• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sacramento Appraisal Blog | Real Estate Appraiser

Real estate appraisals for divorce, estate settlement, loans, property tax appeal, pre-listing and more. We cover Sacramento, Placer and Yolo County. We're professional, courteous and timely.

  • About
  • Appraisals
  • Order
  • Ask Ryan
  • Areas
  • Classes
  • Press
  • Trends
  • Share
  • Contact

Sacramento Tax Appeals

What happens after you file a property tax appeal?

June 4, 2012 By Ryan Lundquist 2 Comments

Immediate results would be nice, but that’s not how it works in the world of tax appeals. The Sacramento County Assessment Appeals Board technically has up to two years to get back to property owners when they file a property tax appeal. I’ve personally not seen them take that long for my clients, though it is technically possible. I’ve been finding most of the 2011 appeals I did for home owners have been starting to get resolved over the past few months. The bulk of these appeals were turned in just before the deadline in November 2011. Some of them were resolved in about three months (that’s very quick), whereas others have taken more than six months (and I’m still waiting on some too).

What happens after you turn in your appeal?

1.  Letter in the Mail from the Appeals Board: After you’ve filled out the Application for Changed Assessment and the Assessment Appeals Board has reviewed your file, they’ll send you a letter in the mail (or if I’m your agent, then I get the letter and handle everything for you while you relax). This is not junk mail. Watch your mail carefully because you need to respond.

Letter from Assessors Office in Sacramento County

2.  Withdraw or not Withdraw? That is the Question: The letter the Appeals Board sends will either: a) Agree with your opinion of value and ask you to therefore withdraw your appeal; b) Ask you to agree with a new value they pick (not your value, but maybe close to it) and therefore withdraw your appeal; or c) Set up an appeals hearing to further discuss your situation. Don’t worry about filling out the following “Tax Change Withdrawal” form. It’s a legitimate form. All you are doing is agreeing with the new value and withdrawing your right to further appeal. If you don’t agree with the value, call the Appeals Board appraiser and discuss the market (the phone number should be listed on the letterhead in the same envelope as the withdrawal form).

Sacramento County tax appeal withdrawal form

The Sometimes Tricky Part: It’s always ideal when the Appeals Board agrees with the value you came up with, but that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes the Appeals Board appraiser offers a slightly higher value. When this happens, I typically coach my clients to accept the value so long as it is fairly close to the value I came up with. Unless the value is really too high, it’s not worth it to spend extra time and money to argue for an additional $100 savings.

Situation #1: This happened to a client last week. The withdrawal form offered $250,000, but the value I came up with was $230,000 (this was a very solid value too). I called up the appraiser and had a discussion about the market. I got the sense that he was not going to budge, so I asked him to meet me in the middle at $240,000. He agreed. While $230,000 would have been ideal, the extra $10,000 in property taxes is only worth about $125, so my client chose to rejoice that his taxes were lowered from $280,000, and simply accept the $240,000. Had we gone through the appeals hearing, I’m confident that $230,000 would have prevailed, but sometimes it’s just not worth the effort in light of minimal savings to be had. The property owner makes this decision though and I’ll move forward with either direction.

Situation #2: The Appeals Board initially rejected the value I proposed at $160,000 and instead persisted to advocate for $200,000. Honestly, I’m not sure the appraiser even read through my report, but that’s another story. My research was extremely detailed with graphs and a clear picture of value at $160,000. It’s a good thing I knew the market because when the Assessor’s appraiser called me back (while I was out and about) to discuss the situation, he took into consideration my points and agreed with the $160,000 value.

Most of the time if you put together a solid report, the Appeals Board will agree with your value or offer you something very close. It’s nothing to be worried about. On the other hand, if you lowball a value and offer nearby sales that really aren’t comps, then don’t be surprised if your value is rejected altogether. If the Appeals Board does not agree with your value, and you wish to move forward still, then be ready to plan for an appeals hearing.

refund3.  When will you get your tax refund? After you withdraw your application and agree to a new value, your refund should come within 95 business days. Please note BUSINESS DAYS. Don’t expect to be the exception either. You’ll get between $100-125 back for every $10,000 in property reduction. If you were overassessed by $50,000, for example, you would get $500-625 back in your pockets. Most clients get back anywhere from several hundred dollars to sometimes $2,000. I had one client that was owed over $10,000 back.

Is it worth it to appeal your property taxes? If you are overassessed, it is absolutely worth it. It might sound like a pain to a certain extent, but in my opinion it’s more of a pain to pay too much in property taxes. If the details stress you out, then give me a call. If you need help, I’m very good at what I do, and I’m glad to take a look at your situation to see if there might be a potential savings for you.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions, check out other articles on property taxes and visit my property tax appeal website for additional information.

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Property Taxes, Resources Tagged With: advice on property taxes, appraiser hire for property taxes, Contest Property Taxes, Dispute Property Taxes, home appraiser Sacramento, how to reduce property taxes, property tax appeal articles, property tax consultant, property taxes in Sacramento County, sacramento county home appraiser, Sacramento Tax Appeals, tax appeal withdrawal form

Crunching property tax stats for 9 Sacramentans

November 30, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 4 Comments

I have nine more tax appeals sitting finished on my desk right now. It’s just past midnight and I’m so glad to be wrapping up for the day. But before I call it quits I wanted to take a minute to share some stats with you from these appeals.

