Taxes are perhaps the one sure thing in life – no matter where you live, you’ll have to pay taxes in one form or another, from income tax to sales tax to property tax. While many times there’s little you can do about how much you owe, that might not be the case with your property taxes. In fact, you might have the grounds to appeal to your Clayton County tax assessor and have your taxes reduced. How do you tell if that’s the case?
Is Your Home’s Value Correct?
When you receive the notification of how much you’ll owe in property taxes this year by mail, you’ll see the amount on which you’re being taxed. That’s your home’s value. It may or may not be correct. Inaccurate home values are perhaps the most common reason for homeowners overpaying on their property taxes (and up to 60% of homes nationally are over assessed).
Now, this begs the question of how you determine whether your home’s listed value is actually correct. You can’t go by your insurance company’s assessment – they’re not the same thing. Ideally, you’ll hire an independent property tax consultant to tell you. This will cost, but compared to the amount you can save when the Clayton County tax assessor adjusts your taxes, it’s easier to take.
There are numerous ways that an inaccurate amount can be listed for your home’s value. These include incorrect assessments due to the weaknesses in the mass appraisal methods used in Clayton County and throughout the rest of Georgia. They can also be due to a failure to reassess your home after market prices drop, affecting the value of your property.
Take Matters into Your Own Hands or Hire a Pro
If you determine that your home has been assessed incorrectly and you want to negotiate with the Clayton County tax assessor, you have two choices. You can go it alone, or you can hire an expert in property tax appeals. Both methods have their pros and cons. Going it alone means that you save money, but you have a higher chance of your dispute being rejected. Hiring a pro will cost you, but you have a better chance of your dispute being accepted, and the savings may more than cover the expert’s charge.
If you do decide to contact the Clayton County tax assessor on your own, it might be worth your time to arrange for an informal meeting. Present your evidence, and ask that your property be reassessed. If your request is refused, then you can file a formal dispute. You’ll have to be patient during this time, as it can take several weeks for your dispute to be studied, and then another couple of weeks for the Clayton County tax assessor to notify you of the decision. If the assessor still doesn’t reduce your property tax burden, you can take the case to the Board of Equalization and even on to Superior Court. However, be aware that this can be very expensive, and if you lose the case, you pay the court costs.
Sources:
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-11-04/how-to-reduce-your-property-taxes
