Your Property Tax Statement will be arriving in your mailbox shortly. Since property values have decreased, sometimes substantially, it’s not unreasonable to expect that property assessments would go down as well.
Alas, that is not the case. In the state of Oregon, no matter what happens to home values, property assessments increase at least three percent each year. And if your community voted to approve levies and bonds, your tax statement would increase to reflect these.
While you do have to pay your property taxes, if you disagree with the value your local assessor has placed on your house, you are entitled to an appeal. For information about the appeal process, go to http://egov.oregon.gov/DOR/PTD/property.shtml.
To receive a reduction in your value, you must convince your county board of property tax appeals that the value of your property is too high. You must support your belief with information such as a recent property appraisal or comparable sales data.
For Jackson County residents, I am happy to provide the sales data. And when the Appeal Form becomes available, I will provide you with a copy. For this or any other real estate questions you may have, please contact me at judymiller@johnlscott.com.
