Property Tax Complaint

[2CRUZ]

Hey Guys
I built a new garage last summer a 30x40. It looks great and I am real happy with it. Can't wait to get my work bench built. My question to you guys is just a short time after I got it finished the Tax Assessor came out and looked at it and took some pictures a couple of weeks later I got a new tax assessment and they raised my property taxes $800.00 per year. I went up to the asessors office and complained she told me, "we just put the size of the garage in the computer and that is what it came up with". She told me I could go before the "board" and complain. Has any one here ever did that? If so would you have any advice for me as what I should do or how I can be well prepared. I would app. any advice.
Thanks Guys

 

[Bill Bowman]

Your issue is probably more region specific, and maybe if we knew the county/state that you're in, someone with experience with your local issue might be able to chime in.

As a general answer, you could maybe get comparisons from similar properties near you. Not sure how successful that would be. Good luck. Bill

 

[Worsedog]

You can appeal your assesments here. The hard part is you have to find similar properties and be able to show that they are consistently appraised lower than yours.

The other question is percentage wise how much did they increase your taxes?

 

[jbaccell]

One of the main reasons why I have not built a workshop on my property is the affect it will have on my property taxes which are already hovering at 12 grand per year in NJ.

 

[SARG]

I pay over a third of my retirement income just for property taxes.

Going to a grievance hearing over taxes is much like peeing into a fan.

 

[PT Doc]

Going to a grievance hearing over taxes is much like peeing into a fan.

Not if you can supply comps as your justification. My guess is there won't be a huge change but maybe contacting a realtor or digging around on the county site for similar properties.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Hey Guys Has any one here ever did that?

Yep ! Couple of years ago and I WON !

... you could maybe get comparisons from similar properties near you.

Exactly. Pulled the taxes on several similar houses in my neighborhood and found I was one of the highest. Took a couple of pictures of some of the lowest houses and presented them to the tax board. 5 minutes. 30 days later, I got a new assessment.

 

[SARG]

Around here the assessor raises the taxes on your "example" list and tells you "thanks".

 

[brownbagg]

you cant win, you got to remember the county wants every dollar they can get, they are the wolf guarding the hen house.

 

[Motofixxer]

I did also, they raised my assessment 13k. I sent a dispute letter so they sent out an inspector. He walked through the house then wrote up a report that he sent to me saying the assessment would stay the same as previous year. If I wanted to dispute his report it would go before some kind of board and they would make a decision.

He also stated the numbers are calculated automatically by software so are then open to dispute.

 

[marlinspike]

I love the logic behind property taxes taking improvement into account. It's a great way to keep a bad city down. They should give a credit for improving the city instead.

 

[PAToyota]

you cant win...

Well, you do have to do your homework...

Around here the assessor raises the taxes on your "example" list and tells you "thanks".

You certainly don't want to provide examples of higher taxed properties!

Pulled the taxes on several similar houses in my neighborhood and found I was one of the highest. Took a couple of pictures of some of the lowest houses and presented them to the tax board. 5 minutes. 30 days later, I got a new assessment.

This. Start with something like Zillow to get some estimates on nearby properties. You're looking for properties with houses of about the same square footage as yours and accessory buildings about the same size as yours. If you can show that there are similar properties with lower taxes, ou can get your rate reduced - or they may raise the rates of your neighbors to match yours...

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

Mr. 2Cruz: Your taxes went up $800 a year. How much did the assessment go up? If you paid $20,000 for garage and it actually increased the value of your property by say $15,000 .... and the assessment went up by $15K (which caused an $800 increased in the property taxes), they you were probably treated fairly.

This is the crux of what is wrong with property taxes. They are not based on ones ability to afford, but on what you "have".

 

[Sureshot]

Property tax is a balance of revenue and social engineering.

 

[Wes Tex]

WOW! You guys really pay some high property taxes. Before I complained about taxes on my 20 x 30 garage, I went on line to see what others in my area of town were paying on property like mine with a garage addition. I decided to not complain. They will compare you to other property in the area. In Texas you can appeal to a central appraisal board in each county. Some appeals result in lower taxes, others don't change. The system seems fair enough.

 

[Sureshot]

Mr. 2Cruz: Your taxes went up $800 a year. How much did the assessment go up? If you paid $20,000 for garage and it actually increased the value of your property by say $15,000 .... and the assessment went up by $15K (which caused an $800 increased in the property taxes), they you were probably treated fairly.

This is the crux of what is wrong with property taxes. They are not based on ones ability to afford, but on what you "have".

