Most people fail because they "appeal their taxes." You can't appeal your taxes. Property taxes are the political expenses you've gotta pay otherwise they'll put your property on the block for an eventual tax sale.

The burden of proof in property tax appeals is on the homeowner not the government. Anyone who disagrees with his valuation may appeal his tax assessment, but it's up to the owner to fund his fight and to provide "clear and convincing evidence" his property was over-assessed to the authorities.

All you can do is throw the bums out of office. Try electing TRUE conservative (tax wise) leaders similar to those holding office in Grove City, PA who, as of November 2006, for 25 years have NOT increased their property tax to homeowners. It can be done!

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.” – Anita Roddick

What you want to appeal is your assessments.

Most people who appeal their property taxes get turned down because they do not present proper evidence. The authorities want authentic similar comparable sold data and reasonable adjustment figures to hang their hats on.

To make your appeal work you need this formula:

1. Present sold data within the time frame including + or - adjustments to the comparables you choose.
2. Present evidence in organized manner.

Do you have a case? Be sure to visit Property Tax Assessments vs. Market Valuation for the financial breakdown on how to make sense out of the assessors figures and what a home will sell for on the open market.

For example:
    $25,000 land
+ $193,000 improvements (residence)
   $218,000 total assessed valuation

Total Assessed Valuation divided by sales ratio = what they think your land and dwelling(s) are worth
but not always what it will sell for in the marketplace.

If the sales ratio for the year was

$218,000 = $304,044.63.717
71.7%

The Formulas:

Assessed Value divided by Sales Price = Sales Ratio
Sales Ratio multiplies by Sales Price = Assessed Value
Assessed Value divided by Sales Ratio = Sales Price (Market Value)

The Adjustment Process

Your assessments should be broken down for a property value component and house and it's improvements.

Adjustments are made to either the current assessed land value or to the current assessed improved value.

For instance, if the subject property is located next to a major noisy highway and the comps are not, a major deduction would be made and assigned to the property component for the assessment.

If your house had a deteriorated roof that needed replacement and the comps used had newer roofs, an adjustment would be made to the current assessed improved value for the subject property to reflect that negative condition.

Getting your hands on the "Property Tax Appeal Guidelines Power" is the most important action you can take for your home appeal today.  With it you'll be nearly invincible in the property tax appeal world ... but without it you'll soon be very vulnerable.  You better hurry.

For A Modest Outlay
To save you some legwork - this may just be what you are looking for. You'll still may have to look at the property and neighborhood to visually fine tune your adjustments.

Look over the free sample valuation. It may save you time gathering the accurate facts and instant information you need. Anyone can instantly determine the value of any home in Real-time. It's quick, easy and useful.

Detailed real estate property reports fit a variety of uses. Whether you're a buyer, property owner, assessor, auditor, appraiser, for sale by owner, insurance agency, or a lending institution.

For a very modest outlay, obtain sold date data, square footage, living area, amenities, number of rooms, pool, fireplace, air conditioning, sales price, assessments, lot and block number, address, ... AND comparable properties without having to chase down and dance with real estate brokers in order to get the sold listings.

Memory Jogger: Checklist For Items That Count as Improvements That You Can Use For or Against Comparables In Order to Adjust Your Market Value Results

Check List of Common Repair Items for "Condition" Category Adjustments:

- roof leaks and shingle replacement, flashing, gutters and/or down-spouts, fascia and/or soffit

- siding repair, paint building, graffiti removal, caulking windows, glass and screen repair

- moisture damage to exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS). This is synthetic stucco applied over foam sheathing. 90% or more of randomly tested EIFS houses in North Carolina have some problem with damages averaging $3,000-$5,000 and many ranging $30,000-$100,000.

- repair to chimney(s), stucco, cement plastering, brick, block or stone repair

- cracked sidewalk(s), cracked driveway and parking areas, garage door repair

- minor carpentry, worn out counter tops, broken plaster or sheet rock, interior paint, wallpaper

- loose, cracked or deteriorated floor tile, linoleum, carpet, ceramic tile, wood floors worn through the finish

- damaged, inoperative or inadequate plumbing, heating or electrical systems, electrical repair, plumbing leaks, broken or missing fixtures

- termite, ant or vermin extermination with attending structural repair costs

- installation of safety handrails, fire alarms or correction of unsafe conditions required by law

- dampness in basement, drainage problems

- repair to septic system

Minor repair items usually add more value than their costs and a contractor's estimate for repairs would greatly substantiate the adjustment. If, in your judgment, the cost of the repairs adds nothing to the value of the property, then you should not look for an adjustment for that item.

However, many neglected minor repairs become a substantial cause for a reduction in market value.

Possible Areas of Factual Errors on Property Record Cards

Free Bonus Gift #1 FREE - Draw Your Floor Plan In A Few Minutes

When you make your presentation you'll need a simple floor plan to explain visually the square footage and layout of your home.

What to Focus On in a Property Tax Appeal - 14 points

• areas that the board will address.

• be familiar with the facts.

