If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Our tax grievance w/ Mark Lewis was turned down. Is it worth trying another company? Any other recommendations?

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

We just got turned down...they pretty much said that we are way underassessed...I am not bothering afterall, these people only make money, if they can get your taxes lower. why would they turn us away, if they couldn't get money from us?

Message edited 5/3/2010 9:12:51 AM.

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

from what i gather they will only take you on if your house is worth a considerable amount less then what your taxes are stating. We know the village is current assessing our house at 345K but we purchased the house for 225K, and the appraisal came in at 310K. So if they base it on your appraised amount that is 35K difference for us and they are taking on our case.

So i am thinking that its needs to be a few thousand at least difference in dollar amount in order to fight it. You can call the town/village and find out your tax assessment and compare it to your appraisal/sale.

Message edited 5/3/2010 9:31:13 AM.

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Unfortunately you dont grieve your taxes, you grieve the assessed value of your home which in turn determines your taxes.

Nassau reassessed all the homes making it impossible for people to grieve their taxes. I am guessing Suffolk is following suit. I am paying the same taxes for a house Nassau has assessed for almost 200K less than they did 3 years ago

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Posted by jellybean1420

Unfortunately you dont grieve your taxes, you grieve the assessed value of your home which in turn determines your taxes.

Nassau reassessed all the homes making it impossible for people to grieve their taxes. I am guessing Suffolk is following suit. I am paying the same taxes for a house Nassau has assessed for almost 200K less than they did 3 years ago

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Posted by MrsFlatbread

Posted by jellybean1420

Unfortunately you dont grieve your taxes, you grieve the assessed value of your home which in turn determines your taxes.

Nassau reassessed all the homes making it impossible for people to grieve their taxes. I am guessing Suffolk is following suit. I am paying the same taxes for a house Nassau has assessed for almost 200K less than they did 3 years ago

but then this should be good for resale right...given I thought my house declined since we purchased it?

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

This whole thing really irks and confuses me. We bought our home 2 years ago. Just before we closed, the deadline for greavance was coming up so we applied. We got turned down and we were provided with the assessment value (more than what our purchase appraisal came back at by about $30K). 2 years later, I go to file greavance again because I figured home values have gone down so the difference would be bigger and maybe they would take our case. NOPE. Mark Lewis tells me my house is assessed at $50K LOWER than what they told me in 2008. And my taxes are higher!

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Smithtown did something to the assessment rates.

Check out your assessed value from this year to last year. If you are in the town of Smithtown the assessed value more than likey went down.

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

Posted by MrsFlatbread

Posted by jellybean1420

Unfortunately you dont grieve your taxes, you grieve the assessed value of your home which in turn determines your taxes.

Nassau reassessed all the homes making it impossible for people to grieve their taxes. I am guessing Suffolk is following suit. I am paying the same taxes for a house Nassau has assessed for almost 200K less than they did 3 years ago

but then this should be good for resale right...given I thought my house declined since we purchased it?

Re: If a grievance got turned down through Mark Lewis, are there any other options?

The RARs (residential assessment ratios) change each year. The RAR is set by State using a very complicated formula.

Assessment divided by ratio equals the fair market value the Town uses. Depending on what that calculation works out to, you may very well be underassessed. DH and I paid $455 for our home in October. Using last year's ratio, it equailzed out to $390,000 - this year it's down to $330,000. That's what the TOWN thinks it's worth - not what you could get if you sold it. Obviously, the true market value of our home is $455 (since we have sale within the past year). If the assessment equalized out to anything over $455 I would fight it.

HTH you understand it a bit more....