I have been working with Michele for many years. She is amazing. I have used her personally and referred many buyers and sellers to Michele. She has in fact helped my buyers make a decision and get accepted offers, when purchasing a home, with the knowledge she has. She is prompt in getting back to you and always willing to assist in any way she can.
Michele LaGrassa is the best.. such a wealth of knowledge and a complete professional.. I highly recommend using her to find out about grieving your taxes. You will be glad you did. Contact her
I reached out to Heller to see if my taxes could be grieved. Justin provided me with information about the process and was optimistic that they could be grieved. Justin was incredibly effective and informative and clearly has a passion for helping the community fight high taxes. I was provided updates throughout the process and won the fight. My experience could not have gone smoother, thanks to Justin for being my guide throughout the process. I will be referring him to help a few friends who need the service. I am extremely grateful for the help and the time spent on my case. Justin is an outstanding professional with years of knowledge. He is a real estate superstar!
Tammi Schmidt has been extremely insightful and knowledgeable. I never knew getting a break on my taxes was even an option until Tammi informed me and explained how seamless it was. Highly recommend using her services.
This office "Heller & Consultants tax Grievance" did a great Job than expected. In particular, 'Michele Lagrassa" kept her promises and always answered even to the smallest details and questions. I definitely want to recommend this office to all home owners for taxes Grieving.
Suffolk County’s real estate market is still recovering which should make most every Suffolk homeowner’s property values decline further this year. The one silver lining in that dark cloud- you might have a great shot at lowering your property taxes. If you think you’ve been over assessed, you have a right to protest the assessment – which could mean tax dollars in your pocket. Let’s face it, in this economy, every dollar counts!
The 2014 Tax Grievance season is here and it is setting up to be a big one! This is mainly due to another dismal year in the yet to recover Suffolk County housing market. A bad thing if you are trying to sell, a great opportunity if you are thinking about grieving your taxes!
No one will visit your home
Your property taxes can only be reduced, it is against NYS law to raise them due to a tax grievance filing
Studies have shown that for every $1,000 in lower property taxes, the home’s value increases by $10,000-$20,000
NO REDUCTION=NO FEE which means we fight for every last dollar!
Even if you’ve been denied in prior years, since it costs you nothing and comparable values change each year, give it a shot. You have nothing to lose, except…Your taxes!
We handle everything from completing the necessary legal paperwork to going to NYS Supreme Court. Simply fill out our 1 page Online Application by clicking the “Apply Now” button on this webpage, and we handle the rest.
Bottom Line:
If you have been on the fence about grieving your property taxes (even if have done it in the past, you will likely qualify again), due to the continued decline of the Real Estate Market, 2014 is the year for you to fight back and grieve! To make it even more appealing Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance doesn’t charge any upfront fees. Even better if the grievance is unsuccessful, you pay nothing. Contact Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance by calling (631)782-3177, or click on the “Apply Now” button on this page.
Author: Justine Lorelle LoMonaco | Published: Monday, January 27, 2014
Discovering that your home is being taxed at a higher value than it is worth means it’s time to start grieving. But don’t worry—that doesn’t mean investing in a box of tissues and complaining. Filing a grievance against the town’s valuation of a home can reduce its taxes for the following three years.
To begin the process, a homeowner needs to establish that the home has been appraised at a higher price than current market value. This can be done by proving that comparable homes in the neighborhood sold within the last year for less than your home’s value (as indicated on the tax bill). Attorney Dale Allinson, real estate tax partner at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, said a key for homeowners to remember is that both Nassau and Suffolk counties have specific grievance deadlines; March 1 for Nassau and May 20 for Suffolk.
Successfully grieving taxes can take anywhere from a year to two years. Suffolk County homeowners grieve for the current year’s taxes and can expect to wait another 12 to 15 months to receive their refunds. Nassau homeowners file for the next year’s taxes and usually do not receive refunds because the county generally tries to resolve the case and adjust the bill before it comes out. Before filing, homeowners should gather the necessary paperwork; forms can be found on each county’s website. “You need proof of the recent market value of your home,” Allinson said. “You can research comparable sales in your neighborhood, but the best evidence is if you have recently purchased your home [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][for a certain value].” Residents must initially complete the pages of NYS Form RP-525 and submit it to the county’s assessor’s office. If denied, the RPTL-730 can be submitted to the county clerk’s office.
If the thought of all that paperwork and court time is overwhelming, homeowners can leave the filing in the hands of a specialized property tax grievance firm. According to Adam Heller, founder and CEO of Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance , this can save the homeowner headaches as these services usually take care of everything. “In Suffolk County, the overwhelming majority of cases are declined at the Board of Assessment Review. This requires taking the town to Small Claims Assessment Review, a division of the New York State Supreme Court,” Heller said. “Unless the consumer is familiar with the NYS Supreme Court system and has access to an appraisal completed by a licensed appraiser, they will likely be better suited to have a property tax grievance company handle the process.”
Heller said last year he saved a client in Nassau $21,589 a year while someone else with a similar house on the same street only trimmed $3,500 a year off the property tax. He pointed to the importance of starting the process with the right assessment. Most grievance services charge up to 50 percent of first year’s savings, plus a $75 appraisal fee and a $30 court fee.
Allinson and Heller agree that the sooner the process is started, the better. “What I hear from my clients all the time is that they wish they started the process sooner because it is so lengthy,” Heller said. “You can’t grieve past tax years, so they should begin right away.”
