Hello All:
Don't forget to apply for your real estate abatement's before the end of the month! January is usually the month that cities and towns allow owner's of real estate to apply for a reduction/abatement of their real estate property taxes. On real estate have owned or presently own I apply every year. The procedure is simple, go or call your local tax assessors office and request an Abatement form, fill it out in detail and send it in. In about 30 - 60 days you will receive an answer on how much you were given off your tax bill.
The key to getting your request for abatement accepted is how good your reason for abatement is; you just can't say I want a reduction because...
Rather, you have to make an argument for them in order for acceptance, such as :
-> The value of your property has dropped dramatically
-> You purchased the property for less then assessed value
-> The property is not worth what the town or city has assessed
-> The property hasn't been physically assessed for greater then 3 years
-> Use category has changed or is no longer valid
and so on, you get my point.
You may also want to note that you recognize that the assessment is based on the previous year (they always are 1 year behind ), but your argument still holds true.
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Until next time -be well.
James Gage
