Property tax reduction

[AlDente67 563]

Did I just state the impossible?  No, my property tax didn't go down because the town reduced the budget, I actually won an appeal.

 

A little background:  My town hired an outside firm a couple years ago to re-assess each and every property, since that had not been done in at least 15 years.  My property was valued at what I had paid for it in 1998.  The re-valuation pushed that up to about double, which because they lowered the per-dollar tax rate, didn't really make a difference in the total annual payment by all that much.  But it creeps up like clockwork regardless.

 

Still, because of the school tax portion, we are paying close to $12,000 per year on a regular tract house built in 1973.  The re-assessment was done in drive-by fashion.  They used peak market comps that don't match current comps.

 

I was contacted by mail from an attorney in north jersey to file an appeal and decided to give them the green light.  The offer was no fee at all if they lose, or 50% of the first year reduction amount as their contingency fee (and nothing after that).

 

After several months of silence, they emailed me stating the town has agreed to a lower valuation - close to an 18% reduction.  I accepted the proposal, and I received the court judgement the other day.  The firm stated that they won't bill me the fee until they have confirmed that my escrow is refunded properly.

 

All in all, I was skeptical, but it seemed to work out well.  We'll still continue the creep on already ridiculous taxes that support all the school admin salaries, but at least I have the clock set back a few years on not sending in around $2k extra that I didn't have to send.

 

If anyone feels like they could benefit from this, I can send you the firm contact information via PM.

 

Incidentally, I was contacted by two other firms later on regarding the same topic, and they wanted a higher percentage of the first year cut.  So I suppose it is a cottage industry trolling for homeowners in any town with a recent re-val.

[HBecwithFn7 296]

Did I just state the impossible?  No, my property tax didn't go down because the town reduced the budget, I actually won an appeal.

 

Unfortunately, in my town, they made a huge complaint about recent "reassessments" and took the case to court. The "people" were successful in court in getting their properties "reassessed." So, what does the town do? They pull "slight of hand" of course, and raised the tax rates this past summer to make it (in my case) just $200.00 above last year's rates.   And in an "election year" for Pete's sake?  Seriously???

[bhunted 887]

I went through it all couple years ago and was denied. After arguing with these crooked bastards, they basically told me and others to eff off. They appraised me 25k more than it should have been. My taxes increased 2k or so...

 

Various citizens in other towns started a shetstorm saying as we all did, that their market value stated could not be sold in these times. Our town as well as others started to realize it because people really wanted out and left taking a big cut or stayed with proof of offers impossible to accept. Too many people are borderline or in the red of what they owe vs appraised value. The market dictated it and proof can no longer be hidden. Our town finally announced a re-appraisal because of failing sales at what they say was valid. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

Congratz!

[AlDente67 563]

I wonder if having a law firm versus doing the appeals process yourself might make a difference in the willingness to deal by the town tax people.

[DSD1026 48]

They reassessed our town back in 2007, at the height of the market..  our property value went up almost 100k from the 4 years before when we bought it..  taxes went up by about $2500..  then, in 2011, they reassessed the area again, found out property values were way lower (by about 75k, so it was only slightly higher than my original home value when i bought it)..  But, in perfect government tax fashion, they raised the tax RATES in the town, so at the end of the day, my taxes were all of about $20 less then before the second reassessment even though the value of the home was almost 75k less than that valuation. 

 

Make no mistake..  your property tax may go down temporarily, but it wont stay there.  They'll just find other ways to increase it

[bhunted 887]

Dunno.... On a personal level, got to determine if the savings is worth the cost of legal counsel. Prob a class action backing would be better.

 

But in all honesty, they are crooked bastards. The company they hired would not honor any proof and the board of directors made believe they listened.

 

Bah! I knew they were bogus. I had a real estate license and they could care less I knew the illegal crap that goes on in that industry. Just typical politicians that could care less what you want.

[bhunted 887]

Heh, they sent out a letter recently bragging about the low taxes and to not just blame them because the school taxes make up more of the increases.

 

BS....kind of funny how taxes increases after the assessment and it's not like we cannot read the break downs. Now school tax is a bunch of bullshit anyway. I have no kids and I shouldn't be paying school tax in my eyes. But that's a whole other conversation...

