Getting an appraiser to appeal tax assessment

[Fernando]

I Appealed My Property Taxes and Saved Thousands, While My Neighbor's Appeal Failed. Here's Why

This article explains why getting an appraiser is good idea in requesting lower tax assessment.

 

[TC]

So they bought a house for more than it's worth? Sounds pretty dumb to me.

 

[Dublin ohio]

So they bought a house for more than it's worth? Sounds pretty dumb to me.

I didn't get that from the article.

 

[DTB]

So they bought a house for more than it's worth? Sounds pretty dumb to me.

I didn't get that from the article.

When my husband and I appealed our property taxes after moving into our home, we hired a professional appraiser.

 

[Dublin ohio]

When my husband and I appealed our property taxes after moving into our home, we hired a professional appraiser.

Or maybe they didn't and it was over assessed. Both are possible

 

[DTB]

Or maybe they didn't and it was over assessed. Both are possible

They would have needed an appraiser then to appeal, just the closing docs indicating what they paid. (around here, that value would hold for 3 years

 

[RSW]

I just recently measured a house for tax appeal purposes. The tax assessor has the GLA at 3,600 sq. ft.. My calculation showed 2,848 sq. ft.. The owner has been over paying for years.

 

[DTB]

I just recently measured a house for tax appeal purposes. The tax assessor has the GLA at 3,600 sq. ft.. My calculation showed 2,848 sq. ft.. The owner has been over paying for years.

What made the owner finally wake up? Realized he was missing 30% of his house?

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

The tax assessor has the GLA at 3,600 sq. ft.. My calculation showed 2,848

I never "appraise" a house for tax appeal. I always find errors like above and arguing those.

Points I have made and won on.

1. Converting agri land to "residential" - during the boom an elderly lady said she wasn't farming anymore due to her age so they took the exemption away. It sold to an adjacent farmer and was converted back. Sale price? About half what the assessment was.
2. Mismeasured - as RSW found, been that way for years.
3. Age - I recall one where they changed the effective age from 27 to 15 (in 3 years). I argued there was no change.
4. Air conditioning - the assessor showed 100% AC when only 1 lower floor had air conditioning.
5. Outbuildings valued above the cost
6. Quality. One old house has been changed from a 3 to a 2+10% - pretty much equivalent of Q ratings - the assessor used to use A, B, C, D, E, F but in this case they clearly changed the quality rating for no real reason. The problem is that there were 2 executive homes next to the subject and they were built in the 70's and 80's not the 1910s.

One place I was never able to understand was built after WWII by a lawyer. It has a very low upper attic room that was used by his two boys. No dormers, and a single small window on each end. It was mismeasured which they refused to change. Over the years it has had fire, when I appraised it about 2000 the original Tappen stove was still there, no dishwasher, etc. Very unmodern. It has sold several times - always well below the assessed value but they never adjusted...always is too high.
It is now valued at $365,000 and unlikely to be worth over $300,000. Taxes jumped after sale due to 65 age lock but the valuation was high then. Of course, Zillow et al are relying upon the assessor since it hasn't sold recently. The closest house to it that sold in the past year sold for $225,000. And it was larger (if you consider the attic room is NOT GLA)

 

[TC]

I've been a hearing officer for Allegheny County and have presided over close to a thousand hearings. It's very rare that a residential property s over assessed. People just get ticked off that immediately after they buy it the value rises to 87% of the purchase price. One day last year during the crazy boom when people were paying over list price, the amount of whiners showing up was staggering. Some did have appraisals, pretty hard to convince me that a property dropped 100K in value in 6 months. Some appraisers will do anything for the right price. I didn't lower one value that day.