Taxable/Assessed Value Appeals

[vtsnowedin]

Appeals take 2 years from submittal in the proper form until the hearing date plus an appeal fee must be paid as well as all taxes in full...

The Assessor has said there is no benefit to expedite and made sure any refunds were held as long as permitted by law.

Maybe where you are. In Vermont if a taxpayer brings a valid appeal to the listers attention they will receive a corrected bill on this years taxes. We do our best to treat every property owner fairly and the only rule is "what would it sell for between a willing seller and a willing buyer not related to that seller in the year the town was last appraised.

 

[orezok]

Appeals take 2 years from submittal in the proper form until the hearing date plus an appeal fee must be paid as well as all taxes in full...

The Assessor has said there is no benefit to expedite and made sure any refunds were held as long as permitted by law.

It apparently varies by county. I filed an appeal and it was to be heard within 30 days. I withdrew when I couldn't find any comparable properties within 5 miles of my property as I have 26 acres. Without good comps, I was going to lose anyway as you have to show that you are over assessed.

I'm still below my Prop 13 valuation but I was hoping to get a little more reduction.

...and I DON'T HAVE TO SHOVEL SNOW!

 

[vtsnowedin]

It apparently varies by county. I filed an appeal and it was to be heard within 30 days. I withdrew when I couldn't find any comparable properties within 5 miles of my property as I have 26 acres. Without good comps, I was going to lose anyway as you have to show that you are over assessed.

I'm still below my Prop 13 valuation but I was hoping to get a little more reduction.

...and I DON'T HAVE TO SHOVEL SNOW!

I 'm surprised that anyone is holding to a five mile limit. After all McMansions with twenty rooms and tennis courts are few and far between and it doesn't really matter which lake the beach guest house sits on.

 

[MNBobcat]

I sit on the board of appeals for our township. I'm a township supervisor and vice chair of the board. Much of what you heard here about comparable properties and such you can ignore.

There is one reason the County appraiser appraises your house and one reason only and that is to establish what your house would sell for on the open market. A house is only worth what one person would sell it for and what another person would buy it for. You recently bought your home. That sale establishes what the home is worth on the open market providing it wasn't a bank owned home or other distressed sale. If it was not a distressed sale, all you need to do is bring the paperwork from the sale to your board and show them what the home sold for on the open market. That is the home value and your board should set the value to what you paid for it and thus you would be taxed on that value. Your purchase does a much better job of establishing value than what the county appraiser can do because all they can do is estimate.

 

[ultrarunner]

Maybe where you are. In Vermont if a taxpayer brings a valid appeal to the listers attention they will receive a corrected bill on this years taxes. We do our best to treat every property owner fairly and the only rule is "what would it sell for between a willing seller and a willing buyer not related to that seller in the year the town was last appraised.

Yes... you are correct... this is in California where by law the Assessor has 2 years to make a determination... by the way, I have won every appeal made and received checks years after filing...

 

[ultrarunner]

You got screwed!

I chose to buy when I did... simple as that.

To add insult... my home was listed on the MLS and the Assessor tried very hard to say I paid below market!!! My 598k home purchase in 2003 was valued at 875k in 2007... hard to say I was screwed when in 4 years it went up 277k.

My home today is 650k and the home bought for 380k has doubled to 760k...

Real Estate was hit hard here... I can show some properties that lost 80% of value in two years from 2007 and 2009... and many that were down a full 50%.

Here is a good case in point... family on the street bought his very nice home for 1.3 million in 2005... decided to walk away in 2010... in part because of falling values and still being assessed 20k in property taxes.

Wells Fargo foreclosed and put home on market for 580k... some days I could not even get to my house... the traffic was unbearable and people were always knocking on the door with questions the full 10 days it was open for offers.

An 80 year old couple buys the place for 800k... lives there 22 months and does nothing except some touch-up and cleaning... sells the home for 1.25 and pockets 400k for 22 months ownership and lived for free...

 

[ultrarunner]

It apparently varies by county. I filed an appeal and it was to be heard within 30 days. I withdrew when I couldn't find any comparable properties within 5 miles of my property as I have 26 acres. Without good comps, I was going to lose anyway as you have to show that you are over assessed.

I'm still below my Prop 13 valuation but I was hoping to get a little more reduction.

...and I DON'T HAVE TO SHOVEL SNOW!

Did you agree to a stipulation of value or was it a formal appeal to be heard by appeal board?

Alameda County is notorious for dragging there feet... hope the taxpayer will go away... my brother has been able to reach agreement with Contra Costa after a few phone calls...

 

[vtsnowedin]

...and I DON'T HAVE TO SHOVEL SNOW!

:muttering:Yeah yeah rub it in why don't you. At least I don't have to import water.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Yes... you are correct... this is in California where by law the Assessor has 2 years to make a determination... by the way, I have won every appeal made and received checks years after filing...

I appealed in '10 and saw the new lower value on my '11 taxes. Butte County, California

Another reason I got the heck out of the SF Bay Area!

 

[orezok]

Did you agree to a stipulation of value or was it a formal appeal to be heard by appeal board?

Alameda County is notorious for dragging there feet... hope the taxpayer will go away... my brother has been able to reach agreement with Contra Costa after a few phone calls...

It was a formal appeal in San Bernardino County. Since my prior appeals had dropped it significantly below my Prop 13 value, I decided it wasn't worth the 1 1/2 hours of driving to the hearing.

Now, I don't know how long it would take for them to make a decision, but on my prior appeals it was changed at the next cycle.