If you receive your annual property assessment notice in Fulton County and disagree with the current year value of your home, it's absolutely in your best interest to file an appeal. Doing so, provided that you get your appeal in before the 45 day deadline, could save you a significant amount of money. This is a very specific process, however - and one that requires you to keep a few key things in mind.
Property Taxes in Fulton County: Your Guide
The people who are responsible for appraising all real and personal property in Fulton County are known as the Board of Assessors. Their other duties include processing exemption applications, maintaining records of property ownership, maintaining property tax maps and more.
The Tax Commissioner, on the other hand, is who is responsible for both calculating and printing tax bills. This is why the assessment notice that you receive in the mail isn't actually a "bill" in the strictest sense of the term - it's simply to give you an idea of what you'll be expected to pay later.
Fair market value in Fulton County is defined as the amount you could reasonably sell your home for, which is also the amount that someone would be willing to pay for it. The assessed value of your home is 40% of whatever the fair market value was determined to be.
It's also important to be aware of the Homestead Exemption, which is something that you can apply for all year round even if you have yet to receive your annual assessment notice. Having said that, if you get your application in after April 1, your exemption will be processed for the following year.
So long as you're both A) the owner of the property in question and are B) living there full-time as of January 1, you qualify for the Homestead Exemption in a particular year. Likewise, you don't have to reapply for the Homestead Exemption every year unless you either sell the property or move somewhere else and no longer live there full-time. The total amount of money you'll save will depend on, among other things, millage rates that are set by the Fulton County School Boards, the Board of Commissioners and other governing bodies.
Rather than going through this process alone, you're always encouraged to enlist the help of the team at Fair Assessments to help out on your behalf. That way you can enjoy all of the benefits of a property tax appeal with as few of the potential downsides as possible.
To learn more about the process that you have to go through in order to successfully conduct a Fulton County property tax appeal, or to get answers to any other specific questions that you may have, please don't hesitate to contact Fair Assessments today.
