The national tax payers union recently reported that more that 60% of properties are highly taxed because of over assessment. Property is usually assessed once every other year. When there is a decline in the real estate market, the assessors hardly account for this decline. Home price values become lower and instead of the taxes to reflect on this decline, they remain the same. If you are a homeowner in New Jersey, you might qualify for a NJ tax appeal. Indeed reports indicate that the county budget is in billions of dollars and in order for the government to meet this amount, they might distribute taxes unfairly. There has been an increase in tax rates when it comes to property. People do feel the weight but only a few people decide to go for a tax appeal hearing.
New Jersey property owners are usually hesitant to go for a NJ tax appeal because of the fear of losing the case. There are a few cases that are won and the hesitation comes because of this and the fact that you end up spending a lot of money on preparing for the appeal. Indeed there are people who schedule meetings with the assessors before scheduling a hearing as the first resort but fail to substantiate their claim. This definitely makes others shy away from an appeal. Notably, people hardly win tax appeal cases without the assistance of a tax attorney. It is therefore of utmost importance to hire an attorney who has adequate experience in winning tax appeal cases. It is important that you consider filing for an appeal because the more you dismiss the idea, the more taxes you will pay the government. To win an appeal, adequate preparation is necessary. Here are a few tips to assist you in your tax appeal case:
- Research: It is important that you research how the government assesses your property. This includes the time frame that the research is done, market value determinants and other relevant details. An attorney will assist you in your tax appeal case by locating an appraiser who will compare properties in your area and determine the market value. Different methods are used in a given area based on the features of the house and the neighborhood.
- Record card: Assessors give property owners a record card on request for tax appeal that indicates the amount of taxes that you have submitted to the local authority. This record card has information about your property such as dimensions and number of rooms. More often than not, the card may have errors such as incorrectly accounting for the taxes that you have paid or the number of rooms in your house. When this is the case, the assessor will accept your appeal and reduce the taxes.
It is important that you take advantage of the opportunity to file a tax appeal so that you pay the right amount of taxes on your property.
