Deadline Looming to Appeal Your Assessment

By now all Orange property owners have in their possession a letter from the town outlining what their 2012 Vision Appraisal property valuation is and how that compares to the last one.

If you took one look at that number and nearly passed out in disbelief, you have a means to contest it, but the deadline to do so is rapidly approaching.

The deadline to submit an application to contest your property revaluation before the Orange Board of Assessment Appeals is Wednesday, March 20. The application is available at the Assessor's Office in Town Hall, and we've made it available for you to download online [Do that by clicking here].

Town Assessor March Branchesi reminds residents who intend to appeal their assessment of one important fact:

• The board will want evidence to support your claim; it's not enough to simply say it's way too high.

As an example, one resident who is appealing her assessment has in her possession a private property appraisal that was recently prepared as part of a refinancing application. That appraisal was about $50,000 less than the number Vision came up with, she said. [Read more about her story by clicking here].

The Board of Assessment Appeals hearings will begin on April 9.

Want to know more about the property revaluation process?

Here's an article we posted on Feb. 28 that explains in detail what residents need to know:

• Update on Orange Property Revaluation