  • Assessed value of 9 appeals: $2,855,247
  • Market value of 9 appeals: $2,197,000 (23% lower overall)
  • Largest overassessment percentage: 49% (a condo)
  • Largest overassessment amount: $161,288
  • Total potential savings for home owners this year: $8,228

This last bundle of appeals will be turned in today since November 30 is the deadline for disputing 2011 property taxes in many counties surrounding Sacramento (only for “decline in value” situations though – not all tax scenarios such as calamity reassessment). As the authorized agent for each home owner, I’ll be handling discussion with the Assessment Appeals Board in coming months and then the appeals hearing too if necessary. All things considered, the home owners are very happy and I even received some really encouraging feedback today that I wanted to share with everyone (the owner said it was okay to post). This made my day. Pretty cool, huh?

“Your report goes far beyond anything I could have imagined. As a former VP of Real Estate at a major East Coast bank, I’m very impressed. Add-in your quick turn-around time and initial e-mail response and I couldn’t be more pleased. Thank-you so much.”

What do you think about the stats?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Property Taxes Tagged With: appraised value vs assessed value, appraisers in Sacramento, deadline to appeal property taxes, Lundquist Appraisal Company, property tax consultant, Property tax service in Sacramento County, Real Estate Appraiser in Sacramento, real life examples of tax appeals, Sacramento County Property Taxes, Sacramento Real Estate Appraiser, Sacramento Tax Appeals, success stories

Property tax appeal tips & deadlines

August 12, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist Leave a Comment

I wanted to give you some tips and important dates for appealing your property taxes if you are considering doing that in a county surrounding Sacramento.

  1. Value Date for 2011:  Your property tax assessment for 2011 should be based on January 1, 2011.
  2. The Assessor’s Word:  Check to see what the Assessor says your property is worth for 2011. It only makes sense to dispute your property taxes if there is a savings to be had (see links below). Every $10,000 of over-assessment equals about $125 out of your pocket.
  3. Deadlines:  Know the deadlines for your local county. In most counties surrounding Sacramento you can appeal your property taxes between July 2 to November 30, but Placer County has a deadline at September 15, 2011.
  4. Costs:  Many counties have a cost to file a formal appeal anywhere from $30-45, while some counties are still free. We often hear how there is no fee to contest property taxes, but that’s just not the case in many counties.
  5. The Right Application:  Make sure you fill out the “Application for Changed Assessment” form. The Assessor has a “Prop 8 Decline in Value Form” you can try first for free, but this form is NOT an appeal. If you do not file the proper form before the appeals deadline, you have not officially appealed your property taxes (and you cannot fill out the form after November 30). I speak with many home owners every year who failed to file the right form.
  6. Support Your Value:  Provide support for your opinion of value. Don’t lowball the Assessor or simply throw out a preferrable number for your property taxes. Show evidence for what your property was worth on January 1 of the given year. Do not use current comps, but rather sales from January 1 to March 31 if possible. If you need help doing this, please contact me since I run a property tax appeal company and I can give solid support for your property’s value at a very reasonable cost (usually around $100). I find most cases do not warrant a full appraisal, but rather a mini-report.

Check your assessed value for 2011 by clicking on the following links. You may need to enter your APN (assessor parcel number), and you should be able to quickly retrieve that on the Assessor’s website. If not, call me and I’ll get it for you.

  • Sacramento County Assessor’s Website
  • Placer County Assessor’s Website
  • Yolo County Assessor’s Website
  • El Dorado County Assessor’s Website
  • San Joaquin County Assessor’s Website
  • Solano County Assessor’s Website

I hope this was helpful to begin to lay a general framework for important property tax details. If you have any questions about the tax appeal process or would like my tax appeal company to look up your property for free, please click here.

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook or subscribe to posts by email.

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Property Taxes, Resources Tagged With: Application for Changed Assessment, appraisal company property taxes, dispute property taxes in Sacramento County, El Dorado County Property Taxes, how to lower property taxes, how to reduce property taxes, Lundquist Appraisal Company, Placer County Property Taxes, Prop 8, property tax consultant company, property taxes in Sacramento County, Sacramento Tax Appeals, San Joaquin County Property Taxes, Solano County Property Taxes, tax grievance, tips for appealing property taxes, Yolo County Property Taxes

Some things to keep in mind about property taxes in the Sacramento area

May 9, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist Leave a Comment

I call this time of year “property tax season” because conversations with home owners start to really heat up now that April 15th has passed and most local Assessors will soon publish their 2011 property tax figures. Ever year around this time I get a great deal of calls about reducing property taxes in the Sacramento area. Let me share with you three of the tax situations I encountered last week:

Owner of vacant parcel: I just spoke with an owner of a vacant parcel in Sacramento, and his land is easily overassessed by $250,000. Vacant land is often assessed high for investors who purchased in recent years since land values have plummeted since the cost to build often currently exceeds resale value. 

