Author Archives: admin2

Chicago-area Property Taxes Take a Bigger Bite than Taxes Almost Anywhere Else

Chicago Property Taxes Take a Bigger BiteThere are a lot of reasons to love living in Chicagoland. But when it comes to property taxes, there are an awful lot of places to love more.

In fact, according to a new report, Chicago area homeowners are paying bigger property tax bills on average, than homeowners in 93%  of 1,414 counties across the rest of the country.

Report Surveys Property Taxes in 6 Chicago Area Counties

The April 2018 report from Attom Data Solutions compared counties with at least 10,000 single-family homes and showed that homeowners in Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry, Cook and Will counties had average tax bills higher than 93% to 99% of the counties in the study.

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Keeping Up with the Property Tax Appeal Schedule

Keeping Up with the Property Tax Appeal Schedule

Keeping on top of the deadlines for filing an appeal of your property tax assessment doesn’t seem like it would be an unmanageable task. And maybe it wouldn’t be if that were all you had to keep track of.

There are four key dates every year – not counting the deadline for paying your taxes on time! – the opening and closing date of the window for appealing your assessment to the county assessor’s office and the opening and closing date of the window for filing an appeal with the board of review.

Senior citizens, disabled and returning veterans and new homeowners also have deadlines for applying for exemptions that can reduce their property tax bills. So that’s five or six key dates for potentially saving thousands of dollars in property taxes or avoiding a late fee.
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Bremen Township Assessment Notices Mailed

Bremen township imageAssessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office to Bremen Township property owners on Wednesday, April 25th. If you own property in Bremen Township you have 30 days to appeal your assessment at the Assessor’s office until the deadline of May 25th.

We recommend you review your assessment annually and appeal at the Assessor’s office and the Board of Review whenever you have a strong basis for an appeal argument. This is the best way to ensure you never pay more than your fair share in property taxes. Others also recommend this approach.
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Assessment Notices Mailed To Elk Grove Township

Assessment notices for tax year 2017 were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office to Elk Grove Township. The Assessor’s office is now accepting 2017 property tax appeals for Elk Grove. The deadline to file an appeal of your assessment at the Assessor’s office is May 24th.cook seal v2

Elk Grove was reassessed in 2016. However, you have the right to appeal your assessment every year, regardless of the reassessment year. Given the ever changing housing market and valuations we believe it is in your best interest to review your assessment each year to examine whether or not you have a strong case for an appeal. Contact us today and we can offer you a free professional analysis on whether or not an appeal makes sense for you in 2017.

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Rogers Park Triennial Reassessment Notices Mailed

Cook County Property Tax AppealThe Cook County Assessor’s office mailed 2018 reassessment notices to Rogers Park property owners on Monday, April 23rd. Valuation statistics from the Assessor’s office are located here. If you own property in Rogers Park you have 30 days to appeal your assessment at the Assessor’s office and will have a second opportunity later in the year at the Board of Review. The deadline for appealing at the Assessor’s office is May 23rd.

In order to ensure that you do not pay more than your fair share in property taxes we recommend you review your assessment annually and appeal whenever there is a strong case to be made (others also make this recommendation). Successfully appealing your assessed value in a reassessment year may provide 3 years of savings on your future property tax bills.
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5 Ways to Avoid Overpaying Your Property Taxes

5 Ways to Avoid Overpaying Your Property TaxesIn her recent article, Are You Paying Too Much Property Tax?, Vera Gibbons of Zillow identifies five ways to help ensure you’re not paying more in property taxes than you should:

  1. Correct Basic Errors: verify that there are no mistakes on your property card, including dimensions, acreage, value, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage size, and other key amenities like a fireplace or swimming pool; if you find any errors, you may qualify for a reduction in your property taxes
  2. Comps: compare your home’s property information with your neighbors that have similar homes in terms of age, size, style, proximity, and condition; if you’re assessed higher to a comparable property, you can make an argument for a property tax reduction
  3. Unique Conditions: if there is anything about your property or neighborhood making it somewhat undesirable, e.g. proximity to busy streets, power lines or commercial operations like a factory, you may qualify for a property tax reduction
  4. Improvements: if your property tax bill includes structural enhancements that were never made, than you have a good case for a reduction in your property taxes
  5. Exemptions: property tax reductions are often available for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, historic buildings, and homes with certain energy efficient enhancements

Read the whole article here

Property Tax Appeal Service

If you think you may qualify for a property tax reduction on your property taxes for your home or business because of anything listed above or for any other reason, contact us for a free estimate on the maximum deduction we project for you.

We’ve helped more than 10,000 clients in Cook County and throughout the Chicagoland area save $1,000 or more on their property taxes since 1999.

GET YOUR FREE ESTIMATE TODAY