Good points overall, but honestly, appealing property taxes isn't always worth the hassle. I tried it a couple years back—spent hours gathering comps and paperwork, only to save like $50 for the year. Sometimes the assessment is actually pretty accurate, and you're stuck with it. Better off focusing energy on voting down unnecessary levies or bond issues...that's where I've seen bigger savings in the long run.
I get your point, but I'd argue it really depends on how off-base the assessment is. Sure, if it's just a minor discrepancy, appealing might not be worth the headache. But I've seen cases where the assessor was way off—like thousands of dollars in inflated value—and appealing saved hundreds annually. Voting down levies helps long-term, but if your assessment suddenly spikes unfairly, challenging it can definitely pay off. It's all about picking your battles...
Challenging the assessment can help, sure, but honestly, appealing is usually just a band-aid fix. Even if you win this year, what's stopping them from hiking it again next year? I've seen towns get creative—adjusting mill rates or shifting valuations around—to make up the difference anyway. The real issue is spending; until that's addressed, we're just playing whack-a-mole with assessments. Better to push hard on local budgets and spending decisions than rely too heavily on appeals alone...
Fair point about spending being key, but let's not discount appeals entirely. I've seen clients save serious money challenging assessments—enough to fund a nice vacation (or at least a decent coffee habit...). It's not a fix-all, but still worth the effort.
"I've seen clients save serious money challenging assessments—enough to fund a nice vacation (or at least a decent coffee habit...)."
That's encouraging, but how often do appeals really pan out? I've had a few clients give it a shot, and honestly, results were mixed. Sure, some saved enough for more than just lattes—but others barely broke even after factoring in the hassle. Seems like success depends heavily on how far off the assessment is from actual market value. Maybe it's worth checking recent sales data first to gauge your odds before diving into the appeal process...