Paying twice as much: In the past two days I spoke with a home owner who is paying more than twice as much in property taxes as he should be. His house is worth less than $200,000, but it is assessed at $400,000. Keep in mind that every $10,000 in assessment equals about $125, so this owner is essentially overpaying by $2,500 per year.

My own property taxes: The Assessor agreed to reduce the assessment on my own property by $27,000 for my 2010 property taxes. They ended up agreeing with my appeal last year, so on Friday I faxed back a “tax withdrawal” form to say I’ll accept the new value. This is not a huge savings, but I don’t mind getting a refund of $330 or so. I’ve been successful at appealing my own taxes for three consecutive years.

How do you know if you should appeal your property taxes? First of all, please do not pay anyone to appeal your property taxes until you know how much your property is assessed for 2011 and also if it really makes sense for your wallet. As an FYI, 2011 assessments will be announced anytime between May through July for most counties surrounding Sacramento. I made the video below last year and I think it may help provide a good context for understanding whether you should appeal or not. You may also wish to read some FAQs on my property tax appeal website. Note my fee is now $99 instead of $89 for a typical house – not vacant land or anything complex. There are so many companies ripping people off too, so I also included a second video, “Two reasons to be careful of those ‘lower your property taxes’ mailers“, to help illustrate what types of companies to avoid. I know a video like this sounds like I’m saying “work with me – not them”, but it’s really not self-serving at all. This is about helping locals understand the tax appeal process so property owners are equipped to make a well-informed decision.   

 

Email Sign-Up: I am glad to keep you in the loop about important property tax appeal deadlines and general information for counties in the Greater Sacramento Region. There is no obligation to do business with me and I’ll only email you once per quarter. Click here to get email reminders about important property tax information and deadlines (only 4 emails per year). Call or email me if you have any questions.

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our appraiser website or via Facebook.

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Property Taxes, Resources Tagged With: appraisal service in Sacramento, decline of property value over time, how to lower your property taxes, Placer County Property Taxes, property tax consultant, Property Taxes, reduce property taxes in Sacramento County, SacraemntoTaxAppeals, Sacramento County Assessor, Sacramento Tax Appeals, San Joaquin County Property Taxes, vacant land property tax appeals in Sacramento County, when to appeal your property taxes in Sacramento County, Yolo County Property Taxes

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Connect with Ryan

 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram

Subscribe to Weekly Post

* indicates required

Search this site

Blog Categories

  • Appraisal Stuff (407)
  • Bankruptcy (3)
  • Divorce (4)
  • Estate Settlement (6)
  • FHA Appraisal Articles (56)
  • Internet (53)
  • Market Trends (482)
  • Photos from the Field (126)
  • Property Taxes (70)
  • Random Stuff (231)
  • Resources (566)
  • Videos (161)

Blog Archives: 2009 – 2021

Lundquist Appraisal Links

  • Appraisal Order Form
  • Appraisal Website
  • Rancho Cordova Appraiser Website
  • Sacramento Appraisal Blog Sitemap
  • Sacramento Real Estate Appraiser Facebook Page
  • Twitter: Sacramento Appraiser (@SacAppraiser)
  • YouTube: Sacramento Appraiser Channel

Most Recent Posts

  • How much have prices risen since 2012?
  • How long can this market keep going?
  • What is your housing persona?
  • Rapid price growth & the Gilmore Girls next door
  • Are first-time buyers targeting 2-4 unit properties?
  • Stale real estate headlines & buyers flocking to El Dorado County
  • My new sewer line adds huge value, right?
  • The housing market nobody predicted
  • Real estate trends to watch in 2021
  • You carried me & a spreadsheet for Christmas

Disclaimer

First off, thank you for being here. Now let's get into the fine print. The material and information contained on this website is the copyrighted property of Ryan Lundquist and Lundquist Appraisal Company. Content on this website may not be reproduced or republished without prior written permission from Ryan Lundquist.

Please see my Sharing Policy on the navigation bar if you are interested in sharing portions of any content on this blog.

The information on this website is meant entirely for educational purposes and is not intended in any way to support an opinion of value for your appraisal needs or any sort of value conclusion for a loan, litigation, tax appeal or any other potential real estate or non-real estate purpose. The material found on this website is meant for casual reading only and is not intended for use in a court of law or any other legal use. Ryan will not appear in court in any capacity based on any information posted here. For more detailed market analysis to be used for an appraisal report or any appraisal-related purpose or valuation consulting, please contact Ryan at 916-595-3735 for more information.

There are no affiliate links on this blog, but there are three advertisements. Please do your homework before doing business with any advertisers as advertisements are not affiliated with this blog in any way. Two ads are located on the sidebar and one is at the bottom of each post. The ads earn a minor amount of revenue and are a simple reward for providing consistent original content to readers. If you think the ads interfere with your blog experience or the integrity of the blog somehow, let me know. I'm always open to feedback. Thank you again for being here.

Copyright © 2021 Sacramento Appraisal Blog