While you may think that the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor has the ultimate advantage during the appeals process, you still have a good chance at beating them at their own game. For one thing, you should have an experienced tax consultant with comprehensive knowledge about these matters on your side to increase your chances of success. For another thing, you can use the Tax Assessor’s records to your own advantage, too. Here’s how.
Check Your Property’s Official tax Record
Your property’s tax records, which are maintained by the Tax Assessor, may contain incomplete and/or inaccurate information. This will result in an unfair (i.e., too high) valuation that, in turn, will affect your final tax bill for the applicable year.
You can get a copy of your property’s tax record at the office of the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor, request it via email, or check its official website to see its online availability. You should then review the tax record for common errors, such as incorrect classification (e.g., commercial instead of residential); incorrect size of the house and lot; inaccurate listing of the number of bedrooms and bathrooms; inaccurate listing of improvements not actually made; no mention of defects and age of the home; and inaccurate purchase price. You must also check that you have actually been given all of the tax breaks for which you are qualified, such as exemptions based on your age, disability, income, and military service.
If you discover one or more of these errors, you have to inform the county tax appraiser so that your tax record can be corrected and your property’s tax value can be adjusted. However, you may still disagree with the new appraised value stated by the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor, in which case you have to do more to advance your cause.
Gather More Information
You can establish that the Tax Assessor has placed an unfair valuation on your home by gathering two types of information. First is the treatment accorded by the Tax Assessor on homes similar to yours. You have to review the assessment records for similar homes in your community. The records can be accessed via the Tax Assessor’s office or website.
You have to focus on homes with approximately similar qualities as your own home, in terms of square footage, age, and location. For example, you discover that the average taxable value of similar homes in your community is $340,000 while your home has a taxable value of $375,000. If your home is truly comparable to the average home then you are over-assessed. If your property is inferior to properties with similar values you have other evidence that your home’s value has been over-assessed.
Second, look at the sale prices of similar homes. You must gather information about the recent sales prices of homes similar to yours in the community, a task that your tax consultant or real estate broker can assist with. You will be looking for sales that support a lower value. Again, the things to look for are average sale prices that are lower than your value, and superior or equivalent properties selling for less.
While gathering information will take time, energy and perhaps money, keep in mind that the stronger your evidence, the better your chances of getting a substantially lower taxable value on your home from the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor.
