property tax
assessments.
The key first step is making sure you meet the deadline to
protest your property tax assessment. Miss that date and you're out of
luck.
Then you need to track down at least five other comparable
properties to see how your home's value stacks up against them.
And be sure, even if your appraisal is way out of whack, that
you pay your tax bill if it comes due while you're still going through
the appeal process. If
you don't pay, the county will place you in default. When
all's said and done, if you win, you'll get refund or credit for your
overpaid taxes.
If you didn't get how-to-appeal information
from your appraiser, or you lost the
material, check with that office or its website. Today's Times
story also outlines the steps to appeal a property tax appraisal and
you can find more
do-it-yourself details here.
Related
posts:
- Fighting rising property taxes
- Real estate values fuel property tax fights
- Property tax appeals on the rise
- How do your property taxes stack up?
- Texas seniors being denied tax deferrals
- Property tax time for all!
- Politicians property tax problems
- Property tax problems for
Charles
Rangel - McCain's 8-house property tax lesson
Want to tell
your friends about this blog post?
Click the Tweet
This or Digg This
buttons
below or use the Share This icon
to
spread the word via e-mail, Facebook and other popular
applications. Thanks!
Property Tax Appeal Process
Once you receive your property tax assessment and realize it’s too high, you need to move quickly because the window to appeal is usually very short. Depending on the rules where you live, you will only have 30 to 120 days to let the local government know you intend to appeal. Send your appeal application by certified mail or hand deliver it and get it stamped, so you will have proof that it arrived by the deadline.
Follow the tax office’s appeal instructions to a T, so your case won’t be thrown out on a technicality. The first step is to ask your city or county tax assessor’s office for the materials it used to evaluate your property. As an example, in Washington, D.C., where I live, the office of Tax and Revenue will send you the “property worksheet” which consists of its notes on your property; and also a “sales list,” which is the list of recent home sales that it used to set the value of your property.