[AlDente67 563]

I would think a class action settlement would boomerang though.  If everyone in the town got a 20% reduction, the town would simply raise it by 20% to cover the fixed costs, despite the alleged 3% cap.  We can't lose any $120k+bennies 7th grade vice-principals to budget cuts!

[AlDente67 563]

Heh, they sent out a letter recently bragging about the low taxes and to not just blame them because the school taxes make up more of the increases.

 

BS....kind of funny how taxes increases after the assessment and it's not like we cannot read the break downs. Now school tax is a bunch of bullshit anyway. I have no kids and I shouldn't be paying school tax in my eyes. But that's a whole other conversation...

John, you have to pay for the 15 illegals living in the rental who need ESL teaching.

 

Oh, but that is Hightstown - a "sanctuary city" according to the previous mayor.  Your mileage may vary.

[bhunted 887]

John, you have to pay for the 15 illegals living in the rental who need ESL teaching.

 

Oh, but that is Hightstown - a "sanctuary city" according to the previous mayor. Your mileage may vary.

They just started a new inspection process for that now here. Any new rentals, homeowners, etc., must pay an inspection fee, get inspected and submit legit names of everyone living in the home. They are trying to curtail these problems and also cut out these boneheads renting basements out which is illegal.

[Mikeythumbs 1]

John, you have to pay for the 15 illegals living in the rental who need ESL teaching.

 

Oh, but that is Hightstown - a "sanctuary city" according to the previous mayor. Your mileage may vary.

WTF is a sanctuary city

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

I wonder if having a law firm versus doing the appeals process yourself might make a difference in the willingness to deal by the town tax people.

It absolutely does.

 

I appealed mine in 2010.  Our town had also gone through a re-evaluation and took advantage of the peak market.

 

I represented myself in the local process at the county seat in Freehold and by all account did a terrific job.  People actually followed me out into the hall way to ask how I did it and complement me.  I felt like I nailed it, and truth told, it was a LOT of fun.  I like court room shit...I'm a bit of a freak.   Anyway.

 

A week later I got the result and they denied me.  So I appealed and showed up in Trenton, without a lawyer, and was advised strongly to obtain one.

 

Through a series of events that I won't bore everyone with I ultimately did negotiate a settlement for reduction without hiring a lawyer, but it wasn't nearly what I wanted.

 

The town and their appraiser have what my Judge friend told me is a "Presumption of Expertise" that requires another licensed professional to counter.

 

Al, please PM me the name of the firm you used.  I got contacted by someone out of Rumson (Monmouth County) that I'm considering.  It's getting close to refiling again.  

[Kingsoverqueens 10]

Make no mistake..  your property tax may go down temporarily, but it wont stay there.  They'll just find other ways to increase it

It's the kind of thing you should do every couple of years.

[AlDente67 563]

WTF is a sanctuary city

 

That is what they call a town/city that tacitly turns a blind eye to illegals moving in.  So we have a typical rental property on Main Street that has 3 bedrooms/1 bath.  Now it is rented by 15 illegals working landscaping jobs.  The kids all go to the public school, but they don't speak English at home (because their parents don't know English), so they need additional (expensive) tutoring by the local public school system.  About 20k per kid per year, which everyone in town pays for.

 

They have no interest in assimilating, so you see the Bodega pop up with signage for "Money Transfer" back to the homeland.  And then another and another Bodega, and then a few risky food storefronts...and so on.

 

Meanwhile, people like Jerry Brown out in CA sing the praises of all of these people "giving a shot in the arm for our economy", whereas if they were so productive and useful, why did they leave their home country in the first place?

 

Did I answer the question?

[ryan_j 0]

As simple as I can state it - your town/schools/county needs a certain amount of money to run. They then divide this up among property owners, plus they get some state aid. 

 

When they do a town wide revaluation and assessments go down, of course they're going to raise the rate to make up the same amount of money they budgeted.

 

This is Government after all. 90k is the median salary for LEOs for example. You think that money comes from the sky??? Nope. It comes from you!!!

[bhunted 887]

I have no problem paying taxes. I have no problem them raising taxes. I have a problem when they raise taxes overboard and use sheisters and tell you to go screw. I'm waiting now to see how bad their pee-pees get hammered. Then I will go to the hearing and make them cry when I point out how they are screwing us. Loose lips sink ships and our mayor opened up to me unintentionally I believe. Muhahaha. You can joke, screw around in fun, even call me everything in the book. But you screw with my money? Game on! Maybe not today, but patience, as they say sometimes, is a virtue.

