Property Appraisals and Appeals

Housing continues to be a soft spot in the economy, and it is difficult to foresee sustained growth until the housing sector recovers. This is particularly true in District 82, where DeKalb County appraisers dramatically lowered the appraisals of many homes. As a result, some homeowners may now have negative equity in their homes and owe more than their home’s appraised value.
 
DeKalb County’s actions in lowering their assessment of property values was a surprise to many, including me. For the past few years, DeKalb County has received criticism for being slow to acknowledge that property values had fallen due to the financial crisis. As a result, numerous taxpayers filed appeals with the county to get their homes re-appraised at lower rates that better represented the actual market values.
           
Unfortunately, it appears that DeKalb County has now swung the pendulum too far in the other direction and has reduced property values by too much. This is a very serious issue for any homeowner affected by this change. 

If you believe your property value has been lowered too much (or still remains too high) and does not represent the market value, you should file an appeal. Details about filing an appeal can be found at these links: 

• http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/PropertyAppraisal/events.html.  (Click on “expand all” to see the answers to all of the questions)  
• http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/PropertyAppraisal/appeal.html
• http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/PropertyAppraisal/pdf/AppealProcessSummary.pdf

You can also call the county at (404) 371-0841.

I would also recommend the following tips:

• Make sure you submit your appeal on time. 
  • You must submit your appeal within 45 days of receiving your assessment.  Your letter of appeal must be hand-delivered or POSTMARKED BY THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE by the Appeal Deadline (the date is on the Notice) to insure acceptance as a timely appeal. 
  • Late appeals will not be processed and DeKalb County does not accept email or faxed appeals.
• Keep a copy of your appeal, any supporting documents that you submit, and any correspondence with the county. 
  • With respect to supporting documents, you may wish to enclose information about your home’s value or comparable home values from an online site such as http://www.zillow.com/ or http://www.eppraisal.com/.  In addition, you can look up your property as well as other properties at this link on DeKalb’s website: http://web.co.dekalb.ga.us/TaxCommissioner/search.asp. 
  • The more supporting data you can provide to support your claim about your home’s value, the better your chances on appeal.  In addition, if the county does not grant your appeal, you will want to have supporting data for your appeal if it goes before the Board of Equalization, a hearing officer, an arbitration panel, or the Superior Court.
  • Finally, you should also read Cheryl Miller's post for other helpful tips at .