House Valuation/Tax Increase

[Jim Redelfs]

I just received notice from the Douglas County Assessor that my 2005 valuation
is 20.05% HIGHER than 2004.

While I am confident that I could sell my home for even more than the new
valuation amount, I wonder if I should protest the precipitous increase.

I have never done this before. Is it a worthwhile undertaking?

:)
JR

[Mike Riddle]

Post by Jim Redelfs
I just received notice from the Douglas County Assessor that my 2005 valuation
is 20.05% HIGHER than 2004.
While I am confident that I could sell my home for even more than the new
valuation amount, I wonder if I should protest the precipitous increase.
I have never done this before. Is it a worthwhile undertaking?

Do you have the time? Will your recovery (if successful) compsensate
you for the lost overtime? <g>

But you answer your own question: "I am confident that I could sell my
home for even more than the new valuation amount." If your statement is
true, then by definition you are still undervalued. Don't tell the
assessor!

IIRC, some states limit the amount an evaluation can rise in a given
period of time. NOT NEBRASKA!!!

[Cletus Baker]

Post by Jim Redelfs
While I am confident that I could sell my home for even more than the new
valuation amount, I wonder if I should protest the precipitous increase.
I have never done this before. Is it a worthwhile undertaking?

While it's Pott county rather than Douglas, I had my home appraised in
anticipation of selling it several years ago. After I had it on the
market for three months without a single nibble, the assessors decided
it was worth 50% more than the 2-year old appraisal. Over here they
offer you a two-week window every other year to lodge protests, so I
went to the trouble to protest, thinking I could get it reduced to
something near the appraisal, arguing that the appraisal was obviously
higher than market value since it didn't attract any interest while on
the market, and values in CB weren't escalating at a pace that would add
50% in two years in any event. I received a collective shrug for my
trouble, and no change in the assessment.

Feh! Save your breath, especially if, as you say, your assessment is
below what you deem to be market value.

As it stands, I'd sell this place in a heartbeat if someone were to
give me its current assessed value for it!

[Paul W. Schleck]

Post by Jim Redelfs
I just received notice from the Douglas County Assessor that my 2005 valuation
is 20.05% HIGHER than 2004.
While I am confident that I could sell my home for even more than the new
valuation amount, I wonder if I should protest the precipitous increase.
I have never done this before. Is it a worthwhile undertaking?
:)
JR

The following Weird Harold article:

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1636&u_sid=1419557&u_rnd=7899124

gives a nice overview of the situation, as well as recommendations
concerning what kinds of protests would be successful. Protests that
might be successful would include:

- My valuation bears no resemblance to fair market value (assessed
value should be about 90-95%% of what you could sell the house for on
the market)

- My valuation is out of whack with my neighbors

- My valuation overvalued certain improvements I made to the property

- My valuation assumed that maintenance has been done that has not (of
course, as you've owned your home for a long time, this would be an
admission of negligence on your part)

- My valuation did not take into account certain aspects of my property
that make it less desirable (drainage problems, proximity to a school
or commercial building, power lines, easements, boundary line
disputes, rights of way, access issues, road maintenance issues, noise
problems, proximity to an airport or sewage treatment plant, etc.)

- The specifications of my property were incorrectly recorded, and these
incorrect specifications made my property appear more valuable than it
was.

Protests that probably would not be successful would include:

- That's a big increase.

- That's not fair.

- I can't afford it.

- I want to fight city (county) hall.

- High taxes are a conspiracy of the Trilateral Commission, that has
conspired to strip me of my rights by secretly replacing the
Constitutional U.S. Flag in public buildings with the military, or
Admiralty Flag that has gold fringe on its border, thus transforming
all common-law courts into Admiralty courts.

In short, the burden of proof is on you to provide documentation or
objective testimony that your valuation does not reflect the value of
your property, and for objective reasons. Even then, they might still
say no.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

--
Paul W. Schleck
***@novia.net
http://www.novia.net/~pschleck/
Finger ***@novia.net for PGP Public Key

[johnkool]

Post by Jim Redelfs
I just received notice from the Douglas County Assessor that my 2005 valuation
is 20.05% HIGHER than 2004.
While I am confident that I could sell my home for even more than the new
valuation amount, I wonder if I should protest the precipitous increase.
I have never done this before. Is it a worthwhile undertaking?
:)
JR

So, what was your decision?

Did you appeal?

Did it do any good?

[Jim Redelfs]

Post by johnkool
So, what was your decision?

After hearing from several folks, I decided to roll-over and play dead.
<sigh>

Considering my house would certainly sell for more than the new valuation, I
concluded that any appearl would be a waste of time.

:)
JR