“can you share any details? did you do it all through your county office? in person, relentless phone calls, etc? perhaps get a lawyer involved?
also are they making the correction retroactive to your purchase date and will you get a credit?”
Thanks genemachine and others.
I talked directly to the appraiser who handled my house. Fortunately I did not need a lawyer or even a threat of one. I put together a detailed packet of comparable sales and photos detailing the condition of the property when we bought it. Fortunately for us, we bought at the end of the year and prices were soft especially on stuff that closed in December. I made our case via e-mail. It took a few months but eventually the appraiser ended up agreeing with us and made the correction. Yes, the correction is retroactive and we will get an additional refund.
All I can say to others that are in this boat is do some research and look hard at the comps. If you can make a strong argument supporting your purchase price as the value the county will listen and may give in. As someone else mentioned, I think the county has a strong incentive to reduce the number of formal appeals.