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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Cicero Township 2019 Assessment Notices Mailed

town_of_cicero_sealCicero Township 2019 property assessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office on Friday, April 12th to Cicero property owners. The 30 day window to appeal your 2019 assessed value is now open until the deadline of May 13th.

We recommend homeowners review their assessments annually and appeal each year if there is a strong evidence based argument that their home may not be assessed fairly. Cicero Township’s next triennial reassessment is scheduled for 2020. However, if you feel that your assessment is not fair there is no need to wait to appeal, you have the option to appeal every year at the Assessor’s office and at the Board of Review. If you’d like a second opinion on your property’s assessed value as it compares to similar homes in your neighborhood contact us for a free, no obligation, review and analysis of your home.
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Reducing the Impact of the Chicago Property Tax Death Spiral

Cook County Property Tax Death SpiralYou’ve probably seen the legion of articles on how the population is declining in Chicago, Cook County, the entire Chicagoland area, and the entire state of Illinois. One of the top reasons given for the mass exodus: increasing property taxes.

While a decreasing population means that every remaining homeowner’s property tax burden is likely to increase further, there is a way to mitigate this risk without having to move.
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Lake View Township Assessment Notices Mailed

Lake View Township assessment notices have been mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office. The 30 day window to appeal your property’s assessed value is now open. The deadline to file an appeal at the Assessor’s office is May 10th.Lake View

Cook County townships are divided into 3 groups for the purposes of triennial reassessments. Lake View is in the city group which was reassessed in 2015 and will next be reassessed in 2018. If you missed your opportunity to appeal in 2015 or 2016 this is your last opportunity to appeal your assessment before you are reassessed in 2018. Due to a constantly changing market we believe it is in your interest to thoroughly review your assessment each year in order to determine whether an appeal makes sense or not.

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Property Tax Appeal is a No-Lose Investment, Just Ask an Investor

Cook County Property Tax Appeals & Investor SavingsMaximizing the return on investment for a piece of real estate means keeping a close watch on your expenses.

That’s why Sam Sharp, executive vice president of a top 5 mortgage lender in Chicago and a residential property investor, knows better than to simply accept the initial valuation sent out by the Cook County Property Assessor.

Acting on this knowledge has saved him over $7,000 and, perhaps more importantly, a lot of time.
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How to Prepare for Mortgage Refinancing

how to prepare for mortgage refinancingWith rates bouncing into near historic lows, it might seem like a great time to look into mortgage refinancing. But with so much still unsettled in the economy and the coronavirus fallout still uncertain, experts expect rates – and processes – to fluctuate for weeks to come.

It’s a combination of factors that has left many lenders with a record number of re-finance applications and a diminished capacity for processing them. Lenders are taking two to three times longer to process loans, according to our mortgage expert.

At the same time, the mortgage secondary market – in which investors purchase packages of closed loans – is showing little interest in packages of loans with very low interest rates during a period of heightened economic risk.
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