The answer to this question is no, they absolutely do not. An assessor’s job is to assess and value your property at a certain level, using the details of the area and the property itself to do so. If you have details that the assessor missed, made an error on, or just simple did not know about, then that individual will most certainly want to know about those.
Appeals are a Part of the Assessment Process
The Fulton County Tax Assessor knows that there will be times when the valuations given will be incorrect. It really just comes with the territory. There are so many factors involved with this process, there’s just no way for it always to come out right. There are factors like the human factor, the changes factor, the experience factor, and several more. When so many different things can affect an outcome, there’s bound to be some mistakes, so assessors know they should expect for appeals to happen.
An Assessors Job Is Not Based on Personal Opinion
The Fulton County Tax Assessor isn’t going to give your property a value amount by passing personal judgment on it. There are strict criteria that have to be followed. Fulton County uses an approach for valuation called mass appraisal. That means that instead of giving a property an appraisal that is just for that one single location, there is a mass appraisal applied to properties that are all in the same area.
To do this, the Fulton County Tax Assessor uses software called Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) to break properties out into different base “models”. Once that’s been done, there are ways to add or subtract from the value based on options and other modifiers that would affect the value of a piece of real estate. Other factors, like sales in the area and Real Estate Market data, will also be added into the valuation process before the final number is given to a property. That number is then run through a verification and quality control process to make sure the assessor is getting the most accurate number possible and that results are consistent.
All of this means that there is no reason for your Fulton County Tax Assessor to be upset at all. You’re not disagreeing with someone’s opinion, you’re disagreeing with the system and its results.
Will the Assessor Fight My Appeal?
The process of appealing your property assessment valuation does include the assessor having to support the side of the Fulton County Tax Assessor. Again though, this is all part of the pre-plotted process, not because the assessor is seeking revenge on you. The person covering your case is well aware that appeals are going to happen. It’s a part of the assessor’s job.
If I Lose My Appeal, Can I Appeal Again?
Yes, you can. If you lose, you can either wait and decide to try again next year, or you can push your appeal through to a higher level of court. The Superior Court could end up hearing your case, in the event that you and the Fulton County Tax Assessor are unable to come to an agreement that both parties are satisfied with.
Can I Submit and Process an Appeal on My Own?
You can file an appeal on your own if you would like. You can get on the Internet and file through the online portal the County has set up. You can also file your appeal manually. The online portal is faster and more efficient, but if you feel more comfortable mailing your appeal package in or hand delivering it to the office, then you are welcome to do that.
Here’s the thing about filing an appeal by yourself. Unless you have a deep understanding of property valuation and taxation for your area, then there’s a good chance that you could make a mistake in your paperwork, or fail to have all of the supporting evidence needed to get your appeal approved. Your risk of denial of your appeal by the Fulton County Tax Assessor is higher if you try to appeal without the help of a professional who works with property assessment appeals regularly.
Finding the Right Company to Help You Appeal Your Property Assessment Valuation
It’s very important to choose the right company to help you with your appeal. You’ll want to look for a firm that has good experience to draw from. Also, you’ll want to know that they’ve had more successes than failures when it comes to the appeals that they’ve already helped with.
One thing you can do to make sure you’re making a good choice for a property assessment appeals company is to schedule a consultation appointment with any of the options you are considering. You should be able to sit down with an expert from the company and look at your case together at no cost. That meeting will help you to make a more informed decision for whom you want to help you with your Fulton County Tax Assessor valuation appeal.
Time to Start Making Calls
Hopefully, it is clear to you that you don’t have to be afraid to file an appeal if you disagree with the value that was given to your property by the Fulton County Tax Assessor. Even though you shouldn’t be afraid to go forward with it, you should know that there is a good bit of work that may have to go into processing your appeal successfully. You should give a call to Fair Assessments, LLC to have them take a look at your case. They will have the answers to all of your questions and meet with you to discuss your case and any concerns you may have. If you choose to use them to help you get through your appeal process, they will work hard to make sure that you have the greatest possibility for a successful outcome, while ensuring you have as painless and smooth of a process as you can get.
