Received our 2023 property tax bill - increase from $2400 to $3300! Can I dispute this?

What you're experiencing is definitely frustrating, but you do have options! Most counties have a process for appealing property tax assessments, and many homeowners successfully get their assessments reduced. First, check your assessment notice carefully. There should be information about the appeal process and deadlines. Don't delay on this - appeal deadlines are strict. The process usually involves filing a form explaining why you believe the assessment is incorrect. For your appeal, you'll want to gather evidence that supports your case. The comparison to neighboring properties you've already done is perfect - collect data on similar homes in your area with lower assessments. Take photos of your property that show its current condition, especially anything that might lower its value (dated features, needed repairs, etc.). Also check if you qualify for any exemptions. Many states offer homestead exemptions for primary residences, and there are often additional exemptions for veterans, seniors, or people with disabilities.

After going through a similar situation last year, I found an amazing service that helped me challenge my property tax assessment. I was looking at a $900 increase with no home improvements, just like you. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my assessment and compare it to similar properties in my neighborhood. The system found several inconsistencies in how my property was being valued compared to others on my street. The detailed report they generated made my appeal much stronger than if I'd just filed it myself with some basic research. Their analysis showed that my home was being assessed at about 15% higher than comparable properties nearby. I submitted their report with my appeal and got my assessment reduced by almost the full amount I was contesting!

I wanted to follow up about my experience with https://taxr.ai since I decided to try it despite my initial skepticism. My property taxes went up over $1200 this year and I was pretty angry about it. The service was actually really impressive. They found that my house was being assessed based on incorrect square footage (they had me at 2100 sq ft when my house is actually 1850 sq ft) and they identified five comparable homes that sold for less than mine but were being assessed at lower values. I just had my appeal hearing yesterday and they reduced my assessment by about 60% of what I was contesting. That's going to save me around $700 a year going forward. Honestly wish I'd known about this service years ago instead of just paying whatever bill they sent me.

If you need to speak with someone at your county assessor's office (which I HIGHLY recommend), good luck getting through to them! I spent THREE WEEKS trying to reach someone when I had questions about my property tax increase. I finally found https://claimyr.com which helped me get through to a human at my county office in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical at first, but after weeks of failed attempts and voicemails that never got returned, I was desperate. The service connected me directly to an agent who explained exactly what documentation I needed for my appeal and gave me some insider tips on what their office looks for when evaluating appeals. That conversation alone was worth it - I found out I was eligible for an exemption I didn't even know existed!

I've got to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I was getting nowhere with my county tax office. I'd been trying for over a week to get information about an apparent error on my property assessment. Every time I called, I was on hold for 30+ minutes before giving up. Using the service, I got through to someone in about 17 minutes without having to sit there listening to that awful hold music. The person I spoke with found that they had incorrectly classified part of my unfinished basement as finished living space, which was inflating my assessment. She filed the correction while I was on the phone with her. Would never have gotten this resolved without actually talking to someone. Definitely worth it for time-sensitive tax issues.

Check if your state has a cap on how much assessed value can increase year-over-year. In my state, there's a 3% cap for primary residences. If your assessed value jumped that much in one year, it might actually be illegal depending on your local laws. Also, make sure you're getting all the tax breaks you're entitled to. When we bought our house, we had to specifically apply for the homestead exemption - it wasn't automatic. That saved us about $800/year. And definitely file that appeal ASAP!

one thing nobody mentioned yet - check if the previous owners had any special exemptions that fell off when you purchased. my parents had a senior exemption that saved them about $900/yr, so when i bought their house my taxes went up by that amount even though the assessed value stayed the same. its worth asking the county if thats what happened in your case.