How to Get Your San Francisco Property Taxes Lowered

So you purchased a home in SF at the peak of the market.  You paid top dollar, and now, you’re watching your neighbor’s properties sell for less than you paid just 2–3 years ago.  And then, to add insult to injury, you get your TAX BILL!

Well, if your property value has indeed fallen from the day that you purchased, you are getting taxed on the purchase price of your property, rather than on market value. 

That means that you may be paying more in property taxes than you need to!

But what can you do???

Well, you can start by contacting the San Francisco Office of the Assessor-Recorder.  (You can also call them at 415–554–8059.)

Once you get the the Tax Assessor’s website, you’ll see a link to Apply for Informal Review of Assessed Value for 2009 – 2010 Tax Year.

There, you’ll find both the Online Informal Review Application as well as Frequent Asked Questions (FAQs).

In addition to filing the Informal Review Application you can also File an Assessment Appeal. 

There’s even a handy video titled Your Assessment Appeal!  The video covers a variety of topics including:

• Introduction
• Decline in Market Value
• Base Year Value
• Reassessment After Calamity
• Escape Assessment and Roll Changes
• Filling Out the Application
• Preparing for Your Hearing
• Your Hearing
• Credits

Watch “Your Assessment Appeal” video 

The process to get your tax bill reassessed is actually quite simple. 

You’ll find that the process isn’t difficult, and while you may be getting offers in the mail from companies that are ready and willing to help you through this process, they’re already ready and willing to charge you a hefty fee to do something that you can easily do yourself!

The one thing you DO need to get is three recent comparable sales from the period from January 1, 2009 through March 31^st 20009. 

This is where I come in!   

You want to get the comparable sales data from a reputable REALTOR, not from a service like Zillow that isn’t able to give you an accurate assessment. 

If you need help getting comps for your reassessment (as long as it’s in San Francisco), shoot me an email or call me at 415–307–1392.  I’m happy to provide you with the info you need to get your SF property taxes lowered.