Monthly Archives: August 2017

Why New Homeowners Fail to Accurately Estimate Their Mortgage Payment

Cook County Property Taxes & New HomeownersNew homeowners agonize over how much they can spend on a home and what monthly mortgage payment they can afford. They consult with their family, friends and perhaps even their financial advisor, real estate agent or lawyer.

However, new homeowners—especially Millennials—often get it wrong and under-estimate their monthly mortgage payment. Why?
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How to Determine If You’re Getting the Maximum Property Tax Reduction

Cook County Property Tax Appeal ComparisonYou could be leaving hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the table if you live in Cook County and appeal your own property taxes or use a non-specialized law firm or internet service to do so.

How do you know if you’re getting as much of a reduction as possible?

Our Free Estimate determines how much of a property tax appeal reduction we believe we could help you with and our success rate is over 90%. This blog explains why you should consider taking us up on this offer.
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Board of Review Opens Group 2 for Appeals

A second group of townships opened for appeals at the Cook County Board of Review on August 28th. If your property is located in one of the townships below you have until the deadline of September 26th to appeal your property’s 2017 assessment at the Board of Review.cook seal v2

  • Bremen
  • Lemont
  • New Trier
  • Palos
  • Lake View

If you missed the appeal window at the Assessor’s office earlier this year, or if you did appeal and were unsatisfied with the result, you still have a second opportunity to appeal your 2017 assessment at the Board of Review.

Contact us for our free professional opinion on the assessment level of your property in comparison to others and to discuss your best options for an appeal.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Schaumburg 2017 Assessment Notices Mailed

The Cook County Assessor’s office mailed 2017 assessment notices for Schaumburg on August 18th. The 30 day window to appeal your 2017 assessment at the Assessor’s office is now open with a deadline of September 18th.Schaumburg

Schaumburg Township is in the north suburbs district which was reassessed in 2016. The next triennial reassessment for Schaumburg will be in 2019. Therefore, a successful appeal of your assessed value in 2017 may result in two years of savings, until you are next reassessed in 2019.

For a free professional opinion on your property’s assessment level in comparison to others contact us before the deadline of September 18th.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Thornton Township Reassessment Notices Mailed

Thornton Township reassessment notices were mailed by the Assessor’s office on August 15th. The 30 day window to appeal your assessed value at the Assessor’s Office is now open until the deadline of September 15th.Thornton

Cook County townships in the south group, such as Thornton, are being reassessed this year. Complete valuation statistics for Thornton Township are published by the Assessor’s Office and located here.

If you would like our free analysis of your reassessment and professional opinion on your appeal options contact us before the filing deadline of September 15th. Appealing your property’s assessed value in a reassessment year may allow you to attain savings for multiple years, until your next triennial reassessment.

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Report: Uneven and Incomplete Recovery for Cook County Property Values

Cook County Property Values: Uneven Recovery & UndervaluedWhile property values in Cook County rose in 2015 and 2016, neither commercial nor residential values on average countywide have recovered to 2009 levels, data from the Cook County Assessor’s Office shows.

Residential property values have been particularly slow to recover, with growth of 5% in 2015 and 4% in 2016 leaving those assessed values still 14% short of 2009 levels.
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Don’t Be Fooled: Appeal Your Assessment

Property Tax Appeal Service: Don't Be FooledThere are many reasons homeowners in Cook County don’t appeal their property tax assessments.

Some don’t think they can win. Others fear that the act of appealing could drive their assessment up. Some assume the process is too complicated, or requires expensive legal help.

But “the painful truth,” according to Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn is that, “if you don’t appeal your Cook County property tax assessment every chance you get, you’re a fool.”
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Cook County Board of Review Opens For 2017 Appeals

The Cook County Board of Review has opened the 2017 appeal session for the first group of townships. The Board’s deadline to appeal your 2017 assessed value is 8/30/17. Below are the townships that are currently open:Cook County Property Tax Appeal

  • Barrington
  • Cicero
  • Evanston
  • Norwood Park
  • Oak Park
  • Palatine
  • River Forest
  • Riverside
  • Rogers Park

If you missed your appeal opportunity at the Assessor’s office earlier in the year, or if you did appeal and weren’t satisfied with the result, you have a second opportunity to appeal at the Board of Review. Contact us for our free professional opinion on your property’s assessment level in comparison to others and to discuss your best options for an appeal.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Assessment Notices Mailed To Northfield Township

Northfield Township 2017 assessment notices have been mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office. The deadline to file an appeal of your assessment at the Assessor’s office is Friday, September 1st.Northfield

Northfield Township is in the north suburbs group which was reassessed in 2016. Northfield’s next triennial reassessment will be in 2019. Therefore, a successful appeal of your assessed value in 2017 may result in two years of savings, until your 2019 reassessment.

For a free professional opinion on your property’s assessment level in comparison to others contact us today.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate