High Essex County Property Taxes? File an Appeal? What's to Lose?

In a market where prices have come down, home owners have a lot to gain by appealing their property assessments - especially for owners who may be looking to sell in the next year or two, higher taxes can really deter potential home buyers.  If you are planning on selling your home soon, now is the time to organize an appeal of your assessment - the timeframe is January 1st-April 1^st, 2011 to file the appeal - don't miss it!

The best avenue of appeal is hiring a tax appeal attorney, and barring that, hiring a professional appraiser who can testify at your appeals hearing.  Those solutions are all quite pricey, costing at a minimum, $1000.  If you are an intrepid home owner and would like to give it a shot on your own, please note the instructions forwarded to me.

TAX APPEAL INSTRUCTIONS
The form (A-1Petition of Appeal) for an appeal to the County Board of Taxation may be downloaded from the NJACTB site. The link is: http://www.njactb.org/
At the Home/Welcome page, select "Forms" from the list near the top. At the "page not found" page that follows, type "A-1 Petition of Appeal" in the search window at the top right and click on Submit. THE FORM MUST BE PRINTED ON LEGAL SIZED PAPER.
Information needed to fill out the form may be obtained by selecting "Record Search" at the NJACTB Home/Welcome page. Form may be filled out by hand.

1. Select County
2. Select Municipality
3. Type Street address in the "Location" section, i.e. 123 Chestnut

General Information:
Property Class is "2" for 1-4 family residences.
Cite your name & contact information.
Cite attorney name and contact information as "person or attorney to be notified".
Requested Assessment can be any amount, or can be noted "appraisal to be provided", leaving the requested assessment blank.
Reason for Appeal should be "Assessment exceeds market value".
Note "Appraisal to be provided" in the COMPARABLE SALES section.
You will need 3 copies of the completed appeal form
Date and sign as petitioner.
Deliver a copy to the Municipal Tax Assessor office, noting date and name of town as indicated. Date and sign.
Deliver a copy to the Municipal Clerk's office, noting date and name of town as indicated. Date and sign.
Mail (return receipt recommended) a copy with a check in the appropriate amount (see instructions on page 2 downloaded with form) to:
Essex County Board of Taxation
50 S. Clinton Street
East Orange, NJ 07018
The forms must be filed no later than April 1, 2011.  After the filing deadline the County Board will establish hearing dates. Hearings will not begin until May and may continue into August, depending upon the number of appeals received. You and your lawyer will be notified of the hearing date 10-12 days in advance. Hearings are usually scheduled in order of Block #. The appraisal is filed with the town and county 7 days before the hearing.