I've had mixed experiences with the timing thing, honestly. Last year, I filed my appeal super early, thinking it'd give me an edge, but it didn't seem to make much difference. They still took forever to respond, and when they finally did, it felt rushed and superficial. On the flip side, a friend of mine procrastinated until the last minute, and weirdly enough, his appeal got processed quicker and more thoroughly than mine. Go figure...
I think assessors' workload and staffing might play a bigger role than timing alone. If they're swamped early in the cycle, your appeal could easily get lost in the shuffle or receive minimal attention. But if you file later when things have settled down a bit, maybe they have more bandwidth to actually review your case carefully? Just a theory.
Also, about third-party appraisals—while I agree they're typically viewed as more credible, I've seen homeowner-submitted comps succeed too. It really depends on how thorough and realistic your comps are. If you spend the time to gather solid evidence and clearly document your reasoning, assessors sometimes take it seriously. Sure, it's more effort on your part, but it can save you the cost of hiring a professional appraiser.
Bottom line, property tax appeals feel like a frustratingly inconsistent process. Sometimes logic and preparation pay off, sometimes it feels totally random. But hey, at least we're all in this unpredictable boat together...
"I think assessors' workload and staffing might play a bigger role than timing alone."
This right here is spot-on. A couple years back, I helped a client through their appeal process, and we submitted everything super early—thinking we'd beat the rush. Nope. Took ages to hear back, and when we finally did, it felt like they'd barely skimmed our comps.
Fast forward to last year, another client dragged their feet until literally the last possible day. I was bracing for disaster, but weirdly enough, we got a response within weeks, and it was clear they'd actually reviewed our documentation carefully. Go figure.
From what I've seen, timing is less critical than the quality of your evidence. If you put together solid comps and clearly outline your reasoning (even without a professional appraisal), you've got a decent shot. But yeah...the inconsistency can drive you nuts.
Interesting points made here, but I wonder if timing might still have more impact than we're giving it credit for. I've had a client whose appeal landed right in the middle of a big county-wide reassessment. We had solid comps, well-documented evidence, the whole nine yards—but our appeal got lost in the shuffle. It took forever to even get someone to acknowledge they'd received it.
Maybe it's not just about workload or staffing alone, but also about when your appeal hits their desk relative to other big events (like reassessments or budget cycles)? I agree quality matters most, but from my experience, timing can still make the difference between a smooth process and one that drags on endlessly. I guess the frustrating part is not knowing exactly what's going on behind the scenes...
You're definitely onto something with timing. I've noticed similar issues—had a property appeal fall right during budget season, and it felt like pulling teeth to get anyone to even look at it. Makes me wonder if there's some kind of internal prioritization going on that we don't see...like maybe certain appeals get pushed aside when they're swamped with bigger county-wide tasks?
Also, I've found that even the best-prepared appeals can stall if they land on the wrong person's desk at the wrong moment. Had one case where our paperwork was solid, but the assessor handling it went on leave unexpectedly. Took weeks before someone else picked it up again. So yeah, quality matters—but timing and luck seem to play a bigger role than we'd like to admit.
Maybe there's a way to gauge or anticipate these busy periods better? Would be nice to have some kind of heads-up before we dive into the process each year...
You're spot-on about timing—I've seen appeals get bogged down during budget season too. But have you noticed any difference based on the complexity or size of the appeal itself? I've had smaller, straightforward cases slip through pretty smoothly even during busy periods, while larger, more complicated ones just seem to stall out. Makes me wonder if there's an internal threshold for what's considered 'manageable' when they're swamped...
