Property Reassessments
According to News-Press
Now, “In Kansas City, homeowners unleashed a mini-revolt after property reassessments showed that the value of some homes doubled and tripled in parts
of Jackson County.”
“While reassessment often results in an increased
valuation, and possibly an increased tax bill, Buchanan County property owners
have avoided for the most part the dramatic spikes that have occurred in other
jurisdictions.”
“Details on the total increase in valuation were unavailable last week as the assessor’s office was preparing to submit final numbers to the county clerk, who certifies the assessments before taxing entities like school districts and library boards set tax rates in the fall.”
Property Reassessments
In past years, reassessment increases in Buchanan County hovered in the 10 to 15 percent range, with assessors considering market value, land values, and physical improvements.Officials said the ounty remains in compliance with state tax commission regulations that require assessments to fall within 10 percent of market values in an area.
A total of 5,000 appeals in Jackson County were filed in the 2017 reassessment year. I suspect there will be many homeowners who feel their property tax assessment is too high.Are You Stuck Paying Those Rates?
Does this mean that because of increasing real estate values, some residents because of their age or income won’t be able to pay the increasing taxes? With home prices rising across KansasCity will there be a revolt against rising property taxes rise like that which has occurred in California, Oregon, According to News-Press Nowetc.?If You Decide to Appeal
According to NOLO, to successfully challenge the taxable value, you’ll need to establish at least one of the following facts:
- The tax assessor relied on information that is incorrect or incomplete. For example, the assessor may have assumed that your home contains 2,250 square feet of space when it has 1,750 square feet.
- The tax assessor set the taxable value of your home higher than the taxable values of similar homes in your community.
- The tax assessor assumed that the current market value of your home is higher than it is.
Confer with the tax assessor.
If you establish any one of these, the first step is to Confer with the tax assessor. If you have convincing evidence that the tax assessor has overvalued your home, he or she may agree to change the value. If that happens, you won’t need to pursue an administrative appeal.Pursue an appeal.
If you can’t reach agreement with the tax assessor, you can appeal the valuation. Here’s where to appeal and useful evidence for doing so:If you are not satisfied with the estimated market value placed on your property or you feel your reassessment notice is incorrect, you may file an Informal Review request with the Assessment Department by completing the Informal Review request form online here or by calling 816-881-4601 during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
What if You Don’t Agree with the Board’s Decision?
You can appeal to the Jackson County Board of Equalization (BOE). Along with your appeal form, you should provide documentation to support your opinion of value. The Board will notify you of the date, time, and location of your scheduled hearing. The Board will hear evidence from the Assessment Department staff and from you regarding the value of the property. They will then render a decision based upon the evidence presented. If you do not appear at your scheduled hearing, the Board may hear your case and value your property based upon the evidence presented.
But just in case you get to appear before the board, several types of evidence may be useful, including:
- a recent appraisal of your home
- a contractor’s report showing repair work needed on your home and how much the work will cost
- documents showing actual sales prices in your neighborhood, and
- photographs of homes similar to yours, together with a list of their sales prices or taxable values.
At the hearing, you’ll probably have just five or ten minutes to present your case, so be succinct. Bring extra copies of your documentary evidence so that each hearing officer has a copy. Try to include a chart showing comparative sales prices and taxable values. You may want to arrive at the hearing early so that you can observe – and learn from – other people’s hearings.
Good Luck.
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