[El-Groucho 0]

I'm going to go through this for next year.  I coach soccer with an attorney that does this that says he's usually successful in getting a reduction.

[ryan_j 0]

I have no problem paying taxes. I have no problem them raising taxes. I have a problem when they raise taxes overboard and use sheisters and tell you to go screw. I'm waiting now to see how bad their pee-pees get hammered. Then I will go to the hearing and make them cry when I point out how they are screwing us. Loose lips sink ships and our mayor opened up to me unintentionally I believe. Muhahaha. You can joke, screw around in fun, even call me everything in the book. But you screw with my money? Game on! Maybe not today, but patience, as they say sometimes, is a virtue.

 

 

I do have a problem with them raising taxes. I believe that Government wastes a lot of money, overpays and underworks much of its labor force, spends too much money on nonsense and views the taxpayer as a bottomless pit. I despise this attitude. It is the attitude of King George III to the colonies. 

 

My assessment was lowered after an avalanche of appeals a few years ago. So they just revalued portions of the town. Some people grumbled that it wasn't "fair" because their taxes weren't lowered too... so that triggered a town wide assessment and for most people taxes went back up. Ours went back up to what it was when we bought the house, almost 9 grand. It was a little over 8. One day I'm just gonna say fook it and just pack up and leave. 

[70gto 142]

I'm going to go through this for next year.  I coach soccer with an attorney that does this that says he's usually successful in getting a reduction.

Can you Pm me name of attorney. I want to do the same, thanks

[bhunted 887]

I'm going to go through this for next year. I coach soccer with an attorney that does this that says he's usually successful in getting a reduction.

Again, can someone confirm that the savings out-weigh the attorney fees?

Also, you still get denied, your out money again....

 

When I hear that attorneys give you a better chance, hence the fact that they will listen to an attorney and not me, really pisses me off. I produced accurate documentation that should have proven my case.

 

This reminds me of my disability case where the state told me to eff off 3 years in a row and the judge told them to eff off.

 

This just makes me strongly believe it is nothing more than a money game to keep them arseholes rich. Also, in hopes that we give up which just ends as they get their way and you get nada! Blah!

 

Did I say I hate politicians and lawyers...? Not necessarily in that order?

[bhunted 887]

I do have a problem with them raising taxes. I believe that Government wastes a lot of money, overpays and underworks much of its labor force, spends too much money on nonsense and views the taxpayer as a bottomless pit. I despise this attitude. It is the attitude of King George III to the colonies.

 

My assessment was lowered after an avalanche of appeals a few years ago. So they just revalued portions of the town. Some people grumbled that it wasn't "fair" because their taxes weren't lowered too... so that triggered a town wide assessment and for most people taxes went back up. Ours went back up to what it was when we bought the house, almost 9 grand. It was a little over 8. One day I'm just gonna say fook it and just pack up and leave.

The reason I said I have no prob raising taxes, because I don't. But there is always a big BUT! I agree they waste a lot. But there were points in town that there were no assessments in decades. Without proper assessments, we struggled getting things done. So taxes need to be put on track. And the big BUT... Things need to be scrutinized that it is not wasted and sanctioned properly. Not waste it on bs and believe me, I see it.

 

It all boils down to fair share and proper use. Also, scrutiny needs to be put into every aspect of taxes. Finally, they are looking for illegals and crap like rhat. Shame on the sheeple that won't squeal on thy neighbor. They know not how it affects them. Complacency strikes again. Pure ignorance running neck and neck.

 

My house is pre-1940 and I have a lousy 40x100 lot. $7k no matter which way you add it is too fooking much. They need to start school taxing people for children per family. Not me... Watch how fast things change.

[siderman 1,137]

funny this thread pops up now. I was at afriends house on Long Island Saturday and they were talking about this very thing. They're called grievence lawyers and its very common out there, almost routine according to my friend. Simply put, like the op said its a 50/50 split on the savings. No refund, no fee.

[1LtCAP 4,262]

they didn't re-assess your property because it hasn't been done in 15 years. they did it because they're trying to work around christies 2.5% increase limit. if the value goes up, then they've raised the taxes without raising the taxes. #$% townships need to learn to control their spending.

