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- Thread starter OldiesAtTheGaff
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It was some years ago that I appealed my assessment in Allegheny County, but I chose to do it myself.
In Allegheny County all the information needed for my appeal was available on the county web site, including the assessments of every other property near us as well as the ratings of our property they used for the assessment and will use during the appeal proccess/hearing. Condition rating of property, breakdown of the rated value betweeen lot and structure, dimensions, as well as the properties they used as "comparables" in rating our property.
I took pictures of our property that made my case and brought copies to the hearing. In our case there was a power line right of way between us and our neighbor with a tower on it, which might scare off some buyers. Bathrooms that needed remodeled, anything that would come up as flags or potential negatives to a prospective buyer.
The appeal "judge" reduced our assessment somewhere between the value the county had revised us to and where we were previously. I believe it better to be reasonable for what you are asking for in your appeal.
Another thing working in our favor was that our real estate agent advised us to "chatel" some items when we bought the house. That involves picking our upgrades that the seller could have removed (fireplace front, bar and stools, area carpets, light fixtures, etc. as well as anything outside they could have taken) and listing those items on the sales agreement and then breaking down what we paid between the actual property and the total of those items. We were conservative and noted that about 10% of our purchase price was for those items and 90% was for the property. So the recorded price with the county was the 90% number, which was still the latest selling price on our property and worked in our favor. Obviously you can't go back in time to do this but if you buy again keep this in mind.
But if your would not be comfortable doing that and the price of the attorney is reasonable you might be better off with the attorney. It seemed that the attorneys that want our business for this type of issue get a good bit of this business and they, the county in our case. schedule their cases back to back so the attorneys really don't have to dedicate extensive time and can therefore make it somewhat reasonable. Is that the case?
In Allegheny County all the information needed for my appeal was available on the county web site, including the assessments of every other property near us as well as the ratings of our property they used for the assessment and will use during the appeal proccess/hearing. Condition rating of property, breakdown of the rated value betweeen lot and structure, dimensions, as well as the properties they used as "comparables" in rating our property.
I took pictures of our property that made my case and brought copies to the hearing. In our case there was a power line right of way between us and our neighbor with a tower on it, which might scare off some buyers. Bathrooms that needed remodeled, anything that would come up as flags or potential negatives to a prospective buyer.
The appeal "judge" reduced our assessment somewhere between the value the county had revised us to and where we were previously. I believe it better to be reasonable for what you are asking for in your appeal.
Another thing working in our favor was that our real estate agent advised us to "chatel" some items when we bought the house. That involves picking our upgrades that the seller could have removed (fireplace front, bar and stools, area carpets, light fixtures, etc. as well as anything outside they could have taken) and listing those items on the sales agreement and then breaking down what we paid between the actual property and the total of those items. We were conservative and noted that about 10% of our purchase price was for those items and 90% was for the property. So the recorded price with the county was the 90% number, which was still the latest selling price on our property and worked in our favor. Obviously you can't go back in time to do this but if you buy again keep this in mind.
But if your would not be comfortable doing that and the price of the attorney is reasonable you might be better off with the attorney. It seemed that the attorneys that want our business for this type of issue get a good bit of this business and they, the county in our case. schedule their cases back to back so the attorneys really don't have to dedicate extensive time and can therefore make it somewhat reasonable. Is that the case?
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I had a similar experience. I bought a property that needed repairs and within six months got a property price increase that was substantial. The reality is, a property is only worth what someone is willing to pay. So I went in, showed what I paid, showed that I gutted the place, it was uninhabited, and argued it was worth less today than when I bought it.
I brought in all of the documentation, screenshots of Realtor.com of homes for sale and Zillow for recent home sale prices, established "comps" and did that. I also took photos of my closest neighbors to give context.
My wife is an attorney so we did it ourselves. Honestly, there was nothing really legal beagle we went through. Three people on a room and we presented our case. That was it.
I brought in all of the documentation, screenshots of Realtor.com of homes for sale and Zillow for recent home sale prices, established "comps" and did that. I also took photos of my closest neighbors to give context.
My wife is an attorney so we did it ourselves. Honestly, there was nothing really legal beagle we went through. Three people on a room and we presented our case. That was it.
A lot depends on how much higher your taxes will be. If it’s $200/yr or $1,000 over ten years it may not be worth an attorney. If it is $1,500/ yr or $15,000 and an attorney can reduce it by half it is better to have professional help.
You may consider having a realtor with an appraisal license/certification instead of an attorney. Might be cheaper.
But a little secret of the legal system……it’s a buddy system. It’s usually better to hire an attorney that knows the judge and vice versa. They get to know each other and work together better……unless you hire one the judge hates then you are screwed. Bring in an out of town attorney it often doesn’t go well. So hiring an attorney that specializes…..or does a lot of…..these appeals might be the best option.
yeah...that went away with the site's URL change. I'll see what I can do. that is my dog. I was in vegas and picked up those sunglasses. I thought it was a funny photo. I've got a photo of her that I took at Xmas that might work.
Agreed on the "buddy system". But my wife knows her shit and when asked, she was able to answer with complete and clear answers. They knew not to mess with her in the first five minutes. So, I am not sure it is the "buddy system" or that somebody knew more than they did and could blow them away. My wife is nobody to be messed with.
you are very observant! I couldn't remember who made the request so just put it in there. I was looking for a photo of her wearing her PSU collar but didn't see one. She is a Bichon and is one of the smartest and most loving dogs I've ever been around. She watches TV with us waiting for commercials that have dogs in them. She also can't stand my wife and I sitting together so jumps up on the sofa and wedges herself between us. I know she is a bit of a phoo-phoo dog but I recommend the breed wholeheartedly.
These are not mine but cute.
I appealed my assessment a few years back. Did all the work myself and presented before the 3 county commissioners and the assessment officer. 1 commissioner slept thru entire presentation and 1 talked on his cell phone from beginning to end. They approved my appeal but it was a joke how little attention was actually paid to my presentation. Only 1 commissioner paid attention and asked questions. Extremely unprofessional and rude
I live in nj so the rules are a bit different there potentially. We hire appraisers to appeal assessments. The appeal board doesn’t like people representing themselves. I am a broker and they still did not accept me as an expert.
That said I have represented myself every time the town was reassessed. My best results came from attaching the facts and the measurement of the house and lot. There are also qualitative guidelines of the improvements and indirectly the lot.
If you are going to appeal your own taxes down load the assessors manual especially if you have a unique house. By fixing the measurements because the firm dojj in by the revaluation I reduced my assessment by 40%. Now, my house is an unusual design so your results will likely be measurably less but when the facts are on your side you need to make sure you understand the rules thoroughly.
Best of luck and remember the firms doing the reval are lazy and pencil whip the valuation. They count on you not doing the appeal to find their mistakes.
That said I have represented myself every time the town was reassessed. My best results came from attaching the facts and the measurement of the house and lot. There are also qualitative guidelines of the improvements and indirectly the lot.
If you are going to appeal your own taxes down load the assessors manual especially if you have a unique house. By fixing the measurements because the firm dojj in by the revaluation I reduced my assessment by 40%. Now, my house is an unusual design so your results will likely be measurably less but when the facts are on your side you need to make sure you understand the rules thoroughly.
Best of luck and remember the firms doing the reval are lazy and pencil whip the valuation. They count on you not doing the appeal to find their mistakes.
Yep, they make assessments that are out of line knowing less than 20% will appeal so the municipality gets a huge bonus.
