Do you own a piece of property in Gwinnett County? The tax assessor who provides a value to your property for the purposes of calculating your property taxes might have gotten the value of your property incorrect. Even though they work hard to minimize their errors, it is important to realize that errors are still going to slip through on occasion. There are likely far more people out there today who are paying too much for their property tax than realize it.
If you have found that there are problems with the value of your property and the amount of taxes that they want you to pay, there is fortunately something you can do about it. Still, you will have a limited time from when they send you your assessment letter, so you need to act quickly. Check the letter to see how long you have to file for an appeal, and make sure that you are able to meet that deadline.
Why Did They Value Your Property Incorrectly?
When you realize that they put an incorrect value on your property, it can make you feel angry at first. You wonder just how much extra you have been paying in taxes, and why they misjudged the value of your home. It can feel personal, but it really isn’t. Errors can happen to anyone, and the way the system works means that there are always little errors that can slip into the paperwork. They aren’t on purpose, but they certainly are annoying.
In some cases, you might find that the error could be clerical. Someone might have mistyped the size of your lot. Rather than putting down 1.5 acres, they have it as 15 acres. Naturally, there is quite a difference in the size. The same type of issue could come up with the number or bathrooms that you have, as well. In addition, the Gwinnett County tax assessor might not have the latest information on the condition of your home. They may not realize that there was a flood that caused damage a year ago, for example.
There are many reasons that problems could crop up with your property valuation, and you really do need to be vigilant when the assessment letter arrives. Go over the letter and be sure to question anything that does not make sense. Too many people are simply fine with paying their taxes without questioning the amount.
Some of the data elements that the Gwinnett County tax assessor is going to use when they are trying to determine the property value include the land included with the property, the square footage of the buildings on the property, the number of bathrooms, whether there is a finished basement, a garage, a pool, and the condition of the building.
One of the other areas that they use to gather data are comps. These are homes in the area that have sold recently, and that are considered comparable to your home. They look at the price for which the home sold and assume that your home is likely worth a similar amount. They gather information on several comps to come up with a number that they can use.
As you can see, there are quite a few different data elements, and all of them can be prone to error. The Gwinnett County tax assessor does the best they can when it comes to getting the assessments for your property, but that does not mean that they are always going to provide you with an accurate value.
File Your Appeal
You will have a limited amount of time during which you can file for your appeal, so pay attention to the information on your assessment letter. You are typically going to have between 30 and 45 days from the time that you receive the letter to file for your appeal.
You will want to look at the data that the Gwinnett County tax assessor used when they valued your property. In some cases, you might see some discrepancies from the information they provide to what is actually in your house relatively easily. It might be very simple to get your valuation changed.
However, that is not the case all the time. You will want to make sure that you gather various types of evidence that can help to back up your claims and provide the Gwinnett County tax assessor with a better and more accurate look at your property. You will want to keep a list of any of the mistakes that you find and the evidence you have that can contradict the assessor’s findings.
Some of the different types of evidence that you might need to gather include photos, contractor reports, photos that show the condition of the home, architectural renderings, land surveys, maps, and your own comps. Get as much evidence as you can find that will help you out and have it available to send to the tax assessor’s office with your appeal.
Benefits of Working With a Professional
If all of this sounds like it might turn into a lot of work, that’s because it will. Going thorough an appeal and gathering all of the evidence that you need, not to mention remembering the deadlines and making time for a meeting with the assessor’s office is not easy. While you may be able to handle it on your own, you will likely want to follow the route of many other people and hire a professional. It makes the process smoother for you.
When you work with a professional, such as those from Fair Assessments, LLC., you will find that they can help to make the entire process much easier in a range of ways. The team has decades of experience helping people who are in situations just like yours, and they can take care of all of the hard work and the legwork for you. They can also ensure that you are making the deadlines.
