Has your Erie County property assessment changed or been reassessed recently? Many homeowners dread reassessment as it can often lead to an increase in your tax liability. Some will even take action to challenge the new assessment in hopes of having it lowered.
A recent article in The Buffalo News offered several pieces of advice regarding your Erie County property assessment. Here they are in condensed version:
- Can you?sell your home?for its new assessed value? If the answer is yes, then your home is properly assessed. If the answer is no, you have good reason to challenge.
- Don?t focus on the taxes. Taxes are not the problem, but rather a byproduct of the problem. An over-assessment is the only problem that can be addressed.
- Understand the market value of your home. An assessment should reflect the lower end of the reasonable range of overall value placed of your home.
- If you feel your new appraisal is inaccurate, the burden of proof falls on you, the homeowner. You could hire an appraiser to inspect your property and provide another appraisal to challenge your assessment, but that could also be used against you. An?experienced Realtor?may also be able to lend assistance.
- It would be helpful to educate the assessor about your house by providing photos and descriptions. Work together for the same goal, which is finding a fair market value for your property.