Contrary to popular opinion, the tax assessors in the State of Georgia aren’t the enemy in the goal to lower property taxes. Keep in mind that as taxing authorities, they are only doing their jobs – to determine the market values on residential and commercial property so that the applicable property taxes can be computed by the Tax Commissioner’s Office. You can see their jobs from their point of view which can help you in your appeal.
Think of it this way: You have little to no control over the subjective mind of the tax assessors making property inspections. But you have greater control over your property’s appearance including its structure, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and upgrades, among others. Here are a few tips that you can adopt to gain the assessors’ perspective and, eventually, to lower property taxes.
Look at Your Property with Objective Eyes
Your first step is to look at your property – the house and the surrounding lot – with objective eyes. This is easier said than done, of course, since you can swing both ways, either be too critical of the repairs that need to be done or too appreciative of its appearance.
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Instead, look at your property in a similar manner as the tax assessors do – with an eye for the following aspects of its physical structure and appearance.
- The physical structure of the house itself
Of course, the tax assessors will not enter your home’s interior for inspection purposes, as provided by the law. For this reason, your property’s assessed value is based on the appearance of the exterior, a source of mistakes in assessments since appearances can deceive.For example, your home may have high vaulted ceilings that make it appear like a two-story home from the outside. It’s your job to call the attention of the tax assessors to this matter.
- The interior of the house
As previously mentioned, tax assessors shouldn’t make physical inspections of your home’s interiors. But you have the right and responsibility to point out the errors on your property’s record cards about your home’s interior. These errors will have affect your property assessed value, too.
Be sure to point out the actual number of bedrooms and bathrooms in your home, the features that make it functionally obsolete (outdated kitchen, baths, floorplan), and other matters that adversely affect its resale value.
Your front and back yards’ features will also be considered. If you have a swimming pool, permanent structures, and manicured lawns, your property’s assessed value will obviously increase.
Ask Your Tax Consultant for Advice
When you have found errors in your property tax card and/or you believe that your property was incorrectly assessed, then you should talk with your tax consultant. You may have placed yourself in the shoes of the tax assessors but you still don’t see eye to eye, even when informal discussions were made, then it’s time to ask your property tax advisor for professional assistance.
Conclusion
Bear in mind that you shouldn’t file an appeal on your own although you can. You want to increase your chances of a winning appeal and it starts by hiring the best property tax consultants to handle it. You will then end up achieving your goal – to lower property taxes!
