Appealing property tax in Dekalb County GA - This week I've been busy contacting all of my clients that bought a home with me in 2009. The purpose of my call is to make sure everyone has filed for their homestead exemptions. The deadline is March 1. It only needs to be done once and then it stays in force until the status changes.
A full 50% of the homes I sold in 2009 were foreclosures. My clients got great deals. What does that mean as far as their property taxes go? It means that they could be seriously overpaying!
One of my client's homes is assessed by Dekalb County at more than 30% over what she paid for it. So she was asking me how she can get that re-assessed. I pulled some info together and sent it to her.
Here's the same information for people who want to appeal their property tax bill. The following is from the Dekalb County Tax Assessor's office:
"How do I appeal?
If you wish to appeal the value of your property, you may file a tax return with the Property Appraisal Department between January 2nd and March 1st, at which time you may declare what you consider to be the fair market value of the property. This will generate a review of the value by the Property Appraisal Department; a notice of assessment change will be sent to you in late March or early April if the Board disagrees with your value. You will then have thirty (30) days to file an appeal if you continue to disagree with the assessment as set by the Property Appraisal Department. "
Here's a link to the forms for the real estate property tax return form.
For more information check out the Dekalb County GA Tax Commissioner's Site.
If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in or around Decatur, GA contact Decatur Realtor Jen Bowman, Broker Associate & e-PRO with Keller Williams Realty at 404-456-5024.
View more of the Georgia Real Estate Voice. Search Decatur GA homes for Sale.
Search for Homes in Cobb County, GA including Smyrna, Vinings, Marietta, Acworth, Powder Springs at www.HomesforSaleinCobbCounty.com.
Search for Homes in Dekalb County, GA including Decatur, Atlanta, Dunwoody, Tucker, Stone Mountain, Avondale Estates, Lithonia, & Ellenwood at www.DekalbHomeSearch.com.
Search for Atlanta's Luxury Homes including Cobb, Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett at LuxuryHomesGA.com
Realtor Jen Bowman has been featured on HGTV's My First Place, HGTV's Buying and Selling 20 Best Kept Secrets & Inman News - where real estate and technology connect. She is a proud member of Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners Agent Leadership Council. Jen is also a member of Keller Williams Realty Luxury Home Division, catering to luxury home buyers and sellers. Call or text 404-456-5024 today to get started buying your dream home in Dekalb or Cobb, selling your current home in Dekalb or Cobb, or learning more about an awesome career in real estate.
Great information for your clients, Jen. It's good that they have you in their court or they may not have been any the wiser.
Thank you Jane! I feel like we should be there for our clients before and after the sale. Sharing information on appealing taxes and homestead exemptions are just part of the package.
Allen, you are correct. The legislation has changed for 2011 and the appeal forms are no longer necessary. They are asking that people write a letter instead. The following is from the tax commissioner's website:
"NEW FOR 2011:
New legislation was recently passed which provides that all Georgia counties must mail an Annual Assessment Notice to all taxable real estate property owners every year, which will give every property owner the opportunity to appeal. We are scheduled to mail our 2011 Annual Assessment Notices in mid-May, 2011. This Notice will give you 45 days to appeal if you do not agree with the CURRENT VALUE displayed on the Notice.
If you received an Annual Assessment Notice and would like to appeal the new value, no appeal form is necessary. Simply write a letter stating that you are appealing, and include in your letter the following information:
Your letter of appeal must be hand-delivered or POSTMARKED BY THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE by the Appeal Deadline date shown on the Notice to insure acceptance as a timely appeal. Late appeals will not be processed. We do not accept email or faxed appeals." (end quote)
I will be blogging about updates as they become available. Feel free to join me on Facebook. My blog posts feed to that so you won't miss a thing or you can subscribe to my blog if you wish to. Best wishes on your appeal!
Great info.
We bought a house in april 2010 for $70,000. on short sale terms. The 2010 taxes is $2200. Will I still be paying $2200. for taxes in 2011?