As a property owner, you should know that home improvement projects can result in substantial increase in its appraised value. If you want to achieve a good balance between decreasing your home’s fair market value for tax reduction purposes and increasing its beauty, you should follow the following Clayton county property tax reduction tips.
Check Your Property Tax Card
Your property tax card contains detailed information about your property. You can request for a copy from the Clayton County Tax Assessor’s office. The information that you can find in your property tax card includes living area, lot size, gross area, and the types and number of fixtures in the structures including the main residential building and its outlying structures. This information was accumulated over many years of annual assessment inspections conducted by the Tax Assessor’s Office and its appraisers.
The information contained in the card is of crucial importance in your Clayton County property tax reduction efforts. While reviewing your property tax card, you should be vigilant about possible errors made by the appraisers during the annual assessment inspections and by the clerks in their entries. The possible errors include discrepancies in home improvements, and lot size, which will affect property appraisal values and taxes.
You should discuss these discrepancies with the tax assessor and/or appraisers. These government officials will either conduct a re-evaluation and/or make the necessary corrections to reduce your property taxes.
Review Your Neighbors’ Property Cards
You can also review your neighbor’s property cards as part of your Clayton County property tax reduction efforts. Along with your request for a copy of your property tax card from the Tax Assessor’s Office, you may also request for information about the appraised and assessed values of your immediate neighbors’ homes. Use this information to make comparisons between the appraised values of your home and those of your neighbor’s homes.
Work with the Appraiser
While you are not obligated by law to be present during the annual assessment inspections conducted by the authorized appraisers, you are well-advised to work with them. Keep in mind that the appraisers will likely only see the superficial good points of your home, such as the new trim on your door, or the new paint on your windows, or the refurbished play set on your lawn, while overlooking the bad points, such as the warped roof.
While walking around your property with the appraisers, be sure to point out both the good and bad points of your home. You can contribute to the fairest possible valuation of your property in this manner and, hence, boost the success of your Clayton County property tax reduction efforts.
Another very effective way of reducing your Clayton County property tax is by filing a property tax appeal. Contact Fair Assessments, LLC now for assistance!
