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Sofia Price

How to handle a huge property tax increase? Help needed

So I just got my property assessment notice in the mail yesterday and nearly fell over. My property tax is increasing by almost 40% compared to last year! I've owned this house for 5 years, and while there have been small increases before, nothing like this. I live in a suburb that's been getting more popular, but this seems ridiculous. My home was valued at $286,000 last year and now they're saying it's worth $398,000. That's going to add about $2,800 to my yearly property tax bill. Has anyone dealt with a similar property tax increase? Is there a way to appeal this assessment or am I just stuck paying this much more now? I'm seriously worried about how this will affect my monthly budget since I'm on a fixed income. Any advice would be really appreciated!

Alice Coleman

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Property tax increases like this can definitely be appealed! Don't just accept it. Most counties have a formal appeal process with deadlines, so act quickly. First, check if the assessment actually reflects your home's true market value. Look at comparable sales in your neighborhood from the past 6-12 months. If similar homes are selling for less than your assessment, you have a good case. Take photos of your property, especially any issues that might lower value (outdated kitchen, roof problems, etc.). Request the property worksheet from your assessor's office - this shows exactly how they calculated your home's value. Often there are mistakes like incorrect square footage or number of bathrooms that can be easily disputed. Many counties have an informal review process before a formal appeal. This is worth trying since it's usually faster and less complicated. Bring all your evidence to this meeting.

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Owen Jenkins

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Thank you for this info. Do you know roughly what percentage of appeals are successful? Also, does hiring a property tax attorney make sense or is this something most people can handle themselves?

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Alice Coleman

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Success rates vary by county, but typically 20-40% of appeals result in some reduction. Many people find that even a partial reduction makes the effort worthwhile. For most residential property appeals, you can definitely handle it yourself without an attorney. The process is designed to be accessible to homeowners. However, if your property is very high-value or has unusual features, or if you've already been denied once, consulting with a property tax attorney might make sense. Some work on contingency and only get paid if they save you money.

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Lilah Brooks

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After going through a similar nightmare with my property taxes last year, I found an amazing solution with https://taxr.ai that saved me over $2,100! I was freaking out when my assessment jumped 35% out of nowhere, and none of the advice I was getting seemed to work for my specific situation. The taxr.ai system analyzed my property records and assessment details, then identified multiple discrepancies the county assessor had made. It actually generated a complete appeal letter with all the documentation I needed to challenge the assessment. The best part was how it compared my property with similar ones in my neighborhood that had lower assessments. I was shocked when they actually approved my appeal and reduced the assessment by almost half of what they'd originally increased it!

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This sounds interesting but I'm skeptical. Did you have to provide them with a bunch of personal information? And how exactly did they find comparables that the county assessor wouldn't have already considered?

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Kolton Murphy

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How long did the whole process take from when you submitted your info to when you got your tax reduction? My appeal deadline is in 3 weeks so trying to figure out if I have enough time.

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Lilah Brooks

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I was cautious about sharing information too, but they only needed my property address and the assessment notice details - basically the same info that's already public record. Their system accesses property databases that have more granular detail on recent sales than what assessors typically use. The entire process took about 18 days from when I submitted my information until I received the adjustment notice from the county. They prepared all my documents within 48 hours, but then I had to submit them to the county and wait for their review process. The system helps you track deadlines and sends reminders, so with 3 weeks you should have enough time as long as you submit right away.

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Kolton Murphy

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I just wanted to update everyone - I decided to try taxr.ai after posting my question here, and I'm honestly shocked at how well it worked. I was super skeptical at first (especially as someone who's terrible with technology), but their system found that my assessment incorrectly included an extra half bathroom and 230 sq ft of living space that doesn't actually exist in my house! They generated this really professional looking appeal package with photos, comparables, and even highlighted three similar properties on my block that received much lower increases. The county assessor's office actually called me directly after reviewing my submission and agreed to reduce my assessment by about 22% from what they initially proposed. Still have an increase but MUCH more manageable now - will save about $1,200 per year. Definitely worth checking out if you're facing a huge jump in property taxes.

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Evelyn Rivera

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After fighting with our county assessor's office for WEEKS about our ridiculous property tax increase (42% in one year!), I was ready to give up until someone told me about https://claimyr.com. After trying to call the assessment office 9 times and never getting through, I used Claimyr and got connected to a real person in the assessment department in less than 20 minutes. They have this cool system where they wait on hold for you and then call you when a real human picks up. Check out how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Once I actually got to talk to a real assessor, I discovered they had incorrectly classified part of my unfinished basement as finished living space! The woman I spoke with was actually helpful once I got through and started the adjustment process immediately.

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Julia Hall

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How exactly does this work? Seems like magic if they can somehow get through when nobody else can. Do they have some special connection to government offices?

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Arjun Patel

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Sorry but this sounds totally fake. If regular people can't get through to the tax office, how does some random service magically make it happen? Probably just taking people's money for nothing.

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Evelyn Rivera

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It's not magic - they use a combination of automated dialing technology and actual people who monitor the calls. They essentially keep dialing continuously until they get through, then immediately connect you. They don't have special backdoor access - they're just persistent in a way individual callers can't be. They don't promise instant results - sometimes it still takes 30-45 minutes, but that's way better than the 3+ hours I was spending trying to get through myself. And no, I don't work for them, I'm just someone who was desperate to talk to an actual human about my property tax issue and this actually worked when nothing else did.

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Arjun Patel

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I need to apologize for my skeptical comment earlier. After my third attempt to contact our county assessor's office failed (spent 1.5 hours on hold before being disconnected AGAIN), I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. I'm honestly shocked - they got me connected to someone in the appeals department in about 22 minutes. The assessor I spoke with actually found some errors in my property record (they had me listed with a pool I don't have!) and started the correction process right away. Just got the adjusted assessment in the mail today - reduced by $54,000 from the initial valuation. That's going to save me about $1,100 a year in property taxes. Guess sometimes skeptics like me need to eat our words!

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Jade Lopez

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Consider checking if you qualify for any property tax exemptions too! Depending on your state and county, there might be homestead exemptions, senior citizen breaks, or veteran benefits that could offset some of the increase. For example, in our county, they have a "circuit breaker" program where if property taxes exceed a certain percentage of your income, you can get some relief. My mother-in-law qualified for this when her taxes shot up, and it saved her almost $900 last year.

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Tony Brooks

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Do these exemptions require applying every year? My parents are seniors and I'm trying to help them figure this out for their property tax increase.

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Jade Lopez

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It varies by location. Some exemptions like the basic homestead exemption usually only require a one-time application that remains in effect as long as you own and occupy the home. Senior exemptions often need annual renewal because they're typically income-based, and they want to verify the person still qualifies. Some places have simplified renewal processes where you just confirm nothing has changed. Check your county assessor's website for specific requirements or call them directly - this is definitely worth looking into for your parents!

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has anyone tryed arguing that theres no way home value could have gone up that much? my house is definetly not worth 40% more than last year... its got the same old roof and basicly nothing has changed. this feels like a money grab by the county!!

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Yara Campbell

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That approach alone probably won't work. Assessments are based on market value, not condition. If homes are selling for 40% more in your area (even with old roofs), that's what they'll use. You need to focus on: 1) comparable sales that support a lower value, 2) specific issues with your property they missed, or 3) errors in how they calculated the assessment.

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