My property tax assessment jumped in 2025 - can I fight this increase?

You're definitely not stuck with that assessment! Most counties have a process to appeal property tax assessments, and many homeowners successfully reduce their tax bills this way. First, check your county's deadline for assessment appeals - while many are earlier in the year, some places allow appeals within 30-90 days of receiving your tax bill. Look on your county assessor's website or call their office directly. To strengthen your case, gather evidence showing comparable homes in your neighborhood with lower assessments. Print out their property details and assessments as documentation. Also check if there are any mistakes in your property's details - incorrect square footage, number of bedrooms, or lot size could cause inflated assessments. When filing your appeal, be specific about why you believe the assessment is too high. Focus on facts rather than just saying it's "unfair." Mention that you've made no improvements and that comparable properties have lower assessments. Even if you miss this year's deadline, make a note to check your assessment early next year so you can appeal within the standard timeframe.

I went through something similar last year and discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which seriously saved me thousands. Their AI analyzes your property assessment and tax documents to find errors or inconsistencies that you can use in your appeal. I was shocked at how many details they found that I would have missed - like my home was incorrectly classified as having premium finishes when it has standard ones! Their system compared my home to actual comparable properties in my neighborhood and generated a professional-looking report that I submitted with my appeal. The process was super straightforward - just uploaded my tax documents and answered a few questions about my property.

I was skeptical about using an AI service for something as important as property taxes, but after seeing so many recommendations, I gave taxr.ai a try last month. The report they generated found that my home was being assessed as a 4-bedroom when it's actually 3 bedrooms, plus they identified 6 comparable homes in my neighborhood with significantly lower assessments. I submitted their report with my appeal and just heard back yesterday - my assessment was reduced by almost $9,000! That's going to save me around $1,100 annually on my property taxes. The best part was how easy they made the process - I probably wouldn't have even attempted an appeal without their guidance because I had no idea where to start or what documentation would be effective.

If you're trying to contact your county assessor's office for an appeal, good luck getting through! I spent WEEKS trying to reach my assessor with no luck - constant busy signals, voicemails never returned, emails ignored. Then I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and watched their demo video (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They actually got me connected to a real person at the assessor's office within 20 minutes! Basically, their system navigates those horrible phone trees and waits on hold for you, then calls you once they've reached a human. I was able to schedule an in-person assessment review meeting that would have taken me forever to arrange on my own. The assessor explained exactly what documentation I needed to bring for my appeal.

I was totally that skeptical person in the replies above (sorry about that). After wasting an entire afternoon trying to reach my assessor's office and getting nowhere, I reluctantly tried Claimyr. Not gonna lie, I was fully expecting it to be a waste of money. I was SHOCKED when my phone rang about 32 minutes later and there was an actual human from the tax assessor's office on the line! Turns out they had a mistake in my property record - they had me down for a partial basement finish that doesn't exist. The assessor walked me through filing the correction form right there on the phone. My revised bill came last week and my assessment dropped by $5,200, which saves me about $650 a year. I hate admitting when I'm wrong, but in this case I'm actually glad I was! Would have taken me days of calling to get that same result if I ever got through at all.

You might qualify for homestead exemption too, which can reduce your property taxes significantly. Most states offer this to primary residences. Since you're first-time homeowners, you might not have applied for it yet. Check your county tax assessor website for homestead exemption forms - usually it's a simple one-page application. In my county, it reduced the taxable value by $50,000!

This happened to me and I found out my previous owners had filed for permits for renovations they never actually completed. The county assumed those renovations were done and increased my assessment accordingly! Check with your county's permit office to see if there are any open or recently closed permits on your property.

Don't give up hope! That jump from $25,000 to $37,000 assessed value in one year does seem excessive, especially with no improvements made. A few additional things to check: 1. Look at your property deed and compare it to the county's records - sometimes errors creep in during ownership transfers that inflate assessments 2. Check if your county reassesses all properties periodically - some do county-wide revaluations every few years which can cause big jumps 3. Take photos of your property's current condition to document that no improvements were made since purchase Also, don't assume you've missed all deadlines just because it's December. Some counties allow appeals within a certain period after you receive your tax bill rather than having a fixed annual deadline. Call your county assessor's office to ask about their specific timeline. The stress is understandable, but you have legitimate grounds to challenge this if the assessment truly doesn't reflect your property's actual value. Even if you can't appeal this year, you'll be better prepared for next year's assessment with all the documentation and comparable property research you gather now.

As a tax professional, I see this situation frequently with new homeowners. Your $12,000 jump in assessed value ($37k - $25k = $12k increase) is definitely worth challenging, especially since you made no improvements. Here's my recommended action plan: **Immediate Steps:** 1. Call your county assessor TODAY to confirm appeal deadlines - some counties allow 30-60 days from when you received the bill, not just calendar year deadlines 2. Request a copy of your property's assessment record to check for errors in square footage, lot size, property features, etc. **Building Your Case:** - Pull comparable sales ("comps") from your neighborhood in the past 6-12 months - focus on similar homes that sold for less than your assessed value - Document that no improvements were made with before/after photos - Check if your county did a mass reappraisal in 2024-2025 that affected your area **Key Point:** Your assessment jumped 48% in one year with no improvements - that's a red flag that suggests either an error in your property record or an overly aggressive valuation. Even if you miss this year's window, start preparing now for next year's assessment. The research and documentation you gather will be invaluable, and you can often get retroactive adjustments if you discover clear errors in your property records. Don't let this stress overwhelm you - challenging assessments is very common and often successful for situations like yours!