5 Signs Your Home Is Over-Assessed (And What to Do About It)
Your property tax bill is based on your home's assessed value — and assessors get it wrong more often than you'd think. Mass appraisal systems value thousands of properties at once using statistical models, and individual errors are common. Here's how to spot them.
1. Your Assessment Jumped Without Renovations
If your assessed value increased significantly but you haven't made any improvements, that's worth investigating. Assessments should reflect market value, not aspirational pricing. Check whether comparable homes in your neighborhood saw the same increase — if they didn't, your reassessment may be based on incorrect data.
2. Similar Homes Nearby Are Assessed Lower
This is the strongest signal. If a house on your street with the same square footage, lot size, and condition is assessed at $40,000 less than yours, that's a uniformity issue — and it's one of the most successful grounds for appeal in most states. Your local assessor's website usually lets you look up neighboring properties.
3. Your Property Record Has Errors
Assessor records sometimes list incorrect square footage, extra bathrooms that don't exist, a finished basement that's actually unfinished, or the wrong year built. These data errors directly inflate your assessed value. Pull your property record card from the assessor's office and check every field.
4. Your Neighborhood Has Declined
Assessments don't always keep pace with negative changes — a new highway nearby, increased traffic, commercial encroachment, or rising vacancy rates. If your neighborhood has gotten less desirable since the last assessment, your value may not reflect that.
5. You Bought Recently for Less Than the Assessment
If you purchased your home in the last 12-18 months and paid less than the current assessed value, you have a strong case. A recent arm's-length sale is one of the best pieces of evidence in a property tax appeal — it's what someone actually paid for the property in the open market.
What to Do Next
If any of these apply to you, an appeal may be worth your time. The process varies by state, but in most cases it involves filing a form with your local assessor's office before a specific deadline, then presenting comparable sales or evidence of errors.
Start with your state's guide to get the exact deadlines, forms, and process: