Home assessment ?

[dbodkin]

A little background.
I moved to Elberton 18 months ago. Bought a fixer upper, fixed it. Now I get the 2018 assement in todays mail. The reassement went up by nearly 45% and I have applied for the homstead and senior citizen exemptions. Elbert county wants 4 times what I paid for taxes on a much larger house. Unlike Forsyth County, Elbert gives very little relief for seniors. Forsyth Senior exemption greatly reduced my school taxes but Elbert gives pennies :-( Even though I've never had or will have kids in public school

I'm really questioning my move out here to HooterVille. :-( To give some close numbers Forsyth county 2016 $300 Elbert County 2017 $900. Elbert County 2018 $1300.

Besides the "appeal" process what can I do?

 

[Miguel Cervantes]

Move to Walton County. It will make you appreciate your taxes in Elbert.

 

[rayjay]

Look at the values of surrounding properties. Maybe you have some grounds for appeal. But, you no longer live in a fixer upper. You now live in a nice house that is worth more. How much more do you think your house is worth now than before ? I'm not defending Elberton, just pointing out some facts. BTW, I have successfully appealed my property values several times in Gwinnett. Even went through the Board of Equalization process twice [ 2 different properties ]. If you have crappy rental properties adjoining or close by you have good grounds for lowering your property assessment. Of course, that's only because the crappy properties actually do have a detrimental affect on your ability to sell your property

 

[rayjay]

Your county's GIS system has lots of useful info. Every property owner should learn to navigate their county's GIS system.

 

[GoldDot40]

That's crazy. At one time, Elbert county had some the cheapest propery taxes around. Not sure what changed since I used to work up there. Did they build a new school or something recently?

 

[westcobbdog]

See if you could find a local Realtor to research then print some tax records of nearby comparable properties. Study them as these records will tell you all you need to know, literally giving you the ammo you need to present a case that you are indeed over taxed. You will need to find some similar properties to compare to. I help people fight their assessments sometimes with research only but sometimes by attending the hearing set up to dispute the new assessment. So if your new home is a 2 story traditional on slab grade and approx 2,600 sq ft focus on similar properties nearby to use as your comps. Be sure and file the needed form asap with the Elbert County Tax Commissioners office, advising them you are not in agreement and requesting a hearing. But beware, numbers that I know to be a glaring injustice are sometimes ignored by the tax man. Guessing the nice home that was fixed up was all permitted by the increased taxes. Good luck.

 

[dbodkin]

I've no idea what the taxes use to be. I was in a 4 br 3 bath house on a 1.5 acre lot. Prior to me being 65 y.o. my taxes were about $1200 a year. Then when I turned 65 an applied the senior exemption they went down to below $500 year. Elbert has a senior exemption but no where near Forsyths. My home was valued at 4 times this Elberton place but Elbert Co is 3 times the taxes. Its insane. In prespective I had a $300K home and now a $125K (By Elbert Cty) a pay 3 times the taxes of Forsyth Cty.

I'm seriously thinking of moving. The town is nearly a ghost town. If you need anything you go to Anderson, SC or Athens. I thought I was getting into a quite little retirement home.... I did get rid of the rat race in Forsyth but at what price???

For what its worth the much smaller (1400sq ft) I paid $85k and put in $12K still doesnt add up to the assessment of $125k. Also 1/2 the homes in the sub division are double wides. Looking at their taxes at about $200 a year... Geeezzz

 

[dbodkin]

I smell a rat!!!! I went to the Elbert Cty Tax website to snoop around... It is all public knowledge. This subdivision is a real mix. Double wides to very large nice homes. I looked at the biggest dump and the high rent district house here. The assessments for 2018 for the dump went up $15K and the high price spread went up $65K. I'm no real estate saavy guy but isnt there some cap the counties can raise taxes? I think they can't change the millage but hey lets up the assessments by 45%. Gets more cash for the county...
I think a canvas of the neighborhood is in the making....

