Author Archives: admin2

Board of Review Opens Group 7 Townships for Appeals

The Cook County Board of Review has opened Group 7 townships for 2017 property tax appeals. If your home is located in one of the townships listed below you have until the deadline of January 16th to appeal your 2017 assessment at the Board of Review.Cook County Property Tax Appeal

  • Northfield
  • Thornton
  • Hyde Park
  • Lake
  • North Chicago
  • South Chicago

If you do not know which township your property is located in you can either contact us with your property address and we will look it up for you or you can click here.
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Group 6 Townships Open for Appeals at Board of Review

Why Appeal Cook County & Chicago Property Taxes Every YearTownships in Group 6 opened for 2017 property tax appeals at the Board of Review today. If your property is located in one of the townships listed below you have until the deadline of January 9th to appeal your 2017 assessment at the Cook County Board of Review.

  • Orland
  • Proviso
  • Jefferson

If you are not sure which township your property is located in you can either contact us with your address and we will look it up for you or you can click here.
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Conozca Cómo Kensington le Ayuda a Ahorrar Miles de Dólares en Impuestos Prediales a Propietarios de Viviendas Hispanohablantes en el Condado de Cook

Impuestos Perdial en Chicago y Cook CountyCon más de $900 millones de dólares en nuevas alzas de impuestos prediales – solo implementados parcialmente – los propietarios de vivienda en Chicago y el condado de Cook están sintiendo el dolor.

Dependiendo de dónde viva, su situación podría ser mucho peor.

(Foto cortesía de Adam Jones, PhD)
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Are Your Property Taxes Getting Ahead of Your Property Value?

Chicago & Cook County Foreclosures & Property Tax Appeals

At Kensington Research and Recovery, our goal is to make sure our clients do not pay more than their fair share of property taxes.

That requires careful scrutiny of comparable properties or “comps” to make sure that the value the tax assessor sets is fair. We know from having assisted with more than 24,000 successful residential appeals, it often isn’t. There are many ways that property tax assessments can end up inflated, leaving homeowners paying more in taxes than they should.

But for people who live in areas hit hard by economic downturn, inflated assessments can be a financial disaster, eventually costing homeowners more than their properties are worth – especially when foreclosures and short sales in your area are not factored into your property taxes.
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Cook County Property Tax Bite Could Get Even Worse Under House Plan

Property Tax DeductionJust when you thought the property tax situation for Chicago and Cook County residents couldn’t get any worse: a provision in the House tax plan would cap the property tax deduction for federal income tax filers at $10,000. The current deduction is $15,000.

The Senate’s tax plan would eliminate the tax deduction altogether.

This is yet another reason why appealing your property taxes is so important, and the only way to ensure you only pay your fair share.
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Board of Review Opens Group 5 Townships for Appeals

Cook County Property Tax AppealThe Cook County Board of Review has opened Group 5 for 2017 property tax appeals. If your property is in one of the townships listed below you have until the deadline of December 12th to appeal your 2017 assessment at the Cook County Board of Review.

  • Wheeling
  • West Chicago
  • Worth

The Cook County Board of Review is an independent government agency, separate from the Assessor’s office, and has the authority to reduce property valuation assessments.
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Don’t Fall for These Common Misconceptions about Your Property Tax Bill

Cook County Property Tax Appeal MisconceptionsHomeowners sometimes mistakenly give up on the property tax appeal process because they successfully reduce their assessed value once, but then have the Assessor raise their assessment the following year. They then conclude that the time and money they spent on their appeal was a waste.

Any reduction in assessed value achieved in an appeal will result in tax savings for at least one year.
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Group 4 Opens For Appeals At Board of Review

Cook County Property Tax AppealTownships in Group 4 opened for tax year 2017 property tax appeals at the Cook County Board of Review on October 30th. If your property is located in one of the townships below you have until the deadline of November 28th to appeal your property’s 2017 assessment at the Board of Review.

  • Calumet
  • Leyden
  • Lyons
  • Stickney

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Bigger Property Tax Exemptions Do Not Always Bring Savings

Cook County Property Tax Exemption ChangesWhile some Cook County residents could see savings as the result of recently expanded property tax exemptions for homeowners and seniors, anything that comes out of the tax base on one side of the equation, generally has to be added back in on the other.

Bigger is not always better…
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