But what you have should also align with what you can afford or less.

 

[iagsxr]

I've done it and won, got the assessed value on one of my rentals lowered 25%.

You pay cash for your garage? If not it surprises me your lender didn't bring it up. I'm planning a good sized project this summer, the increased propery taxes are figured in my cash flow. Like we know what the property taxes are going to be on a building that's not built yet.

 

[MacTexas]

Best way to protest your appraisal. Put your house for sale with an MLS realtor at a price $100,000 less than it is worth. Don't clean anything up and make it as messy on the inside as you can so when it is shown no one would want walk around all the junk left on the floor. Leave dirty dishes in the sink and dirty laundry on the floor. Make it a 90 day listing. 60 days after it is listed call the appraisal district and tell them to look on MLS and tell them it has been for sale for 60 days and not sold. My appraisal district should lower the appraisal to equal the asking price.

You do not have to accept any offers in case someone makes an offer. Once the appraisal is lowered let the listing expire. You should be good for 2 years before you have to "protest" again.

It worked for me.

 

[mmack66]

You certainly don't want to provide examples of higher taxed properties!

He didn't!

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

I got 'around' the high reassessment because my detached shop is considered a barn and not subjected to the higher rates.

 

[cheap bastard]

My 18 X 45 costs nearly that much to help support all the section 8 people the local property moguls work so hard to attract.

 

[Modifieddriver]

One of the main reasons why I have not built a workshop on my property is the affect it will have on my property taxes which are already hovering at 12 grand per year in NJ.

Do you live in a 6,000+sq.ft. palace???????

That's almost 10 TIMES more than I pay here for a 2,000+ sq.ft. house with attached 2-car, a 2,200 sq.ft. garage with architecture that matches the house and all this sets on 2 acres of property about one mile from a new high school.

PLUS, because I turned 65 years old in 2012 I can expect a $200-$300 reduction in that amount when I get billed for 2013. This amount is property and school taxes combined.

I pay $250 per year taxes on the 3 acre lot I own next to the house. I'm going to put a 3,600 sq.ft. post steel building on that in a month or two.

What is your state and local sales tax? Mine is 6%.

SO, Just what the hell are you receiving back in services for $12 grand per year . I do have to haul off my own trash to a facility 2 miles away. A full time staffed fire department is about 1 mile away.

I moved here in '77 from up near Troy, NY. Back then I received 2 separate tax bills. Property and school. I was paying over $2,000 then for a property that doesn't even come close to being near as nice as what I have now.

There I hauled off my own trash and had a volunteer fire department. BUT, I did have the snow plow bury me in at the end of my driveway (pissed me off because the other side of the road for a mile was vacant).

I'm glad I got outa' the land of taxes when I did. My spendable income after taxes is much greater here than up there. I'm retired now, and if I was still up there I'd still have to be working to just KEEP a house that was paid off.

All the $thousands$ I've saved in taxes is why I now have more "stuff" (cars, etc.) then I ever thought of having when I was "up there".

I almost forgot to mention. Back a few years ago my taxes went up and I went through the appeal process by providing MLS listings of comparable properties, which was tough to find. Anyway, when the dust settled we came up with a reduced assessment value.

I recommend EVERYTIME you are reassessed to appeal. Otherwise your taxes will start to soar out off control each time there is a rate increase.

Has anyone here ever seen taxes go DOWN?????

 

[Modifieddriver]

I did also, they raised my assessment 13k. I sent a dispute letter so they sent out an inspector. He walked through the house then wrote up a report that he sent to me saying the assessment would stay the same as previous year. If I wanted to dispute his report it would go before some kind of board and they would make a decision.

He also stated the numbers are calculated automatically by software so are then open to dispute.

You shoulda' kicked his *** outa' the house. What business is it of theirs what the inside of the house is like, unless you have an indoor heated swimming pool. Even then it shouldn't be a concern.

Improve your property inside and get penalized for it .

 

[jrsulo]

Do you live in a 6,000+sq.ft. palace???????

That's almost 10 TIMES more than I pay here for a 2,000+ sq.ft. house with attached 2-car, a 2,200 sq.ft. garage with architecture that matches the house and all this sets on 2 acres of property about one mile from a new high school.

PLUS, because I turned 65 years old in 2012 I can expect a $200-$300 reduction in that amount when I get billed for 2013. This amount is property and school taxes combined.

I pay $250 per year taxes on the 3 acre lot I own next to the house. I'm going to put a 3,600 sq.ft. post steel building on that in a month or two.

