Property owners throughout the country have a right to appeal their property tax assessment if they believe their property has been assessed at an unfairly high value, but the process of appeal varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. If you own property in Atlanta, Georgia -- specifically in Clayton County -- here are the steps that a property tax appeal involves and why you'll want to hire a property tax services firm.

Many property owners and taxpayers complain about their property tax burden year in and year out yet fail to adopt concrete actions to resolve their issues. Many of them will file assessment appeals to reduce their Cobb county property tax as soon as possible, usually within 45 days after the date reflected on the annual notice of assessment.

Many property owners and taxpayers entrust the entire property tax appeal process to their tax consultant, an understandable decision considering the complexity of the process and papers involved. But this shouldn’t be for many reasons, such as the fact that the real property at stake is theirs, not the tax consultant’s asset. Their active participation, although in varying degrees depending on their personal decision, is also a must, if only to gain useful knowledge about the people behind the process.

Do you want to lower property taxes but you don’t know where to start? Do you want to win your property tax appeal but you’re frustrated about your losing streak in the previous years? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then one of your first steps should be to conduct comprehensive research.

Sometimes, the best way is the easiest way but we tend to overlook it because of the apparent complexity of the problem. This is true of the ways to lower property taxes although it may not seem so at first, especially for first-time homeowners overwhelmed by the rules and regulations concerning property taxes.

Regardless of the type of property you own, you will find that filing a property tax appeal– and even better, winning it, for that matter - is for your own interest. Your tax burden will be reduced for the applicable year so much so that you have set a precedent for yourself. Your property taxes can be lower in the succeeding years, aside from the fact that your knowledge about these things has increased. 

Several reasons will be behind the high property tax on your home, some of which are within your control while some aren’t in your control. You should look into these reasons so you have the opportunity to decrease your tax payments, whether through appeals made to the Board of Assessors/Board of Equalization or through new declarations. 

Being a property owner can be overwhelming at times regardless of the number of real property in your portfolio. Undoubtedly, the most frustrating aspect is the property taxes because these are inevitable and, more often than not, overstated in comparison to your estimated tax burden.

The independent appraiser’s report is among the crucial supporting documents in appealing property taxes with the pertinent government body, such as the Board of Equalization or the Superior Court. Without it, you’re less likely to win your Gwinnett property tax appeal partly because it’s a proof that the Gwinnett tax assessors made an over-assessment on your property’s value. 

There’s no sense in ranting and raving about things beyond your control regarding increases in your annual property tax. You’re just wasting your energy otherwise since obviously there’s nothing that you can actually do to change these things. Instead, you should focus on what you can control and, thus, change so you can enjoy tax credits and the like.