If you own a property in the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, Georgia area, that property will be assessed annually for its “fair market value”. But what is fair market value, who decides what that is, and how would you know if that assessment is fair? Most importantly, what steps can you take to challenge that assessment in Fulton County?
- Familiarize yourself with the basics. It can help if you know more about the real estate assessment process and how your property's value is determined in Fulton County. The county has created a short, easy-to-understand video you can view to get started.
- Know what an assessment is and how it impacts taxes. Your home is assessed for 40% of its expected sales price. In Fulton County, you can only appeal the assessed value, not the property taxes. The lower the assessment value, however, the lower your property taxes will likely be.
- File an appeal before the deadline. You have a deadline of 45 days from the date of assessment to file your appeal. This date should be noted on your notice of assessment. If this deadline is missed, your right to contest your assessment is lost.
- Select a filing method. You can file online, at one of the five Fulton County Tax assessors offices or via mail.
- Choose your appeal process. When filing, you can choose to:
- Have a hearing before the Board of Equalization
- Participate in a non-binding arbitration
- You may have your appeal heard in font of a Hearing Officer (fees may apply)
- Pay your temporary tax bill. While you wait for your appeal to be heard, you will be required to pay a temporary tax bill. An appeal can take months to be resolved.
How Fair Assessments Can Help
Fair Assessments helps Fulton County and Atlanta area property owners reduce their assessment and ultimately their property taxes. While we assist homeowners with their residential assessments, we can also help owners of rental properties, commercial and multi-use properties appeal their assessments. We have 16 years of experience in helping property owners reduce their tax assessments. We take care of all the paperwork and make sure all deadlines are met.
We are a small, low-overhead company with a virtual office. Our focus is on property tax assessments in the Fulton County region, and we may be able to help you.
Property values in Fulton and surrounding counties are rising. Assessments are rising along with them. If you are concerned about the fairness of your most recent assessment, connect with Fair-Asssessments.com. Contact us today to get started.