What is your state and local sales tax? Mine is 6%.

SO, Just what the hell are you receiving back in services for $12 grand per year . I do have to haul off my own trash to a facility 2 miles away. A full time staffed fire department is about 1 mile away.

I moved here in '77 from up near Troy, NY. Back then I received 2 separate tax bills. Property and school. I was paying over $2,000 then for a property that doesn't even come close to being near as nice as what I have now.

There I hauled off my own trash and had a volunteer fire department. BUT, I did have the snow plow bury me in at the end of my driveway (pissed me off because the other side of the road for a mile was vacant).

I'm glad I got outa' the land of taxes when I did. My spendable income after taxes is much greater here than up there. I'm retired now, and if I was still up there I'd still have to be working to just KEEP a house that was paid off.

All the $thousands$ I've saved in taxes is why I now have more "stuff" (cars, etc.) then I ever thought of having when I was "up there".

I almost forgot to mention. Back a few years ago my taxes went up and I went through the appeal process by providing MLS listings of comparable properties, which was tough to find. Anyway, when the dust settled we came up with a reduced assessment value.

I recommend EVERYTIME you are reassessed to appeal. Otherwise your taxes will start to soar out off control each time there is a rate increase.

Has anyone here ever seen taxes go DOWN?????

Sadly this is N.J ........and i used to live in S.C

 

[2CRUZ]

I live in Southern Illinois. My house is 2000 sq. ft. The new garage is 30x40 or 1200 sq. ft.? My taxes now will be about $3100 I live on the edge of town we don't have city sewer. I was paying about $2400. I'm retired and I took the money out of my 401K to build my garage. That is why I am so mad. I guess I start looking around at comp. properties.
Thanks Guys

 

[pop pop]

Do you live in a 6,000+sq.ft. palace???????

That's almost 10 TIMES more than I pay here for a 2,000+ sq.ft. house with attached 2-car, a 2,200 sq.ft. garage with architecture that matches the house and all this sets on 2 acres of property about one mile from a new high school.

PLUS, because I turned 65 years old in 2012 I can expect a $200-$300 reduction in that amount when I get billed for 2013. This amount is property and school taxes combined.

I pay $250 per year taxes on the 3 acre lot I own next to the house. I'm going to put a 3,600 sq.ft. post steel building on that in a month or two.

What is your state and local sales tax? Mine is 6%.

SO, Just what the hell are you receiving back in services for $12 grand per year . I do have to haul off my own trash to a facility 2 miles away. A full time staffed fire department is about 1 mile away.

I moved here in '77 from up near Troy, NY. Back then I received 2 separate tax bills. Property and school. I was paying over $2,000 then for a property that doesn't even come close to being near as nice as what I have now.

There I hauled off my own trash and had a volunteer fire department. BUT, I did have the snow plow bury me in at the end of my driveway (pissed me off because the other side of the road for a mile was vacant).

I'm glad I got outa' the land of taxes when I did. My spendable income after taxes is much greater here than up there. I'm retired now, and if I was still up there I'd still have to be working to just KEEP a house that was paid off.

All the $thousands$ I've saved in taxes is why I now have more "stuff" (cars, etc.) then I ever thought of having when I was "up there".

I almost forgot to mention. Back a few years ago my taxes went up and I went through the appeal process by providing MLS listings of comparable properties, which was tough to find. Anyway, when the dust settled we came up with a reduced assessment value.

I recommend EVERYTIME you are reassessed to appeal. Otherwise your taxes will start to soar out off control each time there is a rate increase.

Has anyone here ever seen taxes go DOWN?????

Let's keep this quiet. Northerners pay lots of money for their corrupt politicians and deadbeats and don't know any different. We don't need any more of that than we already have down here.

 

[NHBandit]

Clearly the south is much more tax friendly from what I'm reading and from personal experience. My taxes on the place in NH we just sold were $4700 a year. Here in Tennessee they are just under 400 bucks..

 

[Modifieddriver]

Who did you piss off to relocate up there?

Then, you're had first hand experience with the tax differences I mention.

You couldn't get me to move back up there even if you stuck a lit stick of dynamite up my **** and aimed me in that direction.

 

[hockey88fan]

Just went thru the same. Assessment went up $17,200, which equites to about $500 per year.

