Author	Message
Guest	Posted: Tue, Jan 5 2010, 5:00 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer i got it too. how is him? unable to find his online profile. Guest wrote: 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?
Guest	Posted: Sat, Jan 2 2010, 8:44 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer You also didn't list the building values - that might be where the difference is, so the total is less for a less desirable spot.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Jan 2 2010, 3:45 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 1 Shady Brook is almost 40% more land than 20 but has almost the same asessed value. I understand you're point about a better location but you are understating the difference in size.
Guest	Posted: Sat, Jan 2 2010, 12:08 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Here is an example regarding land assessed value in Shady Brook Ln (it's a small neighborhood and easier to see the difference). (I obtained the data from http://pshark.com/) 1. 1 Shady Brook Ln (corner lot; the first home into the area): Lot size: 1.3883 acres, assessed land value: $397,600 2. 10 Shady Brook Ln (further down the neighborhood): Lot size: 1.013 acres, assessed land value: $397,500 3. 20 Shady Brook Ln (even further down the neighborhood): Lot size: 0.9183 acres, assessed land value: $393,600 The home at 20 Shady Brook Ln has a better location. The assessed land value difference does not make much impact in the property tax (a few dollars difference). A smaller lot at a better location is more desirable (when it comes to selling the home) than a bigger lot at a not so desirable location.
Guest	Posted: Fri, Jan 1 2010, 3:51 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer If the land value is the same regardless of location, then the value based on good/bad location is taken off the value of the house or building. The property values for houses that back up to Rt 130 in Cranbury Greene are less than same type houses/lot sizes of interior locations.
Guest	Posted: Fri, Jan 1 2010, 2:56 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Guest wrote: 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). So all land in Cranbury Township as a whole is worth exactly the same psf according to the tax assesser, or at least all land with the same zoning (i.e. one value for farming, one for residential, one for commerical, etc.)?
Guest	Posted: Fri, Jan 1 2010, 11:28 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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).
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 5:22 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Steve Benner- 395-0900 ext 235
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 3:12 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Steve is the tax guy.
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 1:23 pm EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer Who is Steve?
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:50 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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.
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:44 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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......
my story	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:20 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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.
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 11:10 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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.
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 10:58 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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.
Guest	Posted: Wed, Dec 30 2009, 10:15 am EST    Post subject: Re: Tax Appeal Offer 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.