Fighting tax assessed value

[Anonymous]

We bought a home at the end of 2023 and just received our tax assessment in the mail for an assessed value of 150k more than we paid in Q4 2023 (city of Alexandria).

Does anyone have experience fighting this assessment?

I filed paperwork to have it reassessed which now apparently involves visiting our home. I’m wondering if this is worth it or if they will just jack up the assessment even more given that we made cosmetic improvements to the home but did also face significant water issues etc. thanks

[Anonymous]

I assume it was an arms length transaction. If you closed close to year-end, they may have just missed it, but you can look at the comps online.

Have your invoices ready during the visit for both the cosmetic improvements and structural issues, but despite how batty city council etc. can be in the City of Alex, I have always found city employees to be extremely reasonable people. I would suspect you'll have some success.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely contest. I don’t think they can make the assessment higher, it either stays the same or goes down.

The assessors office is a joke. Here in Rosemont everyone on the east side of Russell had NO change in their assessments (which has happened before) while if you’re on west side of Russell and further west it went up around the same percentage. They just drew this imaginary line down Russell and said to the east no change, to the west up x%. Totally nuts.

Fight it.