Posted on 05/15/2015 6:49:23 PM PDT by WildHighlander57
Need info on how to successfully protest property tax increase.
I saw the article in the Dallas morning news last week about it; mentioned taking pictures and getting estimates of house fixups.
I had thought of doing that, and saying “in order to get x dollars that you say my house is worth, I have to spend y dollars, and since I haven’t, then it won’t sell for x dollars, so take the y dollars off the value you pegged it at”.
I have owned the house in town since 2012 and so far, haven’t seen any of the questions on the assessment sheet as being applicable to me...
such as “value is over the market value, value unequal compared to other properties, property should not be taxed in (location), failure to send required notice, exemption was denied, change in use appraised as agriculture land, ag-use denied, owner name wrong, property descriptiun wrong” etc.
Neither are the ones in the info sheet they send, such as “are you disabled for social security purposes, are you over 65, are you surviving spouse of owner over 65, are you disabled veteran, surviving spouse of disabled vet, etc”?
Many thanks, WildHighlander57
why isn’t it an invasion of our “right to privacy” for government to appraise our homes & tell us what the value of OUR property is. Doesn’t the owner decide?
I'm just now going down the 'disabled' path and am going to have to deal with the county on taxes eventually since I own this property outright, except what I pay to the shakedown racket government.
Thanks for asking that question and I'll watch this thread.
/johnny
I took the disabled path and my taxes back in 2006 were less than 6k. They are now approaching 7k. I also need to appeal.
why does government tax as an “asset” something that people need to live in that’s worth only that much if you sell it & leave yourself homeless? Isn’t homeownership more of a liability than an asset that earns you a cash flow? You make mortgage payments, pay for insurance, utilities, furnishings, appliances, maintenance & upkeep...yet you get taxed on the value of the property “if” you chose to sell it on the market?
Philosophically, it makes more sense to tax the furniture, washer & drier & lawn mower than to tax the home & property you’re paying off over 15 years or 30 years, doesn’t it? And what about those wealthy folks who own “property” such as Picasso paintings or antique furniture purchased at Sotheby’s auction, etc? People own some pieces of furniture or artwork worth far more money in value than middle class homes in most parts of the country....but do they pay “property tax” on an Queen Anne antiques worth $500,000 at auction...or Picasso paintings insured for $12 million dollars?
Property tax is a bad, unfair, regressive tax on the middle class which the Marxist press tries to sell as a ‘fair “ tax on wealthy property owners which helps the poor & pays for education. Better to tax all property “per acre” & apply state sales taxes to food & gasoline than let government appraise the value of our property & tax what in effect is a cost & liability as if it’s an asset.
I've paid plenty of rent to the government over the years. I know some around here in this neighborhood claim they don't pay anything.
I'll find out first hand since I really am disabled now.
/johnny
It’s a game that works like this:
You get a deduction from the Feds on the interest on your mortgage that initially just covers the property taxes (which are “conveniently” rolled into the mortgage payment in many states). When you are older (and theoretically can afford it, that tapers off and disappears.
“Mine are a little more than $500/yr,”
You know that most people on the East Coast in fairly modest homes are laughing at that figure, right? I know plenty of “working people” in nice, non-palatial homes who pay that a MONTH in Illinois.
/johnny
1.Get a list of comparable home sales from the same neighborhood that are close tor same square footage or with similar property characteristics. In my situation I found that my square footage was lower and that they had assumed I had a pool in my backyard. Wrong. That lowered my taxes immediately. Some counties have sales information online. In reference to home sales in your neighborhood. If you can find out what the original asking price was and how low they had to go to get it to sell for that helps.
I downloaded a list of the comparable properties and put them into a spreadsheet then went back and noted the livable square footage, if there was a pool, or any detached buildings (quite a few in my area). If you examine the spreadsheet it becomes pretty apparent that my evaluation was too high for the sq footage and the fact Imhad no pool or detached buildings.
2. If your home is in need of repairs or not in the best of shape they can reduce the estimated assessed value.
3. Check to see if you qualify for exemptions you may not have thought of - homestead, disabled, over 65, etc...
4. File a protest online and put any other comments tha might help. In our situation I stated that we had had a significant decrease in income and stated that I could prove it with bank statements and income tax returns.
That’s what I did anyway...
^ Forgot to mention I took photos to prove my home was in need of the repairs...
Envy is ugly.
I certainly don't see what they pay as justification for making me pay.
/johnny
I have relatives on Long Island, NY who pay over $20,000 per year in real estate taxes on their homes.
Unless you have a defined error in your market value, one of the below would apply. Basically you would have to show that the house is worth less than their market value determination.
““value is over the market value, value unequal compared to other properties”
The below are exemptions. There is a separate process for applying for exemptions.
“Neither are the ones in the info sheet they send, such as “are you disabled for social security purposes, are you over 65, are you surviving spouse of owner over 65, are you disabled veteran, surviving spouse of disabled vet, etc”?
> why isn’t it an invasion of our “right to privacy” for government to appraise our homes & tell us what the value of OUR property is. Doesn’t the owner decide?
Because they need to tax the crap out of you to buy military grade weaponry and sports cars for the police department, million dollar displays for the football stadium, and an iPad or every student so they can hate you later and elect a “cool” president that will give your country away to foreign interests for a price...
> “Mine are a little more than $500/yr,”
You know that most people on the East Coast in fairly modest homes are laughing at that figure, right? I know plenty of “working people” in nice, non-palatial homes who pay that a MONTH in Illinois.
I do. More than that actually.
“In our situation I stated that we had had a significant decrease in income and stated that I could prove it with bank statements and income tax returns.”
That has no impact on your assessed taxes.
Mark to study later.
Sounds good.
They find 5 properties similar to yours inyourarea that have sold r3centky and set a value based on similar recentmaret sales. Many people have seen assessments go down the last few years. I contested ours before the market burst te first time and got itreduced b/c sale prices had gone way down andthere was no way i could get prices that houses had sold for before the bubble burst.
We got a written estimate for a new roof and a new electrical box. The assessor took it off because it was in writing. Get some written estimates. We still haven’t done the work.
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