CLARK HOWARD: How To Fight Your Property Tax Appraisal

ATLANTA,None — Home values are plunging, but chances are your property tax bill hasn't.

But you can fight back.

If you want to appeal your property tax appraisal, each county has its own rules about how to do it.

Channel 2 Action News consumer advisor Clark Howard says that no matter where you live, don't stop with the letter turning you down.

Clark says there are some general guidelines that can help you in your fight.

Tim Kelly knows how to fight the appraisal on his home.

"I've appealed it several times over the years, but there have been 3 times that I have actually appeared before the board of equalization," Kelly says.

Twice, he compared the value of his house to others. It was a do-it-yourself project. No luck. But one time, he actually won.

Kelley says, "The one time that I won we had just refinanced a mortgage on the house and as a result of that we had an appraisal done."

This year, Tim is fighting again, and he's optimistic he'll win. Here's why:

First, he hired a certified appraiser to appraise his home.

Second, and this is key, he called the county appraisal department and asked, what information are you taking to my appeal hearing?

Tim says minutes after he talked to the appraiser assigned to his case, the appraiser sent him a spread sheet that he plans to use when he meets Tim for the appraisal hearing.

An appraisal can cost between $200 and $400, but certified appraiser John Filson says it's worth it. "Spend a couple hundred dollars, have your home appraised. you might save a couple hundred dollars the first year, multiply that out by 10 years. It's well worth the money," Filson says.

So you have three choices:

1) You hire a professional appraiser who appraises your house. You pay up front and hope you win.

2) You pay little to no money up front, but you hire a professional service to appeal for you. They get a big share of the winnings if your amount of taxes are reduced.

3) Do your own homework. Figure out what homes have sold for recently around you, and present our own case.

WSBTV