[Mikeythumbs 1]

That is what they call a town/city that tacitly turns a blind eye to illegals moving in. So we have a typical rental property on Main Street that has 3 bedrooms/1 bath. Now it is rented by 15 illegals working landscaping jobs. The kids all go to the public school, but they don't speak English at home (because their parents don't know English), so they need additional (expensive) tutoring by the local public school system. About 20k per kid per year, which everyone in town pays for.

 

They have no interest in assimilating, so you see the Bodega pop up with signage for "Money Transfer" back to the homeland. And then another and another Bodega, and then a few risky food storefronts...and so on.

 

Meanwhile, people like Jerry Brown out in CA sing the praises of all of these people "giving a shot in the arm for our economy", whereas if they were so productive and useful, why did they leave their home country in the first place?

 

Did I answer the question?

Yup and that sucks

[raz-0 1,259]

I wonder if having a law firm versus doing the appeals process yourself might make a difference in the willingness to deal by the town tax people.

 

I would say that largely depends on the market, and how your town dealt with the bubble. Back around 86-87 my family moved down this way, and at the time it was a sellers market. Prices were jumping. A couple years later, and it was not. The DIY reassessment worked fine, but the town mostly grew from new construction, and the run up wasn't nearly as big as the recent bubble and collapse, just the usual wave of market forces. I know the same town has been pretty resistant to appeals lately. Some towns, in the face of the bubble, kept appraisals low and upped the tax rate. Some places reassessed and dropped the tax rate. The latter have a LOT to lose form disputes. The former not so much. Then of course there were the towns that reassessed and didn't lower rates. Those kind of towns, you have to get them to pull out long enough so you can get up and call a lawyer, and they'll still fight you tooth and nail. 

[intercooler 41]

Ryan should run for office

[Midwest 28]

We just got our tax bill

[dobie 0]

I've been a real estate appraiser for 20+ years and probably looked at over 5K houses. I tell everyone first thing you do is go down to the assessor's office and ask to see the property record card.

Compare what's on the card to what you know.

 

There are so many mistakes it's incredible. Extra bathrooms, finished basements where there are none, screened porches counted as living area, incorrect square footage, too much to list.  In some towns (I won't name names) they haven't done a revaluation in 20 or more years and the property card is almost blank. They have no clue what's in the house.  Remember when they do a reval. they do them in the summer and hire a bunch of ignorant college kids to go out an look at houses. They probably train them for a couple hours and send them on there way.

 

Start you appeal process by doing the cheapest thing first. Making sure they got the right physical description is something you can do yourself. If it's wrong make an appointment to sit down with the assessor. It used to be that the assessor had some leeway to make adjustments to a certain point before the formal appeal process kicks in.  That's my 2 cents

[Nac 3]

I did a tax appeal last year. I called a lawyer that specializes in property taxes. He asked for my general info said he would do some quick research and get back to me. He called me back a few day later and was confident that he could do something. He asked for 50% of the saved amount for the 1 year . He did it through the county and I saved about •$1,400

[AlDente67 563]

I've been a real estate appraiser for 20+ years and probably looked at over 5K houses. I tell everyone first thing you do is go down to the assessor's office and ask to see the property record card.

Compare what's on the card to what you know.

 

There are so many mistakes it's incredible. Extra bathrooms, finished basements where there are none, screened porches counted as living area, incorrect square footage, too much to list.  In some towns (I won't name names) they haven't done a revaluation in 20 or more years and the property card is almost blank. They have no clue what's in the house.  Remember when they do a reval. they do them in the summer and hire a bunch of ignorant college kids to go out an look at houses. They probably train them for a couple hours and send them on there way.

 

Start you appeal process by doing the cheapest thing first. Making sure they got the right physical description is something you can do yourself. If it's wrong make an appointment to sit down with the assessor. It used to be that the assessor had some leeway to make adjustments to a certain point before the formal appeal process kicks in.  That's my 2 cents

Funny you mention that.  My Brother-in-law also is in your business.  He has some good stories.

 

The house across the street was assessed assuming a finished basement.  It is on a slab.  He won his appeal after proving the house had no basement via pictures of the lack of basement,  e.g. slab.

 

The appraiser for Lending Tree sat outside my house for about 10 minutes and filed an appraisal for the recent comp in the neighborhood less $10,000 for "New windows".  Whaaat?