Archive for October, 2009

Keep Property Taxes Lower

October 8th, 2009

There are a few ways for taxpayers to help keep property taxes lower. The first way is to attend public meeting where decisions are being made about spending limits and spending in general. If you do not participate in meeting that is open to the public for suggestions and opinions, you cannot blame anyone for higher property taxes. If the community spending committee we will call them wants to raise taxes so they can afford to give aldermen and government officials a raise in salary, then no one will be at the meeting to voice their opinion and make people think.Keep Property Taxes Lower photo

If a committee is interested in buying land from a property owner and it is a substantial amount of money that will require an increase in property taxes, you might use a petition to request a vote when the next election is scheduled. This is done in many states and communities. This allows the voters who are tax-paying citizens to vote for or against the proposal. All spending should be done this way. That way everyone in the community has a say or a vote if you may on whether or not this type of spending is necessary.

Another way to avoid higher property taxes is to organize fundraisers for things that are needed for schools. If the school district is asking for more money, which could raise property taxes, you might suggest ways for the entire school system to raise the money needed and enjoy in a sense of accomplishment. Not only is this a great way for raising money for the cause, but also gives students and teachers a new way to work together and learn values. This has been tried and accomplished in many communities with great success. Those communities have lower property taxes as well.

There could be a committee for school fundraisers, fire and police fundraisers, a committee for nursing home fundraisers and even a fundraising committee for the library and historical museums. The community does come together when a fundraiser not only helps the cause but also keeps there property taxes down. People are spending money, are receiving something in return, instead of handing over their money and receiving nothing in return for the most part. This type of community involvement does have its benefits, people enjoy the fundraising event and the community makes some money that is needed for whatever reason.

These are just some of the ways that property owners can help to keep property taxes lower. There are many more ways that people can contribute, they just have to think about how much they really want to help the community keep the taxes lower and organize ways to raise money or at least ask for votes on spending and district increases before the committee approves them. When people want to have lower property taxes anything is possible and when the community leaders are behind you, everyone wins. You just need to look for positive ways to lower the property taxes and speak up at public events that are held in the community.

Property Tax Assessment Outrageous

October 3rd, 2009

When you receive your property tax bill, you need to go over it very closely. You need to look at the fair market value and the assessed value. These two different things have two different meaning when figuring your property tax liability. Many people have complaints about how the assessment of homes or properties is done. The county assessor does not enter your home or property, they look at the outside for a description of the property to compare to other similar properties in the area to determine your assessed value. This is common practice and may not always be the true assessed value of your property. Property Tax Assessment Outrageous photo

Now this assessed value does not take into consideration bad roofs, cracking interior walls, bad foundations, windows that are falling apart or anything else wrong with the house. They also do not see if you have done any repairs or behind the scenes remodeling so to say. All the assessor sees is the outside of the property. If you know your assessed value is outrageous because of deteriorating conditions, you can appeal the property tax assessed value. You would do this to have the assessed value of the home lowered, thus reducing your overall tax liability.

If your home is assessed at $100,000 and you need a new roof, which includes trusses and some structural preservation that is going to cost $50,000, then you might think the assessed value of your property is over exaggerated. If this has happened to you, you can seek a property tax lawyer or a consultant to give you some advice on the appeals process. You do not want to pay taxes on a property that is half of the assessed value than what it should be at this specific time. If you wait until the next year, it may be to late to have anything done.

You need to take some steps to protect yourself when filing an appeal of property taxes, which a lawyer can point out to you. If you property is in that much need of repair, the city may deem it necessary to condemn the property until repairs are made. This is all a part of the system. If your repairs are not life threatening, but more so they lower the value of the property, then a property tax lawyer can argue this point for you.

You can see how important it is to check your property tax bill to see exactly what is said about your property. Many people just get the bill and pay it without really giving it any thought. If you go to sell the property and find out that the assessed value is to high and you are selling for less than that, you will find out, you have been paying taxes that are exaggerated.

At this time, you have no recourse to recoup any of that money. It is better to check the bill and decide if you feel comfortable about the new assessed value of your property.

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