Property Taxes - Are You Paying Too Much?
Did you purchase your home between late 2003 and mid 2007? If so, you may be paying too much in property taxes! Homeowners whose home values have gone down signifcantly may benefit from Prop.8 ( not the Prop. 8 of 2008) which is an assessment appeal allowing a review of your home's value as a result of a value decline. The county tax assessor re-values the homeowner's property to the current market value thereby adjusting the property taxes until home values increase.
The deadline to file an appeal is November 30, 2008, so don't delay! Call the clerk of the Board of Supervisors at 909-387-3841 and ask for an Application for Changed Assessment form. Better yet, download a from from http://sbcounty.gov/assessmentappeals/. You must fill in your assessor's parcel number, assessor's value from your tax bill and your opinion of your home's current market value. This is best obtained by a Realtor. Be sure to pay your taxes until your appeal has been reviewed which may take some time. If your appeal is approved, you will receive a refund. An appeal can be applied for every year as long as values continue to decline.