 

[Dustin Pate]

I smell a rat!!!! I went to the Elbert Cty Tax website to snoop around... It is all public knowledge. This subdivision is a real mix. Double wides to very large nice homes. I looked at the biggest dump and the high rent district house here. The assessments for 2018 for the dump went up $15K and the high price spread went up $65K. I'm no real estate saavy guy but isnt there some cap the counties can raise taxes? I think they can't change the millage but hey lets up the assessments by 45%. Gets more cash for the county...
I think a canvas of the neighborhood is in the making....

First, did you look at sales in the area? Qpublic has a sales search feature that you can use to break it down with similar square footage and land size. Second, what you paid and put into the house isn't the driving force for your assessment. Comps will show what fair market is in your area. On a side note...you could possibly fall under SB346. It says that in the year following your purchase, you get to use the sale price if it is lower than the assessment.

It honestly sounds like the biggest issue is in regards to the local exemptions. That is something that does happen from county to county and something that a lot of people don't take into account.

 

[Miguel Cervantes]

Also check the House Economic Development Committee for Rural areas list of counties and cities that were recently approved to give people a tax break for moving to rural counties to help boost their economies. If the local yocals are gouging the residents, especially new ones, on property taxes they might be operating in direct conflict with State Legislation if that area is on the list.

 

[rayjay]

I could see that if a rural county doesn't have many businesses, malls, etc that they would have to whack the residential properties .

I was roaming around the Gwinnett GIS a few weeks back determining what increases there were in the appraisals of the properties around my commercial property. Mine went up 1/3 and others were 1/2 or more. Pretty dramatic one year increase. I'm ok with mine so not appealing. I'm hoping my tenant will buy me out in about 5 years. Then it's probably adios to Groaning Gwinnett.

 

[notnksnemor]

If you're unhappy with the assessed value, there is one question they will ask if you appeal...
"Will you sell it for the appraised value?"

 

[holton27596]

Be glad your not in camden, new 3100 foot home on 30 acres is 3600 a year in taxes

 

[dbodkin]

If you're unhappy with the assessed value, there is one question they will ask if you appeal...
"Will you sell it for the appraised value?"[/QUOTE

To that question . If the city wants it at that price "Show me the money" The assessment is way over the top of what I could get for this shack....

 

[PappyHoel]

They probably did what Dawson county did. They paid $500k for someone to run addresses through a data base and then sent out tax bills based on comps. Now they have received in upwards of 700 calls and many people are appealing it.

Maybe I missed it but I bet you can appeal it. When I lived in Gwinnett cty I appealed it and they said okey dokey lower bill. They didn’t even argue, it was a matter of just appealing in writing.

 

[Throwback]

Move to Walton County. It will make you appreciate your taxes in Elbert.

My cousin moved to Troup county from Henry. My mom thought taxes were high here, cousin said her taxes were less than half what she was paying in Henry. Mom like to have choked.

 

[Throwback]

If you're unhappy with the assessed value, there is one question they will ask if you appeal...
"Will you sell it for the appraised value?"

"no, im not in the land selling business "

 

[Throwback]

I smell a rat!!!! I went to the Elbert Cty Tax website to snoop around... It is all public knowledge. This subdivision is a real mix. Double wides to very large nice homes. I looked at the biggest dump and the high rent district house here. The assessments for 2018 for the dump went up $15K and the high price spread went up $65K. I'm no real estate saavy guy but isnt there some cap the counties can raise taxes? I think they can't change the millage but hey lets up the assessments by 45%. Gets more cash for the county...
I think a canvas of the neighborhood is in the making....

yeah it pays to check others out. When I bought a new house in a new subdivision back in 98 there were two other homes almost EXACTLY the same as mine, even built by the same builder in the same year. Got my assessment and it was something like $20,000 MORE than I had just paid for it, and I gave more than it was worth (wife )
well i started researching what the other two houses were assessed at just a few months prior and they were 15 and 20 K UNDER what I had just paid for mine.
So I made the trip to the assessors office to file an appeal. Lady there said "well just think of it as a lot of equity youve got in your house"
UM NO LADY THATS NOT HOW THIS WORKS

so we split the difference and my house was assessed to in between the other two houses value. Fine with me since mine had more square footage than either of those since the builder had turned the attic in mine into another bedroom.