Appealing your property taxes may secure 'several years of savings,’ expert says. Here’s how

CNBC ^ | May 16, 2025 | Ana Teresa Solá

[where's_the_Outrage?]

Many homeowners have seen their property taxes increase in recent years because of rising housing prices and local tax rates. But the property tax assessment isn't always set in stone: filing an appeal may lower the cost for years.

The median property tax bill in the U.S. in 2024 was $3,500, up 2.8% from $3,349 in 2023, according to an April report by Realtor.com......

Appealing your assessment is "not a terribly difficult investment of time for a residential property owner," said Sepp. "The processes are reasonably easy and fair."

Should you be successful, the change typically takes effect for the current tax year, and it becomes the basis for your next assessment, he said.

If you plan to appeal your taxes, your goal is to demonstrate how the assessor is incorrectly applying the assessment formula to your house, said Sal Cataldo, a real estate lawyer and partner at O'Doherty & Cataldo in Sayville, New York.

"It's challenging the numbers that they're plugging into the formula for your particular house," he said.

Here's how to get started:

1. See if your current assessment is accurate

2. Compare your property to your neighbors' homes

3. See if you qualify for tax exemptions

4. Know your deadline

5. Seek expert guidance

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Society
KEYWORDS: appeal; nlz; property; propertyassessment; propertytax; realty; taxassessment; taxes

[where's_the_Outrage?]

One easy quick option is to go to Zillow and see their estimate. Note that you can highlight the range and try to get the lowest figure.

[MtnClimber]

The median property tax bill in the U.S. in 2024 was $3,500

My property tax is over 4X that here in Florida.

[dragnet2]

Paying rent to the government is insane...Pay punitive taxes for many decades, finally pay off your home, and you’re still forced to pay the government rent to live in your PAID FOR home.

Don’t pay rent to the government, they seize your home you thought you owned!

Abolish property taxes! It’s criminal!

[DarrellZero]

I’ve used a service to protest my property tax increases every year since 2020.

It’s never saved me a dime.

[T-Bird45]

“My property tax is over 4X that here in Florida.”

But just think of all you’re saving on not having state income tax…LOL! The government always gets its pound of flesh, one way or another.

[AlaskaErik]

My property tax bill is a little over $1000 a year. I could reduce that to zero by moving to the Unorganized Borough, which covers almost half of Alaska, as there is no property tax in the Unorganized Borough.

[MtnClimber]

They snagged me in the private parts with a treble hook.

[AlaskaErik]

But just think of all you’re saving on not having state income tax…LOL! The government always gets its pound of flesh, one way or another.

Except in Alaska. No state income tax, no state sales tax and no property tax if you live in the Unorganized Borough, which covers almost half of Alaska. I get one free vehicle registration. My travel trailer cost me $93 for title, license plate and permanent lifetime registration. There's also no inheritance tax or estate tax.

[packagingguy]

Taxes are also much higher here in the ghetto, excuse me, Memphis.

[sjmjax]

Same here. Resident of Florida. Retired. Property taxes are 50% of my annual income.
It’s obscene.

[Lizavetta]

Except in Alaska. No state income tax, no state sales tax and no property tax if you live in the Unorganized Borough, which covers almost half of Alaska. I get one free vehicle registration. My travel trailer cost me $93 for title, license plate and permanent lifetime registration. There's also no inheritance tax or estate tax.

Enviable. Unfortunately, the cold and lack of long sunshine filled days would do me in with depression and despair.

[protoconservative]

They knocked my assessed value up 3% this year purely on land, after a few years between 4% and 7%. Since with a homestead in my state, they cannot go beyond 1% of assessed value of land+structure. I

talk to my state rep and want him to require the state by law to offer 1 out of 100 on the market houses at accessed value so they have some skin in the game, and sit with overpriced tiny little houses on the market until their calculation methods improve for 50k-200k structures.

[PAR35]

I protested a couple of times. Knocked down the appraised value, but the actual dollar savings on taxes wasn’t worth the effort.

[crusty old prospector]

Texas. $7,500 on $500,000 valuation.

[tired&retired]

Mine has been around $15K for several years.

I appealed at the County level, then the state level and finally appealed it in Superior Court and won. The county said a house that I paid $525 K was worth $1.4 Million that same year.

I was angry and during the hearing ask the State Appeals Board Chairman if he was also legal counsel for the County. He lost his job as a result of my case.

In the photo of the property included in the County appraisal submitted to court as evidence was a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. While under oath on the witness stand, I asked the appraiser if she checked the asking price since it was for sale when she appraised the property. She said it was not relevant. I relied that what she did is malpractice. It was for sale on the “Multi-list for six months prior to her doing the appraisal at $700K. At the same time she appraised it for $1.4 Million! That was 15 years ago. I figured that court fight saved me about $100K in taxes over the years.

I’ve done many tax appeals for clients over the years and won almost all of them. One thing I do is check the property appraisals of the County Commissioners, Tax Review Board Members, and the Appraiser’s properties for comparison. They don’t like that!

[KrisKrinkle]

"Don’t pay Taxes to the government, they seize your home you thought you owned!"

It's what your friends and neighbors voted for. You guys do get to vote on the tax levies don't you?

[Democrat = party of treason]

PROPERTY TAXES SHOULD UNCONSTITUTIONAL

[cherry]

We have lived at our place for 30 yrs...they then built a gated community below us....I feel our house is great but not a mansion in anyway whatsoever...no pool,no hot tube,etc...I feel that my property taxes are based on our nearness to the gated community and not our actual value.

[packagingguy]

My valuation went up from $285k to $408k. I really don’t believe them, especially in a neighborhood where murder is not too uncommon and you can hear automatic gunfire if you go out at night (I am not making this up).

[Made In The USA]

Received the proposed new (and of course higher) tax assessment on my home a few weeks ago. Unrelated we put our home up for sale a week ago. We had thought our tax assessment was in the ballpark and would be hard to fight. Now that we’re selling it we’re finding the assessment is at least 5% too high, possibly closer to 10%.

Agree with you on Zillow and/or to look up comparable home sales (a realtor may help with this) to validate or dispute the assessment. I regret not doing this.

Starve the beast.