Tax Appeal Offer
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Guest
PostPosted: Tue, Dec 29 2009, 6:33 pm EST    Post subject: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
I got a letter today from Thomas L. Murphy, Attorney in Princeton, saying that "it appears that you may be overpaying your property taxes... I believe there is a good chance we can reduce your tax liability".

Did anyone else get this?
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Guest
PostPosted: Tue, Dec 29 2009, 6:49 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
I did not receive it.
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Guest2
Guest
PostPosted: Tue, Dec 29 2009, 7:03 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
We got it also.
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Guest
PostPosted: Tue, Dec 29 2009, 7:20 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
The firm can't do anything that you can't do yourself. All you need to do is call the twp office and request a review.
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Guest
PostPosted: Tue, Dec 29 2009, 8:12 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Another fine upstanding attorney. What would we do without them?
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 9:09 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
If you've ever received a traffic ticket or been in an accident, there will be letters from lawyers coming right to your house also telling you they can fight it and win.

I think these ambulance chasing lawyers are the worst.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 10:15 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
It's quite easy to get a traffic ticket in NJ, if you drive often and are in a hurry. The best way to avoid getting tickets here is to get a good radar detector (the best is the Valentine One Radar Locator). Fines are cheap comparing to points and insurance hikes. Traffic lawyers can help if you have too many points, or just play the "bargaining with the prosecutor" game to trade more fine for a no-point ticket.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 10:58 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Guest wrote:
The firm can't do anything that you can't do yourself. All you need to do is call the twp office and request a review.


But the review is useless unless there are at least two recent comps in your neighborhood, which is fine for larger areas but a showstopper for some of us. And they have a maximum quota each year of how many can be considered.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:10 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
The firm can't do anything that you can't do yourself. All you need to do is call the twp office and request a review.


But the review is useless unless there are at least two recent comps in your neighborhood, which is fine for larger areas but a showstopper for some of us. And they have a maximum quota each year of how many can be considered.


There is a maximum the town can do on it's own through a town initiated process. There is no maximum for individual requests. If the whole town as individuals appealed it would be allowable. I had Steve come out last year. There were no sales comps, he walked through, made notes and then sent me a letter reducing the home value by 15k. Sales comps make it easier, but re not mandated. Steve is very nice and will explain everything to you.
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my story
Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:20 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
I discovered an "anomaly" in my assessed *land* value for my property. My home has the "smallest" lot comparing to the neighboring homes, and yet the assessed *land* value is the highest.

I wrote a letter to the township and promptly got a call from the tax collector. He told me my lot size is actually bigger than the "two-number (L x W) size indication", because the shape of my lot is irregular (not rectangular). He looked up his data and told me he would change my lot size to the actual number indicated by a x.xxx number. So my lot size in calculating the property tax increased from 0.6 acres to 0.9.

In this exercise, he discovered a calculation error in arriving at my property tax. But the reduction of tax as a result is smaller than the fees paid to file a reassessment. So, I did not file a reassessment. The next year, my land size and the property tax are adjusted accordingly.

This is an easy case because the data is so obvious.

BTW, I noticed that the property tax can be reduced if a home is sold for much less than the assessed value.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:44 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
The firm can't do anything that you can't do yourself. All you need to do is call the twp office and request a review.


But the review is useless unless there are at least two recent comps in your neighborhood, which is fine for larger areas but a showstopper for some of us. And they have a maximum quota each year of how many can be considered.


There is a maximum the town can do on it's own through a town initiated process. There is no maximum for individual requests. If the whole town as individuals appealed it would be allowable. I had Steve come out last year. There were no sales comps, he walked through, made notes and then sent me a letter reducing the home value by 15k. Sales comps make it easier, but re not mandated. Steve is very nice and will explain everything to you.


There is a maximum the town can do on it's (incorrect usage - should be "its" - no apostrophe) own through a town initiated process......
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:50 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
Guest wrote:
The firm can't do anything that you can't do yourself. All you need to do is call the twp office and request a review.


But the review is useless unless there are at least two recent comps in your neighborhood, which is fine for larger areas but a showstopper for some of us. And they have a maximum quota each year of how many can be considered.


There is a maximum the town can do on it's own through a town initiated process. There is no maximum for individual requests. If the whole town as individuals appealed it would be allowable. I had Steve come out last year. There were no sales comps, he walked through, made notes and then sent me a letter reducing the home value by 15k. Sales comps make it easier, but re not mandated. Steve is very nice and will explain everything to you.


There is a maximum the town can do on it's (incorrect usage - should be "its" - no apostrophe) own through a town initiated process......


Thanks for the correction, it was a quick typo. It doesn't change the intent of the message though.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 1:23 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Who is Steve?
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 3:12 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Steve is the tax guy.
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Guest
PostPosted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 5:22 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
Steve Benner- 395-0900 ext 235
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Guest
PostPosted: Fri, Jan 1 2010, 11:28 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Reply with quote
About assessed land value, it seems the assessed value is based on the size of a lot, disregarding the location of a lot. A lot in a good location (e.g., in a cul-de-sac) has similar assessed value vs. a similar lot in a not so good location (e.g., near a busy road).
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