Monthly Archives: July 2020

Understanding the Factors That Determine the Size of Your Property Tax Bill

Factors that Influence Your Property Tax BillWhen you open your property tax bill, it’s easy to see if you’re going to be paying more, but the reasons why can be harder to understand.

Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough offers a brief explanation in a recent release accompanying the 2019 tax rates. The release includes the “four most impactful factors” that determine whether an individual property tax bill goes up or down. The bad news is, they’re going up in a lot of cases. But every tax bill is a collection of individual components.

Here are the four factors that determine the size of your tax bill, followed by some explanation around what you can (and can’t) do about them:
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Evanston Tax Bills Dash Hopes that Reassessment Might Be Kind to Homeowners

Listening Tour A Chance to Question Cook County Assessor

A whopping 86% of homeowners in Evanston are seeing property tax increases this year. A breakdown compiled by Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin shows that 11,924 of 13,810 residential properties have a tax bill that is higher – substantially in many cases – than last year’s.

Suffredin’s office has offered to help Evanston property owners who believe their tax bill contains errors or who may have overlooked an exemption that could lead to a reduction.
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Schaumburg Township 2020 Assessment Notices Mailed

Happy homeowners 22020 property assessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office on Wednesday, July 29th 2020, to Schaumburg Township property owners. The following cities, towns, and villages are in Schaumburg Township: Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Roselle, Schaumburg, and Streamwood. The window to appeal your 2020 assessed value is now open until the deadline of September 1st.

We recommend property owners review their assessments annually and appeal whenever there is a strong evidence based argument that your home may not be assessed fairly. Schaumburg Township was reassessed in 2019 but even if you appealed last year you may appeal your assessment again this year. A successful appeal in 2020 may result in two years of savings, until Schaumburg is reassessed in 2022. The best way to ensure you never pay more than your fair share in property taxes is to review your assessment every year and appeal whenever you have a strong basis for an appeal argument, no matter where your township is at in the triennial reassessment cycle.

Property values in the Chicagoland area do not stay the same every year. They change frequently, as ownership changes, as properties are remodeled, and as new homes are constructed. Don’t make the mistake of only appealing during your property’s reassessment year.

If you contact us by the September 1st deadline we would be happy to review your home’s assessment against the current values of nearby comparable properties and provide our professional opinion on whether or not an appeal makes sense this year.

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Cicero Township 2020 Triennial Reassessments Mailed

Happy homeowners
2020 Triennial reassessment notices were mailed to Cicero Township homeowners on Friday, July 24th. Homeowners in Cicero Township have 38 days to appeal their assessment at the Assessor’s office (there will be a second opportunity to appeal later in the year at the Board of Review, whether you appeal at the Assessor’s office or not). The deadline for appealing at the Assessor’s office is August 31st. 

We recommend homeowners review their assessment annually, particularly in a triennial 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 Cicero Township home, in comparison to similar properties, we would be 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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Orland Township 2020 Triennial Reassessments Mailed

Property Tax Appeal2020 Triennial reassessment notices were mailed to Orland Township homeowners on Wednesday, July 22nd. The following cities, towns, and villages are in Orland Township: Orland Hills, Orland Park, and Tinley Park. Homeowners in Orland Township have 36 days to appeal their assessment at the Assessor’s office (there will be a second opportunity to appeal later in the year at the Board of Review, whether you appeal at the Assessor’s office or not). The deadline for appealing at the Assessor’s office is August 28th.

We recommend homeowners review their assessment annually, particularly in a triennial 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 Orland Township home, in comparison to similar properties, we would be 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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Maine Township 2020 Assessment Notices Mailed

Family Home2020 property assessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office on Tuesday, July 21st 2020, to Maine Township property owners. The following cities, towns, and villages are in Maine Township: Des Plaines, Glenview, Morton Grove, Niles, Park Ridge, and Rosemont. The window to appeal your 2020 assessed value is now open until the deadline of August 26th. 

We recommend property owners review their assessments annually and appeal whenever there is a strong evidence based argument that your home may not be assessed fairly. Maine Township was reassessed in 2019 but even if you appealed last year you may appeal your assessment again this year. A successful appeal in 2020 may result in two years of savings, until Maine is reassessed in 2022. The best way to ensure you never pay more than your fair share in property taxes is to review your assessment every year and appeal whenever you have a strong basis for an appeal argument, no matter where your township is at in the triennial reassessment cycle.
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Lyons Township 2020 Triennial Reassessments Mailed

Property Tax Balance2020 Triennial reassessment notices were mailed to Lyons Township homeowners on Friday, July 10th. The following cities, towns, and villages are in Lyons Township:Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Burr Ridge, Countryside, Hickory Hills, Hinsdale, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, Justice, La Grange, La Grange Highlands, Lyons, McCook, Pleasantdale, Ridgewood, Riverside, Summit, Western Springs, and Willow Springs. Homeowners in Lyons Township have 36 days to appeal their assessment at the Assessor’s office (there will be a second opportunity to appeal later in the year at the Board of Review, whether you appeal at the Assessor’s office or not). The deadline for appealing at the Assessor’s office is August 14th.

We recommend homeowners review their assessment annually, particularly in a triennial 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 Lyons Township home, in comparison to similar properties, we would be 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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Lake View Township 2020 Assessment Notices Mailed

Chicago rowhouse neighborhood2020 property assessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office on Wednesday July 01, 2020, to Lake View Township property owners. The following cities, towns, and villages are in Lake View Township :Bucktown, Edgewater, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, North Center, Old Town Triangle, Ravenswood, Roscoe Village Uptown, and Wrigleyville. The window to appeal your 2020 assessed value is now open until the deadline of August 05, 2020.

We suggest property owners review their assessments annually and appeal whenever there is a strong evidence based argument that your home may not be assessed fairly. Lake View Township’s next triennial reassessment is scheduled for 2021. However, if you feel that your assessment is not fair there is no need to wait to appeal, property owners have the right to appeal every year at the Assessor’s office and at the Board of Review. If you’d like a professional opinion on your home’s assessed value as it compares to similar properties in your neighborhood contact us for a free, no obligation, review and analysis of your home.
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