Anatolia Property Tax Appeals

Are you keeping money in your pockets or paying $500 too much in property taxes?

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:15:46 +0000

At some point around May 2009 the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office should be mailing a letter to certain households stating that the Assessor has lowered the assessed value on particular homes (if they determined that value declined).

Here is the scenario: You purchased your home in Anatolia in Rancho Cordova for $550,000 in 2005 and so you were paying about $6,000 in property tax based upon 1.25% (the maximum percentage in CA). The assessed value of your home was based upon the purchase price which was assumed to be fair market value at the time of sale. Your home has since declined in value over time and the Assessor says your home is now worth $450,000. Thankfully your current taxes get bumped down then to around $5,500 based on the adjusted assessment at $450,000.

This is wonderful news, right? You are happy to save five hundred dollars and the Assessor looks really good too in light of gaining a ton of positive publicity in the media because he has “lowered property taxes”. This should be great cause for celebration, but the only problem is that your home is actually worth somewhere between $375,000 and $400,000 rather than $450,000. In effect, this means that you are paying for $50,000-$75,000 of value that you don’t actually have. In essence, this comes out to paying $500 to $750 out of your pocket each year that you should not have to pay.

This is only a mild scenario. There are home owners in Anatolia and other niches in Sacramento County that are paying way more than $500 too much each year because the assessment is off by $100,000-$400,000.

Think about your property tax assessment this way:

Assessed Value $25,000 too high = you overpay by $250 per year
Assessed Value $50,000 too high = you overpay by $500 per year
Assessed Value $100,000 too high = you overpay by $1,000 per year
Assessed Value $150,000 too high = you overpay by $1,500 per year
Assessed Value $200,000 too high = you overpay by $2,000 per year

What are your options?

1) Do nothing. Surprisingly, this is often an option that many people choose because appealing property taxes is unfamiliar turf that people sometimes just don’t know how to handle. Or life is busy and this whole process seems like a pain to deal with. But are you comfortable paying even $50 extra per month to the County? What else could you be doing with that extra $500 each year?

2) Pay a minimal fee to me to handle the entire situation for you. I can do all the research, stand before the appeals board on your behalf, make charts and graphs, assess neighborhood trends, and put together convincing evidence for a lowered opinion of value – a true reflection of the real estate market. You have a potential to save a great deal of money each year.

Taxes are a part of life and there is no escaping them, but we don’t want to pay a penny more than we have to. Make sure that you are keeping your hard-earned money in your pockets by paying your fair share of property tax and no more. Please contact us at 916-595-3735 or info@AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com for any details.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Letter from the Assessor vs. Your Potential Savings: $50,000 too high = you pay $500 too much each year in property taxes

New Assessed Property Values are Available Today (Sacramento County)

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:32:55 +0000

The Sacramento County Assessor’s Office has their 2009-10 assessed values up on their website as of today. You can go HERE and search for your house based upon the beginning letter of your street name. If you get stuck in the process, go ahead and give us a call at 916-595-3735.

This is a very important figure by the Assessor’s Office. This can very well determine whether you will be comfortable with their level of assessment or move forward with a property tax appeal. Remember that for every $10,000 too high in property tax assessment, you basically pay an extra $100.

If you have questions about your property in Anatolia or other properties within the Greater Sacramento Region, you are welcome to call 916-595-3735 or send us an email too at info@AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com New Assessed Property Values are Available Today (Sacramento County)

Tax Appeal FAQ for Home Owners: Get Your FREE Copy

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:01:03 +0000

We have put together a property tax appeal FAQ for local home owners within the Sacramento Region. We hope to answer some of your questions and that you will walk away from this document with a better understanding of the tax appeal process and what you need to know as a home owner. If you would like a copy of “Tax Appeal FAQ for Home Owners” , give us a call at 916-595-3735 or send us an email at the email address below. If you email us, try to remember to type “Sacramento Property Tax Appeal” in the subject line of your email since we don’t want to delete you as SPAM. We can also fax this document to you. PH: 916-595-3735 EMAIL: info@AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Tax Appeal FAQ for Home Owners: Get Your Copy Today

Why home owners should NOT fill out the “Decline in Value Reassessment Application (Prop. 8)

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:37:42 +0000

This “Decline in Value Reassessment Application” is something you can fill out and give to the Sacramento County Office of the Assessor at 3701 Power Inn Road. The form asks you to provide two comparable properties which will then be reviewed by the Assessor. The Assessor states on the form “If you do not agree with our decision (on the value), you may have formal appeal rights with the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board”. This sounds good and all, but the problem is that you may very well never hear back from the Assessor (especially in light of how busy they are these days). Ultimately, this form is basically meaningless and should therefore be avoided (in my opinion). Since the Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board was set up to resolve differences of property value between the Assessor and property owners, they are the direct source to interact with when there are value issues to consider for your property. My suggestion to home owners is to bypass dealing with the Assessor and filling out their application and instead fill out the “Application for Changed Assessment” that is turned into the Sacramento County Appeals Board. This is the application that gets you what you are looking for – an opportunity to appeal your property taxes before the Appeals Board. The other form does NOT result in this opportunity.

