That's better than just making things up like they did around here when you tell them no, you can't come look around.
Property Tax Increase
- Thread starter spierceisu
- Start date
That's better than just making things up like they did around here when you tell them no, you can't come look around.
My value has increased around 40k in the last couple years. The thing is, I’m still the house that everyone else is comparing to in our neighborhood. The previous owners fought every increase and won for like the 15 years they owned it.
It was assessed for like 65k less than purchase and I could have turned it around for another 20k after a couple years when comparing it to other sales in our neighborhood.
Last edited:
The school board members seem to agree to those things also and they are supposed to have final say.
Not sure what others have for their cities and schools, but the small towns I've lived in the people on the school board and city councils and the ones that you would not want running your business ( and they don't run any business). Basic math seems hard for them.
For future reference, can you tell them no? Ive never has a run in with them before.
Absolutely. They have no further rights to the inside of your home than anyone else.
I fought the tax assessment on the first house I ever bought. I felt is was just shy of 20% too high on the assessment. I had the comparisons and everything, but my main point was; I bought this one month before the assessment for X, others could have bought it also but didn't. So fair market value in my mind is X, because that is the sale price between two people who don't know each other, not X plus 20%. I did finally get it to the sale price.
I didn’t have an issue buying a house that way. I just got a letter in the mail about a year later saying we added the square footage to your assessment. Granted it was only around 250 sq feet.
We got a notice that Grimes was decreasing the property tax rate which is funny because we were not one of the communities that passed the 1% sales tax increase that just last year when it was on the ballot we were told needed to be passed in order to avoid a property tax increase.
That being said there is a difference between property tax increase and property assessment increase. Your assessed value will result in having to pay more taxes if it increases but it's not essentially an increase in property taxes if they rate stays the same. I fully expect that my assessment will go up again this year. It went up 15,000 2 years ago and combine that with the growth in Grimes and the lower property tax rate they recently announced I would not be shocked it see the assessed value go up 10-20k again.
You can always file an appeal if you think the value is way off. I did that successfully once a long time ago when I bought my first house and my assessment went up $8000 over what I had just paid for it less than a year ago. They wound up adjusting it to about $1000 over what I paid for it, I still wasn't too happy about it because there were houses on the street that had sold within the same time frame that were still assessed lower than what they sold for and a house right across the street from me that had nearly the same lot size and identical house as mine was assessed at over 17,000 less than mine. The appeal form you are allowed to put down properties of comparable values in your neighborhood as reference and you have the option to appear in person before the board to make your case too which I'd recommend if you really feel the value is way off as face to face discussion is going to work more in your favor than them browsing through the paperwork filed on hundreds if not thousands of appeals they get.
That being said there is a difference between property tax increase and property assessment increase. Your assessed value will result in having to pay more taxes if it increases but it's not essentially an increase in property taxes if they rate stays the same. I fully expect that my assessment will go up again this year. It went up 15,000 2 years ago and combine that with the growth in Grimes and the lower property tax rate they recently announced I would not be shocked it see the assessed value go up 10-20k again.
You can always file an appeal if you think the value is way off. I did that successfully once a long time ago when I bought my first house and my assessment went up $8000 over what I had just paid for it less than a year ago. They wound up adjusting it to about $1000 over what I paid for it, I still wasn't too happy about it because there were houses on the street that had sold within the same time frame that were still assessed lower than what they sold for and a house right across the street from me that had nearly the same lot size and identical house as mine was assessed at over 17,000 less than mine. The appeal form you are allowed to put down properties of comparable values in your neighborhood as reference and you have the option to appear in person before the board to make your case too which I'd recommend if you really feel the value is way off as face to face discussion is going to work more in your favor than them browsing through the paperwork filed on hundreds if not thousands of appeals they get.
Naw, when you go to sell, notify them that you had it finished and they can come measure it off. It will pop up a year and half down the road for an improvement.
Nope, but the assessors will take notice when the house sells and they will go look on the MLS or other sites looking for things like new basement finish.
Hopefully you fellow Waukee'ers have gone out and voted against the multiple initiatives to raise property taxes these past couple of years. Otherwise, you now have no basis to complain. Increases to assessed values will ALWAYS happen, so as a citizen you must work to keep the overall tax rate as low as possible.
Increases recently approved by voters: Dallas county law enforcement center in Adel (4 attempts before it passed), fire station on 156th and Meredith (think this one was 2 attempts). Plus the recent sales tax increase.
Increases recently approved by voters: Dallas county law enforcement center in Adel (4 attempts before it passed), fire station on 156th and Meredith (think this one was 2 attempts). Plus the recent sales tax increase.
D
Deleted member 8507
Guest
Be thankful you live in a low tax rate area like Waukee?
https://taxpayersci.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Budget-Comparisons-with-Narrative_Final-c.pdf
https://taxpayersci.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Budget-Comparisons-with-Narrative_Final-c.pdf
I honestly don't mind paying a a little more for taxes as long as its going back to the right places. I'll pay for nice roads, good schools and quality sports facilities for my kids.
One place where we own farmground voted for a new jail. No biggie, it was needed. They started developing and surprise surprise things started coming in cheaper and the interest rates started dropping. Well, instead of saving everyone more money and having a lower cost, they just added on and made it bigger so they could house more if needed. They are still far from being full so they just spent money since they could.
Some if it does, yes, but not all. Ex wife still works for a city government. Couple years back city voters passed local options sales tax. City stated it would be used for road improvements, more parks, etc. While some of the money went toward those items (city posted signs saying "Paid for from the local options sales tax"), but lots went to hiring new employees and pay raises. Those pay raises were a minimum of 5% every year (in the department she worked in at least).
Yup 3 years in a row. I refinanced my property when I was still living there, now its a rental. I went from saving $140/mo to saving about $40/mo now on that payment because the dang taxes keep on going up with no end in sight. Its just gotten to be a ridiculous scam.
The property taxes increases are really tough on retired people and those on fixed incomes. They may have paid off the houses decades ago but lose it just due to the taxes.
OP lives in Waukee. Waukee is Dallas county and I'm assuming you're referencing the recent vote to increase the sales tax in Polk county.
To OP: I live in Dallas county as well and I recall hearing about projected tax increases maybe 1-2 years ago? I was hit pretty hard with a large jump in my assessed value (I just assumed it was because I broke up with a girl who worked for the assessorTo be fair though, the assessment hadn't changed in years. It was assessed really near the market lows so I thought it was fair. I think I just got something in the mail from Dallas county so we'll see if my value has changed much.
Dallas County had a similar vote last year that passed. Lower property tax rates but higher sales tax. Several were not happy (me being one of them) about a sales tax increase after Apple had just received massive tax breaks to put their data center in/near Waukee.
