PROPERTY TAX APPEAL IN CLIFTON, NJ (Passaic Co.)- WILL I BE SUCCESSFUL? (sale, 2009)

[picture121]

We purchased our home in April of 08. The taxes were 10k at the time. We changed out the kitchen cabinets and added a double vanity to the bathroom. Clifton came to assess the home and now I'm paying like 11.5K in taxes. My neighbor did more extensive renovations inside and out and their land is much larger than ours. They're paying like 9.5k. I want to appeal my taxes b/c I think the amount is unfair. What is the best way to prove this? Does anyone know if its worth it? They also said they have to come to the home every 2 years to see if we did improvements- is this true?

[deb8997]

we just had an assement here in aberdeen. im being told that since it has'nt been done in 10 years of course assesments will go up,but tax rate should go down. and we may pay a little more or stay the same. im going with paying more since my house has been assesed at 75,000.its about 80 years old 2 bedrooms 1 bath. we have done no renovations except new kitchen cabinets. its a small kitchen maybe 4 cabinets. new siding and central air. its old. the basement leaks and we are on a major road. the new assesment 235,000.im lucky if i can sell it for that much right now. im gonna get screwed. i will most likely lose my house cause i will be paying more in monthly taxes than my mortgage. im also looking into filing an appeal. the houses they used as comps much bigger and better shape. if you are going to file an appeal be prepared. go to tax office and find all the comps they used and drive around and investigate. get your own appraisal. its alot of work but can be done. i plan on doing it.

[dmccauley]

Originally Posted by picture121

We purchased our home in April of 08. The taxes were 10k at the time. We changed out the kitchen cabinets and added a double vanity to the bathroom. Clifton came to assess the home and now I'm paying like 11.5K in taxes. My neighbor did more extensive renovations inside and out and their land is much larger than ours. They're paying like 9.5k. I want to appeal my taxes b/c I think the amount is unfair. What is the best way to prove this? Does anyone know if its worth it? They also said they have to come to the home every 2 years to see if we did improvements- is this true?

Here is how it works. Number one don't say your appealing the amount you pay per year. You have to appeal the assessed value of your home. The amount you pay per year is based on the total assessed value. Look online and compare your size property to your neighbors, if the size is the same you should all be paying the same. If there is a huge difference in the value and not a huge difference in size then appeal the land (look at all the homes down the block and compare) As far as improvement value (the home). Look at the sale prices in your area over the past 6 months. Compare apples to apples. If the home sold and is only a 3bdrm and yours is a 4th obviously your would be higher. NJ laws do not allow them to increase your asssed value just cause they feel like it. There has to be a reason. If you purchased a home and the assessed value was way below the purchase price they will come in and check it out (red flag). The previous owners may have done work and not had a building permit. Just remember that if your home is new and there has been alot of work done the assessed value should be up to date in todays market. Alot of homes have not been assessed in years so the newer homes take the brunt of the increase because they are up to date.I use to work in an assessors office and have sat thru many county appeals. If you go in with backup paperwork supporting your claim that your property is overassessed you will have no problems.

[Obrero]

There is nothing you can do now until you get your 2009 tax bill. Once you get it in the mail you can start your appeal. You will need comps similar houses sold in the last year. The tricky part is - you have to prove that your house is over assessed by at least 15% which is their margin of error. If you are over assessed 10% - too bad you have to suck it up.

[onegreatnurse]

Originally Posted by UKOK

There is nothing you can do now until you get your 2009 tax bill. Once you get it in the mail you can start your appeal. You will need comps similar houses sold in the last year. The tricky part is - you have to prove that your house is over assessed by at least 15% which is their margin of error. If you are over assessed 10% - too bad you have to suck it up.

Hmmmm....I know about the 15% margin of error...wouldn't it be nice as we are all filing our 1040s this year if we could all say well we UNDERPAID you guys (i.e, the federal government) by 15% but oh well, you'll have to suck it up, that's our margin of error as taxpayers and we're all pretty bad mathemeticians so, suck it up!!

[MissBlinkyLite]

Originally Posted by picture121

We purchased our home in April of 08. The taxes were 10k at the time. We changed out the kitchen cabinets and added a double vanity to the bathroom. Clifton came to assess the home and now I'm paying like 11.5K in taxes. My neighbor did more extensive renovations inside and out and their land is much larger than ours. They're paying like 9.5k. I want to appeal my taxes b/c I think the amount is unfair. What is the best way to prove this? Does anyone know if its worth it? They also said they have to come to the home every 2 years to see if we did improvements- is this true?

Did you apply for a permit to replace kitchen cabinets, if so, why? As long as you let the assessor's come in you have the right to appeal the new assessed value.

[SuburbanNJRltr]

If you are makig improvements to your home, you are adding to your home's value. Therefore, the taxes will reflect the value you've added to your home. You can try talking to your town assessor to see if they'll reduce their assessment. If that fails, you can file a tax appeal with the county. To do that, you need to get a tax appeal sheet and fill in the info.. You should also be prepared to provide comparable homes that have sold in your neighborhood that have sold for LESS than what yours is worth. You cannot argue based on your neighbors assessed value, only on sold comps.. I hope this helps you!

[awd250]

picture121, I'm buying a place in Clifton as well... I'm buy a place in riverwalk, 1700sqft and taxes are $9000. I know I'm buying the place for less than what the owners paid for it, do I have a chance in lowering my taxes?

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by awd250

picture121, I'm buying a place in Clifton as well... I'm buy a place in riverwalk, 1700sqft and taxes are $9000. I know I'm buying the place for less than what the owners paid for it, do I have a chance in lowering my taxes?

if you decide to appeal, you can use your purchase as a comp, HOWEVER - you need to check the valid dates - It's usually Oct 2007 - Oct 2008, so you'd have to wait until next year, because your purchase won't fall in the window.

You would also need other comps - your purchase isn't sufficient, so you'd need to find at least 2-3 others who paid approx. what you did.

[awd250]

Originally Posted by tahiti

if you decide to appeal, you can use your purchase as a comp, HOWEVER - you need to check the valid dates - It's usually Oct 2007 - Oct 2008, so you'd have to wait until next year, because your purchase won't fall in the window.

You would also need other comps - your purchase isn't sufficient, so you'd need to find at least 2-3 others who paid approx. what you did.

does this mean I'd have to find out how much everyone paid and just use those people that paid around the same as me? It's a townhouse community of about 300 units