• practice your appeal so it is clear and well thought out.

• engage in a courteous, conversational manner.

• bring evidence to the table, i.e. contractor's estimates if you claim your house is in poor condition; traffic study and pictures of buses, congestion, etc. if you are going to claim a relatively high level of traffic; evidence from private or governmental studies, scientific criteria, etc.

• emphasize areas of similarity to your residence from your comparables.

• if there exists an environmental adjustment, emphasize, "would you pay the same price for a house next to a known high EMF power transmission line, unsightly water tower, road noise etc, if you could buy a house not plagued with that problem? Any knowledgeable buyer will discount negative areas and offer less money because of the property’s liabilities."

• emphasize dollar value on items you address.

• stick to the facts.

The tax assessor will present his comparables. They'll be "cherry picked" to reflect a higher value.

• point out any differences in the tax assessor's comparables for location, site influence, etc.

• ask assessor how adjustments for questionable comparables were arrived at. Put the tax assessor on the defensive The assessor did not put as much time into preparing his case as you did. His comparables will be different and "cherry picked" to support a higher value opinion.

• ask to see tax assessor's pictures for a comparable (most likely he has no pictures)

• ask for a copy of the comparables that the tax assessor has chosen (most likely he has no copy).

• ask if the assessor's square footage totals include the garage, porch, attached shed etc. (unheated areas).

• point out anything objectionable.


In order to inconvenience those appealing their property taxes, legislation in many states creates stumbling blocks. Time restraints, blocking information gathering and obscuring transparency are common tactics. Corporations and small businesses are also discriminated against. For instance, corporations, for the most part, are required to be represented by attorneys, increasing the expense to the appellant. The attorney, in most instances, has no expertise in valuation and may have little or no exposure to the real estate market. Any small entrepreneur's profit or non-profit corporation is penalized by this restrictive practice.

"100 million Americans cannot afford basic legal help. Yet the ABA (American Bar Association) and its affiliate state bar associations are unwilling to seriously entertain any solution that doesn't let the legal profession continue to limit competition."

Private citizens desiring to appeal their taxes are sometimes stymied by laws that eliminate their choice to have cost-effective professionals represent their interest. Tax consultants, who charge only if the appeal is successful, may be prevented from obtaining clients because the power of attorney is limited to those licensed to practice law in that particular state. In non-restrictive states, a tax consultant can be helpful. However, a property tax consultant will unwittingly pursue the path of justice by an appeal only if he or she feels there is a significant reduction to be gained in favor of the taxpayer.

In judicially restrictive states, an attorney would be necessary for representation. Attorneys do not determine the market value of your home, therefore, a real estate appraiser would be consulted, further exacerbating the cost of the appeal. Rather than relying on a professionally prepared report that properly analyzes the property in question, the town relies on a problematic mass appraisal or the tax assessor's lickety-split reckoning. Yet, when it comes to required evidence, the town may require the presence of state licensed appraisers at the tax hearing instead of relying on a written appraisal alone. Appraisers may feel they are worth $500+ a day and charge extra to hang around for what may amount to an entire day in order to read a 5 to 10 minute report.

For the individual property owner, the only economical recourse in most circumstances is to champion his or her own appeal. The purpose of this book is to make this process clear, instructive and manageable in order to increase equitability among victims of unjust valuation.

Most Important, You'll Need To Know How To Put Together A Winning Property Tax Appeal

Solid-Gold Advice From
“The Secret Appraiser ”

Our inexpensive, researched tutorial will teach you what to say and tell you what to watch out for. If you have a case and get knocked down at the local level you can recalculate and represent it again at the municipal level. If you get knocked down there, recalculate and represent it again to the state level. Surprisingly, your odds of winning roughly double as you climb the appeal ladder. Some of the strategies we give you will double the amounts of money you could get back.

All the easy to apply math that includes acceptable price ranges for deductions and adjustments, percentages to absolute amounts to apply are provided.

There are only so many hours in the day. I wish I could divide myself into pieces to consult with you, but with all my activities I still need time to sleep. I wish I could be a human octopus to consult with you but the technologies are not there yet. So if you wanted to consult with me I'd have to charge $400 per hour.

So what I did was to duplicate myself in this eBook. So you will be hiring me directly by buying this eBook.

Just think of how much you'll loose in lost appeal money in the next couple of years if you don't order now.

So here's what I have for you:  A system … you can submit ANY house for a Property Tax Appeal for the full treatment of comparable adjustments … PLUS a free presentation matrix

     … for only $39. Click Tax Appeal Home For More Information OR:

Rest assured, your privacy is protected. We share no information.

You're allowed to appeal an excessive property tax by yourself anywhere in the U.S. The course offered at http://housetaxax.com  will give you a professional's edge in promoting your own property tax appeal.  However, if you're a Property Tax Consultant and doing an appeal for a client, ONLY in Texas do you need to be licensed. The site http://propertytaxconsult.com   is a course for Property Tax Consultants. But, if one intends to implement that method in Texas for a client, they need to get licensed.