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

Kensington Volunteers Making a Difference

Inspiration Cafe Chicago MealIn any business, the real reward comes from making a difference for your clients. That’s what motivates us at Kensington Research and Recovery.

But it’s nice to be able to make a difference in your community as well. That’s why for the past four years, we’ve teamed up with the Inspiration Corporation to help feed homeless and low-income residents in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.

That’s where the Inspiration Corporation operates the Inspiration Cafe, a genuinely inspiring place where more than 26,000 hot and nutritious meals were served to needy Chicago residents last year.
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Reassessment Notices Mailed For Orland Township

The Cook County Assessor’s Office has mailed reassessment notices to all properties in Orland Township. The one month window to appeal your assessed value at the Assessor’s Office is now open with a deadline of August 28th.Orland

Orland Township is part of the south group which is being reassessed this year. Complete valuation statistics for Orland are published by the Assessor’s Office and located here.

Contact us for a free analysis of your property’s assessment and our professional opinion on your appeal options. Appealing your property’s assessed value in a reassessment year may allow you to secure savings for multiple years, until your next triennial reassessment.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Jefferson Township Assessment Notices Mailed

Assessment notices for Jefferson Township have been mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office. August 28th is the last day to file a property tax appeal at the Assessor’s office.Jefferson

Cook County divides townships into three groups for the purposes of reassessment. Jefferson Township is in the City of Chicago group which was last reassessed in 2015. An appeal in 2017 will result in one year of savings, until Jefferson is reassessed in 2018.

Contact us for a free professional opinion on your property’s assessment level in comparison to others.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Assessment Notices Mailed for Hyde Park Township

Hyde Park Township assessment notices have been mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office. August 21st is the deadline for filing a property tax appeal at the Assessor’s office.cook seal v2

Townships in Cook County are divided into three groups for reassessment purposes. Hyde Park Township is in the City of Chicago group which was reassessed in 2015. An appeal in 2017 will result in one year of savings, until Hyde Park is next reassessed in 2018.

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

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Cook County Property Tax Math Is a Zero-Sum Problem

Cook County Property Tax Appeal Service: Zero SumWhen you see or hear the words “Cook County property taxes” in the headlines, you can pretty much assume it’s not going to be good news. Unless, perhaps, you are a well-heeled business owner with a team of attorneys scrutinizing your tax bills.

For everyone else, it’s a safe bet that:

  1. The county’s budgetary pressures will continue to increase, and
  2. Your property tax payments will be increasingly relied upon to close the gaps.

What doesn’t come out of your tax bill will come out of somebody else’s – and vice versa.

The system is prone to errors in assessed property values, but it puts the burden on property owners to be sure they’re not paying more than their fair share. It’s a zero-sum process that leaves those who don’t appeal subsidizing the savings of those who do.
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Reassessment Notices Mailed For Proviso Township

The Cook County Assessor’s Office has mailed reassessment notices for properties in Proviso Township. The 30 day window to appeal your assessed value at the Assessor’s Office is now open through August 14th. Proviso

Proviso Township is part of the south group which is reassessed in 2017. Complete valuation statistics for Proviso have been published by the Assessor’s Office here.

Contact us for a free analysis of your property’s assessment and our professional opinion on your appeal options. Appealing your property’s assessed value in a reassessment year may allow you to secure savings for multiple years, until your next reassessment.

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate

Assessment Notices Mailed for Wheeling Township

Wheeling Township assessment notices were mailed by the Cook County Assessor’s office today. August 7th is the deadline for filing a property tax appeal at the Assessor’s office.Wheeling

Townships in Cook County are divided into three groups for reassessment purposes. Wheeling Township is in the north suburbs group which was reassessed in 2016. An appeal in 2017 may result in two years of savings, until Wheeling is next reassessed in 2019.

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

Get Your Free Property Tax Reduction Estimate