Unfortunately many local home owners will file the Assessor “Decline in Value” form only and think that they have filed an appeal, but that is not the case. The correct application must be filled out if you are planning to appeal your property taxes. I can help you with this process and provide you with a solid and convincing opinion of value to be presented to the Sacramento County Appeals Board.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Why should home owners NOT fill out the “Decline in Value Reassessment Application (Prop. 8)?

Did the Assessor’s Office Get Your Value Right?

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:25:17 +0000

One of the big factors in property tax appeals is that the best available data from the local market should be applied on your behalf. This is an elementary valuation concept, but often times the reason why your property taxes are too high is because the mass-appraisal process instituted by the Assessor’s Office fails to incorporate the most reliable data for your household. In essence, your home ends up being compared to dissimilar houses or outdated market trends, which leads to a large discrepancy in value (and then your wallet hurts). Additionally, many residents wonder too if the Assessor’s Office is feeling the pressure of dwindling funds in Sacramento County and if that has a way of influencing assessed values.

The most similar houses on your street, immediate tract, and surrounding area in Anatolia should be given strong weight when rendering a legitimate opinion of value. The overall trends in the real estate market and perception among local buyers too plays an enormous role in your property’s worth. Additionally, there are external factors such as the state of the economy, available financing and job security that also factor into the equation. There is not just one point of data to consider when determining what your property is worth, but a plethora of market research (as opposed to picking the highest sales in the market and comparing them to your property).

There are often reasons why your house may not compare with the highest sale in the market anyway, right? Things like square footage, lot size, location, view, builder, age, condition, bedroom count, and level of upgrades can all make a big impact on the value of your home. Take for instance, the location. Imagine if your home backed to Sunrise Blvd. Would you say that the typical buyer would probably pay less for your property because of the increased traffic noise? Or do you think a buyer would pay a premium for a house with 500 additional square feet or a house with $100,000 worth of upgrades? Or if brand new houses in Anatolia are selling for much less than yours did in 2005 , would someone pay the same price for your house as they would for brand new one?

These factors certainly make a difference with the level of property tax you pay, but one of the most significant realities to confront is when current property taxes are not based on the true state of the overall housing market. Housing prices have declined so drastically in recent years and the prices are at levels much before 2004 in most cases (some say 2001). The truth is that the conditions of the market and the assessments given by the Assessor are capable of being way out of sync with current market trends (and not to the advantage of the home owner in most cases). This fact makes a big difference in our wallets too because we could be paying hundreds or sometimes thousands of dollars too much in property taxes each year unless we take steps to shed light on the true value of your home.

As your local tax appeal specialist, if you have any questions about the tax appeal process, please give me a call at 916-595-3735. My residential real estate company is based in Rancho Cordova and I am very familiar with Anatolia.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Does the Assessor’s Office Get Your Value Right?

How we can help you appeal your property taxes!!!

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:49:56 +0000

We are your local source for property tax appeals in the Greater Sacramento Region. If you are considering contesting your property taxes, this is our process:

1) Contact: Call or email us to let us know what your property address is and a little bit about your property.

2) Discuss: Let’s talk about your situation and if it looks like there is an advantage for you to appeal your taxes. Filing an appeal does not make sense in every case.

3) Decide: Which package works best for you? We offer a “Gold” package at $100.00 and a “Platinum” package at $169.00.

4) Relax: We’ll handle your property tax appeal in a professional and timely manner.

Feel free to reach us by phone at 916-595-3735 or email at info@AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com We look forward to discussing your situation and figuring out what is going to best suit your needs and situation.

When is the deadline for appealing property taxes for Sacramento County in 2009?

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Fri, 01 May 2009 18:55:00 +0000

July 2 through November 30, 2009 is the assessment filing period for Sacramento County. Some of the other local counties have the same filing dates, but others have a filing deadline of September 15, 2009.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com When is the deadline for appealing property taxes for Sacramento County in 2009?