Help #1-Makes your home more attractive to a buyer by reducing the annual property taxes burden.
Help #2-We will issue you and your agent a letter to show potential buyers. The letter will state that the property taxes are being professionally grieved in addition to showing annual projected savings.
Help #3-Reducing property taxes by only $1,000 annually would allow a buyer to spend up to $20,000 more on a home.
Help #4-Because the buyer will enjoy the future property tax savings, they pay the fee.
Help #5-The second question a buyer asks is how much are the property taxes? The first is what is the asking price?
The Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance
“Long Island Property Tax Grievance Professionals”
Serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties
Phone: 631-782-3177 ext 171
Fax: 631-782-3174
The Suffolk County property tax grievance filing deadline is May 21st.
Click the Applications tab on the top of this page to file your tax grievance instantaneously:
• We will find out if you are being over taxed for free! You are charged NOTHING unless we win you a reduction. If we are successful you pay just 50% of your first year savings.
• At The Heller & Clausen Grievance Group there is ABSOLUTELY NO FEE until we win your case.
• We have a licensed appraiser on staff.
• Reductions average between $1,500 and $4,000 per year.
• No one from the town or our office will visit your home.
• We fight for every case, the more money we save you, the more money we make!
*This article has been updated on March 2, 2012 in order to reflect the latest important information issued by NYS. It will be a two-part blog posting…
Suffolk County’s crippled real estate market should make almost every homeowner’s property value take a nosedive this year. The one silver lining – you might have a great opportunity at lowering your property taxes. If you think you have been over assessed, you have a right to protest the assessment – which could mean tax dollars in your pocket. Let’s face, it every dollar counts in this economy.
Suffolk County property tax grievance information:
Below are answers to five questions that are commonly asked about filing a Suffolk County property tax grievance (later this week will be six more):
1. What is a property tax assessment?
Every year each individual town assessor’s office in Suffolk County determines a value of your property. This serves as the basis for what your property taxes will be in the coming year – the 2012 filing period is for the 2012/2013 tax year. In Suffolk, generally speaking your assessment should reflect property values in your neighborhood as of July 1, 2011 for your December 2012 tax bill.
2. What is fair market value?
That’s how much the town assessor says your house is worth as of a certain taxable status date – March in most of Suffolk County’s townships.
3. What are the levels of a property assessment?
This is the percentage of market value at which properties are assessed. In Suffolk, the level of assessment varies by town. Last year, the levels of assessments were the following for each township:
• Brookhaven .90%
• Huntington .77%
• Islip 12.38%
• Smithtown 1.28%
• Babylon 1.13%
• Riverhead 13.68%
• Southampton 100%
• East Hampton .76%
• Southold 1.11%
• Each year a new level of assessment is released by New York State for each individual township, usually in February.
4. How is a property assessment calculated?
If the fair market value of your house is assessed at $500,000 and the level of assessment is set at .87 percent, your tentative assessed value is equal to $500,000 multiplied by .0087 percent, which equals $4,350. This is then calculated by your tax rate, for this example, let’s say 3% of your total tax bill, without any exemptions, would then be $13,050 (4,350 assessed value x 3%=$13,050).
5. If my assessed value goes down, will I pay less in property taxes?
“If you think your home is assessed too high, and we successfully prove that the value is less, then your tax bill will go down,” says Jennifer Bortnowsky, office manager of Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance , a property tax-reduction company in Rocky Point Long Island. Under NYS law your assessment cannot go up; it can only be decreased or remain the same.
Property tax grievance on Long Island has become a big business in the last few years as property values have continued to plummet. In a perfect world your taxes would follow the same decline as your homes values have, down. However, we live in Suffolk County, where it is one of the few counties in the country that does not re-assess on a regular basis. So the only way to lower your assessed value, ie; lower your property taxes, is to file a grievance.
The key is to make sure that you hire a qualified property tax grievance company that will focus on YOUR homes case. Like any profession, some companies are better and more attentive to their clients than others. Some tips to help you when looking for a property tax representative on Long Island, include:
Licensed: Make sure the property tax grievance company is licensed! There are many companies and individuals out there practicing without a license. While having a license alone does not mean the company or individual is great at what they do, it does mean that they must meet certain standards.
Appraiser: Make sure the company has a licensed appraiser on staff! In court the burden of proof is on the representative to PROVE that their clients’ home is over-assessed, and yet, I cannot begin to tell you how many tax grievance services out there do not even bother to work up an appraisal for their cases. What ends up happening is one of two things, either the rep loses the case completely, or settles for far less of a reduction than the client is due.
Attention: Make sure the company you choose will give you individual attention! Remember most tax grievance cases will go to New York State Supreme Court and will be heard individually just like any other court case. Don’t hire a company that is so big that you fall through the cracks or are forced to settle for less of a reduction than you deserve.
No upfront fees: Reputable property tax grievance companies, like ours, do not charge any upfront fees whatsoever. Also, because we work on a contingency basis, it is in our best interest to get you the maximum reduction legally possible.
Bottom Line:
These are but a few of the things to keep in mind when you are looking for a property tax grievance company. The friendly staff at Heller & Consultants Tax Grievance are available during the week, year round from 9-5 to answer any questions you may have if you are considering filing for a reduction.