WELLSTON 鈥 The appraised value of Sharon Owens-Hare鈥檚 century-old two-family home doubled from 2019 to 2021.
That year, her property tax bill crested $2,000 on the 1,900-square-foot property. And that was it. She鈥檇 had enough.
鈥淚 worked every day, one to three jobs. I was taking care of my mom. So when the bills came in, I just paid them,鈥 said Owens-Hare, 66, a retired security supervisor. 鈥淏ut then two years ago, it hit that $2,000 mark. I was like, 鈥楿h-uh!鈥欌
This year, she appealed the county鈥檚 appraisal of her home. With help from attorneys with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, which provides free civil legal services to low-income residents, Owens-Hare argued that the house had lingering damage from flooding two summers ago, that its foundation sagged and that the sidewalk in front had sunk into the ground.
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In the appeal, she found out the assessor鈥檚 office had mistakenly counted a nonexistent bathroom in its valuation and had considered the value of the second unit in the home, which Owens-Hare said is not rentable.
She won her appeal. The county dropped her appraised value to $60,000 from $86,700.
With 400,000 properties to assess in the county, said Assessor Jake Zimmerman, the office doesn鈥檛 always get it right.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e never going to be perfectly right about that stuff,鈥 Zimmerman said. 鈥淪o we do rely on people to give us data when we get it wrong.鈥
How to appeal your property valuation
There are a several things to keep in mind in considering an appeal, said Legal Services attorney Anna Carlsson:
- Ask yourself if you should appeal at all. The Board of Equalization can actually increase your property values with an appeal. It鈥檚 rare, but it has happened.
- There are a few things to consider when deciding whether to appeal: Are similar homes in your immediate neighborhood, within about a mile, selling at a lower price? Do you have larger home repairs that are going to be expensive to address such as flood damage, a new roof or a sewer backup? Did you recently get a private appraisal that assessed your home lower than the assessor? Did your assessment jump significantly without you doing anything to your property? If you answered 鈥測es鈥 to any of those questions, it doesn鈥檛 mean your assessment is off, but you might want to make sure the assessor has all the correct information.
- When you鈥檙e building up the evidence to submit to the BOE, include evidence in your favor. Legal Services clients have had success including photos of deferred maintenance such as water damage, mold or cracks. For nonvisible deferred maintenance, such as broken appliances, your best bet is to get a quote from a contractor for repairs or replacements, then including the quote in your appeal. Be mindful of the BOE deadline.
- You may also include information on comparable sales in your neighborhood. If you live in 狐狸视频 County, most residential properties have comparable sales listed. If you live in 狐狸视频, the assessor鈥檚 office doesn鈥檛 provide comparable sales online, but sales prices will be listed for specific properties. Keep an eye out for for-sale signs near you. If you know a realtor, they might help you find comparable sales and give you an idea if your property is fairly valued or not.
- Sometimes the assessor might have the wrong information about your home: an extra room added, or a one-family incorrectly listed as a two-family. You may not have to go through a full appeal if you can provide that information to the assessor.
- Be prepared to set aside a good chunk of your day for the hearing. It could be delayed by a half hour or more. And they鈥檙e very hard to reschedule. So once you have a hearing set, try your best to make it.
How to file
Homeowners may appeal their values any year and every year.
Appeals begin May 1, and the deadline to file is the second Monday in July. Supporting evidence is due shortly after.
Homeowners must fill out a form that’s available online at the assessor’s website, by emailing boe@stlouiscountymo.gov, by calling 314-615-7195, or by picking them up in the lobby of the county administration building in Clayton at 41 South Central Avenue or at satellite offices in North County, at 715 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann, and in South County, at 4546 Lemay Ferry Road.
The forms can be filed online, sent in by mail (Board of Equalization, 41 South Central Avenue, 2nd Floor; Clayton, MO 63105) or dropped off at the county administration building.
The board does not accept emailed appeals or evidence.
The board conducts hearings in July and August by video conference or telephone. You may request special assistance if needed.
You may also waive your hearing. If you do this, the board considers your evidence without a meeting. But it鈥檚 a good idea to attend if you can, said Carlsson, the Legal Services attorney.
鈥淭he BOE might have follow-up questions about the evidence you鈥檝e submitted, like when the last time you got the roof replaced was,鈥 Carlsson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful to provide that information and advocate for yourself.鈥
The board makes its rulings into the fall. Tax bills are due by the end of the year.