Your first step is to contact us so that we can review your “Notice of Assessment”. Not sure what a “Notice of Assessment” is, or if you’ve received one? This is also called the “Notice of Assessment, Taxable Valuation, and Property Classification”. It is a 1 page Michigan Department of Treasury form (FORM L-4400) that is mailed by the local City or Township Assessing Office to your property indicating the tentative amount of your property will be assessed for the year upcoming. Many of our clients know it by the paper that says “THIS IS NOT A TAX BILL”. This Notice is mailed to property owners in February each year. But you don’t have to wait until February to contact us; we can open a file and begin working on your case immediately. Once the Notice is reviewed and all questions answered, we can then make the determination on whether your property is over assessed. The assessment amount on your Notice is what the City or Township thinks your building/house and property are worth relative to other properties. This may or may not be an accurate figure.

Recently appraised properties are more accurate and closer to the dollar amount of current value than properties that have not been appraised recently. In other words, a recent estimate is closer to reality than an old estimate.

Many taxpayers have the impression that their assessment is fair if it is below the current fair market value. However, what we really are looking for is equitability. The fact is that property should be valued equitably with similar type property within the same taxing jurisdiction. If your property is assessed at 70% of fair market value and, in the rest of the jurisdiction, similar properties are assessed at 50% of fair market value, what’s fair about that?

The question is what does the City or Township think your property is worth?