 

[frankush]

You can't win the battle of rising taxes. I bought my house in 94. Taxes were $1800 a year. Now they are $7000. I appeal them at every reassessment. You might get a reduction of $200 but the next time you get reassessed, they just make up for it and don't think you're going to get a reduction a second time. Over $3500 of that goes to the school districts. I've even hired a law firm to make my appeals for me in the past. I figure I've fought hard to keep it at that level. I've got a small lot and a house that's less than 1000 square ft. I keep telling myself that it's time to get the hell out of here.

 

[Angelfire]

Maybe I'm an exception seeing how most here seem to think its fruitless to try. I protested assessments on two properties I own. Won both of them this year. Properties are in different counties and had different assessors. Just do your homework and work with the assessor. I approached the discussions humbly but had my information in hand. I did end up going in front of one board as the assessor and I couldn't agree on a value. On the day of the board, the assessor came back with a number I could live with so it was about a 10 minute conversation.

 

[Modifieddriver]

I live in Southern Illinois. My house is 2000 sq. ft. The new garage is 30x40 or 1200 sq. ft.? My taxes now will be about $3100 I live on the edge of town we don't have city sewer. I was paying about $2400. I'm retired and I took the money out of my 401K to build my garage. That is why I am so mad. I guess I start looking around at comp. properties.
Thanks Guys

I'd be pissed to.

Ya' take your $dough$ outa' your 401k and pay taxes on it. Ya' improve your property by building your dream garage and the get penalized for doing it to the tune of $700 per year .

Meanwhile some worthless no tax paying PoS is sheltered, eating, talking on a cell phone, getting free health care, education , etc. all on the backs of us.

Something isn't right here and I'm pretty sure I know what it is .

 

[jrsulo]

Who did you piss off to relocate up there?

Then, you're had first hand experience with the tax differences I mention.

You couldn't get me to move back up there even if you stuck a lit stick of dynamite up my **** and aimed me in that direction.

Ya talkin to me ???? !!!!!!!!!

 

[Modifieddriver]

You can't win the battle of rising taxes. I bought my house in 94. Taxes were $1800 a year. Now they are $7000. I appeal them at every reassessment. You might get a reduction of $200 but the next time you get reassessed, they just make up for it and don't think you're going to get a reduction a second time. Over $3500 of that goes to the school districts. I've even hired a law firm to make my appeals for me in the past. I figure I've fought hard to keep it at that level. I've got a small lot and a house that's less than 1000 square ft. I keep telling myself that it's time to get the hell out of here.

You're over due for a move. Bail out and improve your life style.

And every person that leaves that mess your subjected to passes more tax burden on those that are still left.

I left upstate New York in '77 because I got laid off from a GOVERNMENT JOB !!! Belonged to the union for NY State workers. They didn't do squat for me, even being a salaried type position.

The economy was in the septic tank then, and when I return to visit, it's only getting worse. No industry left to tax anymore, they all moved out. Primary source of employment is service industry related jobs and working in education, healthcare or government jobs.

The retired folks move to Florida taking their income with them. Those that are left have to float the boat. Pathetic.

 

[Modifieddriver]

Ya talkin to me ???? !!!!!!!!!

Yes, you're the one that was directed at .

 

[jrsulo]

Yes, you're the one that was directed at .

Born in N.j .....moved to pawleys island and thought id be there the rest of my life......sadly had to come back here for a rehab stint....been here since (17 years)......still dont like it up here but it is what it is !!!!!!!

 

[oldldh]

My taxes in south Alabama on a one year old 2,000 sq ft brick house, on a third of an acre, are, after my homestead and over 65 exemption, $550.00/year...

Why intelligent people stay up north, after they retire, is beyond me...

And we don't have snow...hurricanes and tornadoes, but no snow...

 

[Modifieddriver]

Let's keep this quiet. Northerners pay lots of money for their corrupt politicians and deadbeats and don't know any different. We don't need any more of that than we already have down here.

I assimilated in down here real quick. I'm one of those that now says, "I don't give a damn how ya' do it up north. If ya' don't like it, there's the highway, it runs north and south".

And finding a southern gal to marry helped be see the light!!

 

[coljar]

Both times over the last 15 years I went to the courthouse and appealed it, they came out, looked things over and lowered my taxes. This was my experience and I recommend doing it.

 

[ZRX61]

Do you live in a 6,000+sq.ft. palace???????

That's almost 10 TIMES more than I pay here for a 2,000+ sq.ft. house with attached 2-car, a 2,200 sq.ft. garage with architecture that matches the house and all this sets on 2 acres of property about one mile from a new high school.

That's what I wondering, $12k/year in property taxes in Califailure would be a $3M house