I appealed my assessment on two properties. On one they reduced it, saving me thousands. On the other, they haven’t responded in 1 1/2 years–they have two years under their rules to agree to my number or prove otherwise. I expect they will accept my number as they are overwhelmed with appeals and cannot possibly spend the time necessary to hold hearings & prove the appeals wrong.
It took hours to come up with valid comps and support my case. This is a daunting task for the amateur, and these companies perform a legitimate role by doing the paperwork for them. They should be getting economies of scale in doing so. Don’t know how good their work is, and this is not an endorsement. But they may well be serving a valid purpose by expediting appeals en masse for a lot of taxpayers who are otherwise going to overpay their property taxes and are too busy or too uninformed to do the job on their own.
The simple fact is that our local governments enjoyed gushing revenues when property values were soaring. They ramped up their expenditures, programs, and pensions, and now don’t feel inclined to make the serious cuts everybody in the private sector is making. They are now hoping people don’t get wise and appeal their overassessed properties. So on balance, these outfits fill a gap and may help to right a wrong.
