Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I have been receiving emails and phone calls from alot of people asking me if their new 2009 property tax value is right. I can tell you that the County really tried to do a good job. It is not easy to revalue all the homes in the county and they know that although there has been appreciation over the last 4 years, the last 2 years have been tough.
When I started looking based on requests from clients, neighbors and others, I would say that most of them were right. Shortly after that I revised my estimates and was finding about 50:50. I am to the point where the scales have officially tipped and I am now finding more that seem off the mark.
I highly encourage you to take a hard look. In one case, I found that the county thinks the house is 1,000 square feet larger than it is. This happens but it needs to be corrected. I have also seen where the house that has the highest property tax valuation in the neighborhood is not the largest or most updated. I have also seen some really large increases, like 53-56%, when the average increase for the neighborhood is around 30%.
I have posted information explaining the process and how you can contest your property tax value with the Orange County.
I also posted information on the County Commmissioners current thinking regarding property taxes. Although our property tax values are increasing, read the information that is out so far on how a number of Commissioners want our taxes to be revenue neutral. This means that our tax rates would go down so that our ultimate tax bills don’t rise substantially.
If you have questions about your tax value, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am happy to help.