In accordance with Georgia Law (OCGA 48-5-264.1), the chief appraiser, other members of the county property appraisal staff, and members of the county board of tax assessors may go upon property outside of buildings, posted or otherwise, in order to carry out the duty of updating property records to facilitate the estimating of the fair market values of taxable property in the county.

The Gwinnett County tax assessor was first out of the gate in 2012 when their notices were released on April 6, 2012. It remains to be seen whether they will be the first out again in 2013, but my guess is yes! (Update, they were!) It is officially tax time here in the great state of Georgia and everyone in Gwinnett County should be on the lookout for a 2013 property tax assessment notice. I know that last year people in the Gwinnett County tax assessors commercial section were saying that they thought their full service hotel values were too low, so I think you may see those rise.

ATLANTA (MARCH 14, 2013) -- Companies and individuals thinking about filing a property tax appeal for 2013 are in luck.

After working with a lot of different people in the property tax consulting business I’ve come to the conclusion that the best people to do this type of work are those that are former tax assessor employees. Having a solid understanding of the mass appraisal process that the tax assessors use is a great advantage when you are working with tax assessment personnel and trying to negotiate a lower value. Being able to relate to the County assessment staff, understanding what their job is, understanding the parameters that they need to work within, and what you can and cannot do if you want to keep their trust is vital.

 I can’t say that I’ve worked for every board of tax assessors in the world but I have worked for two different counties both Fulton County, Georgia, and Prince William County, Virginia, so you could say I know the property tax assessments, and appeals process inside and out. Having been the commercial appraiser manager for Fulton County, Georgia Board of Tax Assessors provides insight into the regular day-to-day operations there.  When I walk into county tax assessment departments and can talk to the county appraiser and let them know that I used to do exactly what they do, that develops instant rapport.

The Income Approach uses capitalization to convert the anticipated benefits of the ownership of property into an estimate of present value.

The Sales Comparison Approach estimates a property’s value (or some other characteristic, such as its depreciation) by reference to comparable sales.

The cost approach to value is the most widely used approach by tax assessors in the mass appraisal process. It is defined as: