Thursday, May 31, 2012

Tax Assessment Increase Survey

Thursday, May 31st. 

Tax Assessment Increase Survey -
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aj2TuOZgFEl6dDN5eUtXUXpPaUR5MVZPUDFzeWd2Qnc


Hello Dekalb Property Owners:

I'm sure you are as shocked by your property tax assessment increase for 2012 as I was. My increase was 90%; more than doubling my property tax for 2012. 

I am a local residential real estate broker and I can assure you that it would be a very rare case if someone’s assessed value would increase in today's market.  

According to the Dekalb appeal process, it is possible that I will have to pay 85% of the new tax value while Dekalb County reviews my appeal. Because my tax is paid through my mortgage company; I will have to ask them not increase my monthly escrow mortgage payment which I estimate to be an additional $230 a month.  They may not be able to do this contractually.

I have created a survey using a "Shared" Google Document.  The link to the document is above.  Please fill in the information on your home if you had an increase.

Once I have a good sampling of data I would like to contact our county officials to request that they resend corrected ANNUAL NOTICE OF ASSESSMENTS so that we can avoid the appeals process all together. 

Thank you for your help.

Harrison Rogers
404-784-5400

10 comments:

  1. Hey Harrison, they raised mine 69%. I live on Overlook Drive in Brookdale Park. My wife heard at the pool today other people in my subdivision that also got the shaft. Using the Net I was able to determine that of 15 homes that I looked at on my street all were above 36% increases, averaging out at a tidy 50%. Not in this market! I took your survey but you may have to edit the spreadsheet at it did not appear to calculate correctly. Thanks Regardless!

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  2. Thanks Eric for pointing out the calculation issue. I have changed the instructions to make it a little easier

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps adding fuel to the fire!

      http://www.championnewspaper.com/news/articles/1698county-property-appraisals-drop-6-percent-for-2012-1698.html

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  3. Harrison-
    I was floored - to get this in this market.I find this to be capricious use of power. Wish I could sue for poor work ethics for the folks at ps office. I went thru the tax digest and with 10 properties in a row on my street - average is roughly 40%

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  4. If a robber stuck a gun in your back and demanded money because he had none, this is what DeKalb County is doing to its property owners. I have lived in the county since 1955. I pay school taxes although I have no children. No problem with that at all. However, the county commissioners are irresponsible. You cut spending to the bone first, streamline your books, and then look at what you need to do. The county has bypassed logic and stuck a gun in the back of property owners. The homes on my street are in the mid-200's to low 300's and nothing can change that. If a property cannot be sold within a reasonable promimity of the appraisal, the the appraisal is wrong.

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  5. They raised it so high so we would except half of what they asked and feel like we won something. Well, half is still way out of line. I would not be able to sell my house for what they appraised it for last year.

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  6. "Ok everyone, I just got off the phone with Neal Taylor from the appraiser's office. He gave me a process for us to follow, saying it was just handed down today by management.

    They are acknowledging errors were made in certain pockets of the county. By the way, our neighborhood is a "pocket" - I researched values for our hood and found only TWO houses that were normal - and they were houses that sold within the last year. Everyone else was crazy high.

    So the process is that we have to submit an appeal, either online or through the mail. The appeal will go directly to his supervisor who will immediately do a reassessment of your property. Then he will send another appraisal letter. If you agree with the new value then you don't do anything else. If you disagree, then you continue with the appeal process as you would normally.

    If you have more questions you can call Neal Taylor at 404-371-2478 or Brentnol Baker at 404-371-6351. These are the contacts that are on the appraisal form.

    I have my online appeal ready to go. It only takes a few minutes to appeal, so please do this. They have admitted the error and will correct it, but at this point they are only doing that if they receive an appeal notice.

    Also, please contact elderly neighbors or others that might not have
    access to a computer or might need help with the appeal process. We need to help them file so they don't get stuck with this high assessment.

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  7. This morning I emailed with Donna Rosser (Residential Deputy Chief Appraiser) and explained our neighborhood wide problem in Randolph Estates. I also asked for clarification regarding our response as taxpayers, since we were given a couple of different answers by the county. Yesterday she was saying no appeal was necessary; that it would be corrected. But at the same time the appraisers and Calvin Hicks (Director) were saying to appeal.

    Below is the response from Ms. Rosser. Please note, while she says the appeal is not necessary, it also doesn't hurt. I expect to have my corrected assessment from them by 06/22.

    According to the May 30 assessment we have until 07/13 (45 days) to appeal. If you choose to wait to appeal until the corrected assessments arrive, you will still have plenty of time.

    However, PLEASE set up reminders for the end of June in case you don't receive a corrected assessment! If you don't get the corrected notice, the original will stand unless you appeal it.


    EMAIL FROM MS. ROSSER:
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    You are correct. You should not have to file an appeal to correct an error made by the county. We are aware of the problem with values in your area and will be reviewing and revising them over the next couple of weeks. You and your neighbors will receive corrected notices. You may still place your property under appeal but it isn’t necessary. You will have an opportunity to appeal the new value should you disagree with it.

    I apologize for the inconvenience.

    Donna L. Rosser
    Deputy Chief Appraiser | Residential

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  8. Land transfers and purchases in the United States are conveyed by deed. The deed contains the Legal Description of the property to be transferred. This Legal Description is the guarantee of what you are buying. Plainly, the words on a page are what you buy. Most of the time this Legal Description is taken from another page, that was taken from another page, that may or may not have ever had an accurate survey done. As we all will attest to. Human error exist, typos, bad copies, poor surveys or lack thereof could doom the accurate portrayal of the property long before you ever came to make your purchase. Remember, your guarantee is not based on what is “currently on the ground”; it is based on the description that is contained in your deed.

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  9. Thanks for sharing this information! I have been looking into a tax appeal but I am just looking into what it takes to do one.

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