How to Avoid Property Tax Shock
Your lender should warn you that the amount you have in escrow for property taxes will go up when you receive your first assessment as the new owner within the following year. You’re paying the previous homeowner’s assessed rate, prorated to when you purchased the home to the end of the year.
Chances are you paid much more than the previous owner for the home, so your assessment will be higher, based on current market value at that time—which you helped establish with the price you paid for the home.
Your annual assessments should reflect market value at the time, but if you think it’s too high, you can protest your home’s valuation:
1. Check your assessment for incorrect data and exemptions you may qualify for, such as those regarding homesteads, seniors, veterans, workforce personnel, and disabilities.
2. Ask your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network professional for a comparative market analysis.
3. File an appeal using your evidence.
To avoid getting property tax shock in the future, be proactive. Increase your housing budget for next year.
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