Has your property value gone up according to the county, when you know it actually went down in this current economy? You don’t have to take their word for it, you can appeal.

If you’re thinking about appealing a county property appraisal, here are a few tips from a leading Ohio tax appraiser.

Around the triennial homeowners receive a notice of the change in their property values either up or down, this is the time when you want to appeal your real estate tax appraisal.

Please note: Not all counties and states are not the same, so this is just a rough guideline for appealing your county tax appraisal. Check with your local county to learn their specific steps for appeal.

Your fist step is to contact your local appraisal company. Have them come and do an appraisal of your home. If their appraisal is lower you may have a case.

Your next step is to contact your county auditor’s office, to request an “informal meeting” which is usually run by an independent appraisal company contracted through the auditor’s office. The meetings are usually held in a public place. There may be several meetings set up for the same time, if others are appealing at the same time.

The appraiser should give the homeowner a copy of the information the appraiser has for their home for homeowner verification. the data should be based mostly on an exterior view of your home. The only way the appraiser can get into your home with the homeowners permission. Homeowners are not required to let the tax appraiser into their home.

Check over the report for inaccuracies and discrepancies and let the appraiser know what you’ve found. For example the report may list two bathrooms, when you only have one, or newly remodeled rooms when you haven’t done any recent remodeling.

The counties appraisal company will take the report back and make the corrections, then revalue your house. If the value is still too high you can appeal the tax appraisal again.

Ask your county if you can fill out an official complaint form, if you haven’t already.

Most counties don’t require you to get your own appraisal, but it could really help your appeal process if you get an independent appraisal value, from a non-biased appraisal company.

Attach the appraisal to the official complaint form, and turn it in to your county auditors office. The auditors office will then set up a time for a hearing. Since it is a government office, you may need to be patient while your hearing is scheduled.

Always, always be nice to everyone you meet with, even if they’re not always nice to you.
Many counties are hurting for money in the current economy, raising property taxes is one way for them to re-coop those losses. If your property is being valued incorrectly you do have the right to appeal.