Property Assessments Coming, Attorney Gets Ready to Appeal

Check your mailbox. Starting August 15 residents in 18 townships in Lake County will receive their property assessments, including Deerfield residents. And like the past two years, assessed property values are expected to drop. That being said, don’t expect lower taxes.

“The taxes are going up because spending is going up,” explained Thomas Healy, Assessor for West Deerfield Township.

“The community still has a budget and they still need to earn the same amount of money regardless of the property values,” Lisa Fishbein added, a property tax attorney who works primarily in Lake County. “So, they increase the state multiplier because they still have to make the same amount of money.”

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pay the higher taxes. Fishbein, who graduated from Chicago Kent College of law in 1994 dedicates her practice to helping residents reduce their taxes, residents like Jonathan Sherman.

“When I got my tax bill last year and saw the amount due it was shocking,” said Sherman, an attorney from Highland Park, “I thought I needed to talk with a professional about getting some relief.”

Fishbein said even though assessments continue to go down, she tries to get them lowered even more to reduce that portion of the tax bill.

There are three grounds on which she files an appeal for a client.

1. Factual error, where she looks at the actual property and makes sure there’s no mistake by the assessor.
2. Equity, where she compares all the homes in the neighborhood to make sure they’re all being assessed similarly.
3. Market value, where she compares all the homes that have sold over the past year or two to what has sold recently.

“Your assessed value should be what you get if you sell your home,” said Fishbein, “I’ve been successful winning my appeals the last two years because they’ve been so off.”

Most tax attorneys don’t charge a fee for their services. The client pays the attorney a portion of the tax savings only if he or she is successful in lowering their taxes.

But, if you’re thinking of appealing your taxes, don’t wait too long. According to Healy, residents have 30 days from the publication of the assessments to file an appeal.

“The process is a no brainer,” said Sherman, “In this difficult financial time, when every penny counts, every home owner should consider doing this.”

According to Fishbein, consult an attorney if:

• You think your home’s market value is less than the assessed value. 
• You think you’re paying higher property taxes than your neighbors. 
• You think your assessed value is inaccurate.