Property taxes, have you ever appealed?

Question

I am going to court in Nov to appeal my property taxes. I bought my home in Oct 2005 for 275,000 and my property taxes are a little over $5,000 a year. A year after we bought our home it was valued at a little over $470,000. I tried to appeal then but was too late to apply. My home is 928 sq ft, 2 bdrm, 1 bthrm, I don't live in a ritzy area either ( I live in Calif). Has anyone appealed and won their case? I 'd really appreciate some advice.

Answer 1

I have appealed my property taxes, and succeeded in getting them reduced. You'd have to find "comparable" houses where the assessed value is lower, and/or show why your house is worth less than others in the area. If any parts of the house are in serious disrepair, take pics and take them along to the hearing. I don't just mean cluttered, but something that needs repair that will cost substantial money. Also check very carefully to be sure the house is accurately described in the country records - my house had several things that weren't accurate.

Answer 2

Something doesn't make sense here.

In CA under Prop 13, your valuation is set at the purchase price when you buy the property. Your property taxes are pegged at 1% to 1.25% of that value. The tax is allowed to grow by no more than 2% per year. Any subsequent changes in valuation have no impact on your tax bill. Based upon your purchase price, your tax should have been between $3,750 and $3,437.50 for the first year and then increase no more than 2% of that in subsequent years.

Unless you're contesting a Mello-Roos assessment, that's all you should be liable for. If it's a Mello-Roos you may wish to consult with an attorney as those can get very messy and some are of questionable legality as an end-run around Prop 13.

Answer 3

I am in California too. I once made a plain case to the county assessor showing the current listing prices on two lots I owned were considerably less than the assessed value and the assessed value was lowered. There are lots of homes around here that have gone down in value. As long as you can show what the current market value is, there should no problem in getting an assessment reduction as long as you meet the proper deadlines.

Answer 4

No it might never be well worth mutually as to hire some to do the artwork which you would be able to truthfully do your self. First, undergo in recommendations how materials taxes in CA artwork in keeping with prop thirteen - based on the acquisition value of the homestead, with a small adjustment each and each year. So in case you got your homestead until eventually now 2004? 2003?, even with the downturn contained obtainable, your homestead continues to be well worth better than once you acquire it. in case you have offered it greater these days and it has no longer been reassessed, touch the county assessors workplace for a reassessment. There may well be a type on line.

Answer 5

I haven't but my mother did when they were assessing her for 2 bathrooms in her house when she only had 1. But then, her situation was pretty straightforward to solve, as anyone who could count could see upon inspecting the inside of her house that she had 1 bathroom not 2. Your situation is more complicated. What you'd need to do to have any chance of winning the appeal is find out what similar homes that are like yours have been selling for. If they've been selling for the figure that was used then there's little that you can do about it.