The assessed value of your property is determined annually. The assessment that sets your property tax is done biennially, in odd years. You can appeal your assessment on the biennial years - information on how to do this is on both the City and the County websites.

Appeal Process

Look at the properties they used as comps for your property

Create a spreadsheet by doing a copy/paste from your real estate page. I'm in the County and it's easy to do that - not sure what the City's site looks like.

Show where your property is "less than" one or more of the comps - eg; House A has 3 bedrooms, yours only has 2; House C has 2.5 bathrooms, yours only has 1.5; House D has a patio and deck, yours has neither.

Look up the comps they used on realtor.com - very often the pictures are still there. My house has not been updated but 4 of the comps had new or newer kitchens, updated bathrooms, and nice finished basements. You'll need to save those photos plus photos of yours as part of the packet you submit with your appeal on why your home is worth less.

Take pictures of your house to prove yours is not as nice inside and/or outside. Especially any "deferred maintenance". eg; I have a big crack across my dining rm ceiling and water damage to part of the ceiling and wall. The water issue was fixed but the cosmetics are not. The paint on my garage door and my side door are also in desperate need of repainting. One year I submitted a photo of my horribly crumbling driveway. Even landscaping helps: Comps have picturesque landscaping, yours is basically dirt, rocks, and weeds. All the little and big stuff like that can help your case.

Find any homes within ONE mile of yours that have sold between 1/1/2022 and 12/31/2024. Those are the parameters the assessor uses to find comps, and sometimes you can find another home or two that are comparable to yours and sold for less than the ones the assessor used. You can add that information to your supporting documents if it's in your favor. (This was easier prior to the real estate bidding insanity, but worth a search.)

All of the above are things you should be gathering as back up to support your case. When you fill out the appeal form it will ask you what YOU think your home is worth. Use the assessors information and your supporting documents to come up with a number that is realistic. In the past the appeals were in-person meetings, now they're done by phone appointment. If you're still not happy with the outcome of that call, you can take it a step up and appeal to the State Tax Commission.

Appraisal Document

A recent appraisal report performed in the past 2 years but a date of not beyond March 31st of the current reassessment year.

Comparable Sales

Recently sold properties that are similar in physical characteristics and location to the property being valued. Please make sure that property address or locator numbers are included for each comparable property. Please provide the comparable sales most similar to your property.

Photos

Photos of interior/exterior condition or needed repairs that you believe impact the value of your property. Please include photos of kitchens and baths. Photos should reflect the state of your property as of January 1 of the current year. If possible, combine multiple photos together into a Word document or PDF.

Opinion of Value Explanation and Other Documents

Opinion of value explanation, repair estimates, signed sales contract, closing statement, rent rolls, leases, income and expenses reports (for multi-family or commercial property), and other documents that you believe support your opinion of value. Documents should reflect the state of your property as of January 1 of the current year.