Posted on 06/23/2013 6:51:35 AM PDT by bgill
Can anyone explain what sort of questions are asked at property tax protests? I understand I need proof why I'm being charged too much but what all can I use? I'm guessing research between the county appraisal listings for similar square footage and such. My house isn't similar to others in the area so maybe take pictures of inside and out? Perhaps go on a real estate site to see other homes' improvements as opposed to mine?
I'm doing this on my own because the legal help fell through. Neighbors were supposed to get together with legal help on this but didn't but I simply MUST get some relief. I know they don't care about sob stories but I'm against a wall and this will be the end of the family being here for 50 years.
1) You list nearby comparable properties that have sold recently.
2) You determine a price per square foot.
3) You then adjust for any outliers, which might increase or decrease your value (like a warped foundation, or marble tile everywhere).
I also live in Texas. A few years ago, we decided to protest our tax appraisal. We contacted a couple of realtors for sales of comparable properties in the neighborhood. I did calculations of price per square foot. I thought I was well prepared for the meeting. But when I started pulling out the price per square foot data, the guy said to forget that. He said they don't use that.
He looked at the raw data from the realtors and compared it with his own list of sales in our neighborhood during the last year. He found a house on our list that wasn't on his list. He left and did some checking, and came back and agreed to a small downward adjustment in our appraised value.
I think he appreciated our calm and cooperative attitude. The guy ahead of us was argumentative and abusive. I imagine a lot of people are in a bad mood when they go in there.
You might also want to look at the lien date. It’s not what you property is worth now, but on the lien date. In California, the lien date is January 1st.
Prop 13 is the only sane thing we have in California. Prop 13 Caps assessment increases to 2% per year.
You’re so bad!
Thanks for the help. I’ve been working on calculating what the neighborhood is being taxed on per sq ft. It’s all over the place but will try to present something and not hold my breath.
Take care and have a great week.
yup that sounds about right. Land values double. in truth the value of the unit of measure, the dollar, has declined that much. but that is a whole other discussion. GL
Has your income increased 10+% each year as the taxes have? Mine sure hasn't.
I bet property taxes increases are not counted in the inflation figures.
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