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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.

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When It Comes to Tax Appeals, Numbers Are Better Than Letters

Cook County Property Tax AppealsIf you didn’t know it already, property tax season announces itself with a mailbox full of solicitations offering to help you appeal your assessment.

The pitches are similar, with lots of exclamation point-punctuated promises of the hypothetical savings you may see!

But here’s what you may not know: if you live in one of the city of Chicago townships and have received one of these letters it is impossible that a factual analysis with current data has been conducted because the city township reassessment data has not been released yet.
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Maine Township Assessment Notices Mailed

MaineThe Cook County Assessor’s Office mailed 2018 assessment notices to Maine Township property owners on Friday, April 20th. The 30 day window to appeal your assessed value in Maine Township is now open through the deadline of May 21st.

We recommend you review your assessment each year and appeal whenever there is a strong case to be made. This is the only way to ensure that you do not pay more than your fair share in property taxes (and we are not the only ones making this recommendation).
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Elk Grove Township 2019 Triennial Reassessments Mailed

Elk GroveTriennial reassessment notices were mailed to Elk Grove Township homeowners on April 18th. The following towns are in Elk Grove Township: Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg (east edge), Wood Dale, and Des Plaines (west edge). Homeowners in Elk Grove Township have 30 days to appeal their assessment at the Assessor’s office (there is also a second opportunity to appeal later in the year at the Board of Review). The deadline for appealing at the Assessor’s office is May 29th.

Valuation statistics from the Cook County Assessor’s office for Elk Grove Township can be found here. We suggest homeowners review their assessment annually, especially in a reassessment year, to ensure they do not pay more than their fair share in property taxes. Successfully appealing in a reassessment year may provide 3 years of savings on future property tax bills. If you would like a free analysis of your Elk Grove home, in comparison to similar properties, we are happy to conduct a “no obligation” analysis and provide you with a free estimate of how much we believe we could help you save with an appeal.
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Do-It-Yourself Property Tax Appeals: Don’t

DIY Property Tax AppealWe’ve previously covered how you can appeal your own Cook County property taxes on a do-it-yourself (DIY) basis. We’ve also covered why this approach could result in your leaving money on the table and why using online services may not be much better.

This blog explains why you might leave money on the table in more detail, and why it’s important to at least consider working with an experienced partner like Kensington to appeal your property taxes and to get a reduction ranging from $2,700 to $46,000 over the triennial period.
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Bremen Township 2017 Reassessment Notices Mailed

2017 triennial reassessment notices for Bremen Township were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office on Monday April 17th. The 30 day window to file an appeal at the Assessor’s office is now open with a deadline of May 17th.Bremen township image

Cook County townships are reassessed on a triennial basis. Bremen is in the south suburban group which is being reassessed in 2017. The Assessor’s office lists complete Bremen valuation statistics here.

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Assessment Notices Mailed to Cicero Township

town_of_cicero_sealAssessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s Office to Cicero Township property owners on Tuesday, April 17th. The window to appeal your assessment in Cicero is now open through the deadline of May 17th. A second opportunity to appeal at the Board of Review will open up later this year.

The housing market is regularly changing, therefore even if you appealed and won last year, we recommend you review your assessment again. Appealing once, every three years at your reassessment, may be an expensive mistake. Reviewing your assessment annually, and appealing whenever there is a case to be made, is the best way to ensure you don’t pay more than your fair share in property taxes. We are not the only ones who recommend appealing twice per year, every year.
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Cook Assessor to Adjust for COVID-19 Effects on Property Value

Cook Assessor To Adjust Assessments for COVID-19Cook County property owners will see their property values adjusted to reflect any “significant” changes in market value that can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, the assessor’s office said in a press release this week.

“This is an unprecedented crisis and we’re taking necessary steps to address it,” Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi said in the release. “In view of the state and federal governments’ declaration of Illinois and Cook County as major disaster areas, and the pandemic’s toll on markets and property values, we are adjusting assessments to reflect this reality.”

Adjustments will be considered in all townships, including those that have already been reassessed and those in the north suburbs and Chicago that are not scheduled for reassessment this year, according to the release.
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Harris County Property Tax Protest Deadline Nearing

Harris County Property Tax Protests Deadline is Approaching

With all that’s going on in the world right now, it’s easy to lose track of important deadlines.

While the Harris County Appraisal District has postponed its property tax workshops and closed its physical offices to the public, the office will continue to accept protests online.

The deadline to file a property tax protest is the later of May 15, 2020, or 30 days after the Notices of Appraised Value are mailed out by the appraisal district.
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