How to Protest your Iowa Property Tax Assessment for 2012

 Protest dates for 2012 are April 16th, 2012 to May 5th, 2012!

Protests must be filed with the Assessor / Board of Review in the County
in which the property is located. 

As you may have guessed, many property owners have seen the value of their homes fall in value in the last 1 to 2 years. But during that time, the assessed value, which the County Assessors use to compute property taxes due,  may not have kept up with those changes.  

It's a common question we are asked... "Why is my tax assessment higher than the value I can sell my home for?" The answer is, it shouldn't be! Especially when an inaccurate assessment can result in a property tax bill that is higher than it should be.

Its important to note that Iowa real estate is "automatically" re-assessed only every two years. This happens in odd numbered years, in an attempt to reach a current estimate of "Fair Market Value" for tax purposes as of January 1st of that year.

It's always a good idea to check your assessed value to make sure it is in line with what a ready, willing and able buyer would pay you for your home (or current market value). Iowa Law gives you one chance each year to challenge the value the assessor has placed on your property, if you deem it to be incorrect, but the window of opportunity is short, and fast approaching!

The first step is to review your current assessment using one of the links below. If your assessed value is higher than what you believe "current market value" to be, you may choose to file a protest, and request the value be adjusted. When filing a protest for over-assessment, you will need to be prepared with the concrete evidence to support your claim, and that means reviewing what other similar homes in your area have sold for.

Sales data for your area can be obtained from your County's assessors office website, an Appraiser, or a Realtor (like us). Remember, if you have refinanced your home over the past year or so, you may find you already have much of the data and comparables you need from your appraisal!

We are always happy to provide our clients (or a potential future client) with comps for their property, in the Metro Des Moines area- just make contact and we can assist.

It is important to remember that an assessed value that exceeds your market value is not a good thing, when it comes time to sell your home. Many believe having a high assessed value makes their home appear to be worth more to potential buyers in the future. Instead an over assessment makes selling that property harder, due to an inflated tax bill, which increases a buyers payment!

Because we know the protest process can be confusing, we have assembled the following links to assist you. Should you need any assistance, please feel free to contact us

Another helpful resource can be a good, quality appraiser. Betsy Pokorny, of Des Moines Real Estate Services, provides several options to assist homeowners with tax protests. More information can be found at her website here.

Investigate Your Tax Assessment in Iowa

Find the Assessed Value for property in ANY Iowa County

Links for Polk County

General Information (Good information for any County also.)

Polk County Assessment Protest Form (.PDF)

Other Polk County Links
 

 Links for Dallas County

Dallas County Information Protest Page
Dallas County Assessment Protest Form (.PDF) <--(Example of 2010 Form, as 2011 is not available yet!)

Dallas County Assessment Notice Search

Links for Warren County

http://www.co.warren.ia.us/assessor-important_dates.shtml