Why don’t more home owners in Sacramento County appeal their property taxes?

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:51:46 +0000

There are a number of reasons why local home owners do not appeal their property taxes more often: 1) Many property owners are unfamiliar with what to do and how to do it, so appealing property taxes and handling something new can feel intimidating; 2) Life gets busy and this whole process seems like a pain to deal with; 3) Many home owners do not know who to be able to trust to help them; 4) Home owners get a letter in the mail stating that the Assessor has already dropped their property tax level for the year, so home owners feel that they have already received all that they can. But in so many cases, they have not because the assessed value is still too high (sometimes very high).

Please contact me with questions so that I can help you decided whether appealing taxes is a good move for you or not.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Why don’t more home owners in Sacramento County appeal their property taxes?

Anatolia in Rancho Cordova: Real Estate Market Trends in April 2009

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:50:43 +0000

“Anatolia” is a newly-built HOA community in Southern Rancho Cordova located within the 95742 zip code. There are roughly 2000 housing units which have been built since 2005 and construction is still ongoing. Below you will find some of the latest real estate market trends in Anatolia as of today’s date.

The following graphs take the past thirteen months of sales into consideration and are based upon data provided through Sacramento Metrolist.

“Anatolia” in Rancho Cordova Real Estate Market Data:

347 sales over past 12 months
80 sales over past 90 days
Average of 26.67 sales per month over past 90 days
201 current Listings
7.5 months of housing supply currently listed on the market (due to aggressive pricing, this inventory may not necessarily be on the market that long. In fact, the previous 90 days had 8.5 months of inventory and then the six months prior to that had 12.4 months of inventory. It would appear then that right now the inventory is decreasing).
Median Sales Price over past 90 days: $288,000
Median Sales Price over previous 90 days: $312,016
Median current List Price: $275,000
Median Listing Days on Market: 54

If you have any questions about the information above, the Anatolia market area in general, or any specific appraisal needs for property tax appeal or other, you are welcome to contact me at 916-595-3735.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com Anatolia in Rancho Cordova: Real Estate Market Trends in April 2009

The Skinny on Lowering Property Taxes in the “Anatolia” Neighborhood in Rancho Cordova

Anatolia Tax Appeal — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 01:22:41 +0000

Have you received a letter? My household has been mailed two so far claiming that XYZ Company will help me lower my property taxes if I send them some money. Fellow residents, may I offer some advice? If you feel that the Assessor’s Office did not get your home value right, then don’t waste your money on out-of-area companies like this? If you need to contest your property tax levels, use a local specialist who knows your neighborhood very well and can personally talk you through the entire property tax appeal process.

Here is what you need to do:

1. First off, wait to see what the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office says your home is worth. They should have this data available around May 2009 (hopefully). Figures for 2009 property taxes aren’t even out yet, so be leery of companies that promise to be able to “lower your taxes” if they don’t even know what your home is assessed at?

2. If you are not satisfied with your property tax assessment, you can contact the Assessor’s Office and fill out a “Decline-in-Value Reassessment Application” between July 2, 2009 and November 30, 2009 (NOTE: Some other local counties besides Sacramento have a filing date of September 15, 2009). Basically, the application asks you to provide two similar properties that sold in 2009 between January 1 and March 31. Honestly though, this step is not an appeal and the best use of your time is to go straight to step 3. If you do want to do this step and you are unable to provide the needed information, I am capable of doing so for a very reasonable fee.

3. You can file an “Application for Changed Assessment” with the Assessment Appeals Board by November 30, 2009 for Sacramento County. This application basically asks you to provide evidence for your opinion of value. If you can supply this evidence through your own knowledge and research, that’s great. If not, this is where we can work together. As a local and reputable licensed real estate appraiser in Rancho Cordova, I can act as a consultant on your behalf and provide detailed evidence of the true value of your property. With my detailed knowledge of how the appeals system works and what they look at to justify lowering property values, I can be a crucial asset for your property tax situation.

4. Don’t wait until the end of November to do Step 3. Make sure you have enough time to get your appeal in (or I can do that for you). After the November 30 deadline for Sacramento County, there is nothing more you can do to contest your property taxes if you miss the deadline.

Please contact me with any questions at 916-595-3735. I look forward to helping you understand the tax appeal process and working together if it is relevant for your needs.

http://www.AnatoliaTaxAppeal.com The Skinny on Lowering Property Taxes in Anatolia