Did you know that you only have 15 minutes or so to present your case during a hearing on your appeal of property tax? You must make a favorable impression on the hearing officer within the allotted time. You should then be as well-prepared as possible to present your side including reliable and admissible evidence.
Here are a few tips that can turn the table, so to speak, so that the hearing officer will render a judgment in your favor.
Consider the Arbitrary Nature of the Process
Bear in mind that even when you’re well-prepared for the property tax hearing, the process can appear arbitrary. For example, the appraiser chosen by the county for the hearing may be cooperative in arriving at a settlement or challenging in his approach. The hearing officer may also be more sympathetic to the county than to the property owners.
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Indeed, the mix of personal and professional nuances in the hearing process contribute to its arbitrary elements. For this reason, you should seriously consider filing an appeal of property tax on a regular basis and hiring a property tax consultant for it. This decision can increase the chances of a winning appeal.
Develop Rapport with the County-designated Appraiser
You must think of the county-designated appraiser as your ally in reducing your property’s assessed value, instead of your enemy across the table. You should spend a few minutes of polite conversation to establish a level of rapport. Bear in mind during the informal meeting that the appraiser isn’t necessarily opposed to the reduction of the property’s value. But you have to present compelling evidence that, indeed, an adjustment to the assessed value is merited. You must put yourself in his shoes – he doesn’t want to be reprimanded, much less demoted, for making an inappropriate adjustment.
Be Prepared with the Crucial Information
The most important piece of advice: Be prepared before coming to a hearing on your property tax appeal. Success, after all, is 99% preparation, 1% luck, to paraphrase Edison.
- Check that the crucial documents are in your possession – or in your property tax consultant’s briefcase, for that matter – before heading to the hearing. These documents can include photos of the interior and exterior of the subject property, comparable sales reports, and professional appraisal reports, among others.
- Present information that likely affected the county assessor’s flawed fair market value of your property. Your information can include incorrect information on the assessor’s property record card, the absence of interior remodeling in the past 10-15 years; and the new commercial properties around your older building.
Your tax consultant, who will act on your behalf, will explain the impact of various factors on your property’s fair market value. For example, your old apartment building may have similar assessed values as the newer structures because the county’s assessors performed a mass valuation of the neighborhood.
Conclusion
As with all the aspects of the appeal of property tax process, you should be patient, polite and professional yet persistent in your approach. You want to avoid antagonism between your tax appeal team and the county’s team for obvious reasons.
