Fact: It makes no difference how much you pay for property tax reduction services! The tax grievance process and the reduction property owners receive are both determined by the Full Market Value of the property and nothing else.
Fact: Your contract does not become binding until your assessor releases the final assessment roll. Many of these 50% fee companies market to property owners 6 months in advance of the final assessment roll being released. Property owners are given the false impression that they cannot cancel once they have signed. Your contract or agreement cannot take effect until the final assessment roll is released because it would be impossible for the property owner to determine if they are over-assessed without first reviewing what the assessor has determined is the Full Market Value of the property.
Example: The Towns in Suffolk County, New York release the final assessment roll on May 01, 2010. If your have signed with a 50% Fee Company you only have until May 04, 2010 to cancel!
Fact: If a homeowner has the time and the available resources to find comparable properties and populate the Complaint Form they should file for a tax grievance on their own. We would still recommend that property owners seek the services of a licensed appraiser to determine the Full Market Value of the property. Good Grievance works together with homeowners every day to help them achieve a fair tax assessment at an affordable price. Technology has changed everything.
Fact: This may not be true. Many states allow appeals based upon using unequal appraisal. Our property tax tools can probably reduce your property taxes even if your assessed value is below market value. Unequal appraisal compares the assessed value of your property to the assessed value of similar properties. Good Grievance utilizes the services of licensed appraisers who have massive databases to search for assessment comparables which may document a lower assessed value for your property.
Fact: Due to continued declines in real property values across the Nation it is increasingly common for entire neighborhoods to be over-assessed. You should try our Free Estimate Tools and start referring your neighbors to Good Grievance. As more property owners join our growing network we will be positioned to pass additional savings along to all Members in the future tax years.
Fact: It is your responsibility to appeal if you feel your property is over-assessed. Each year your local politicians challenge the assessed value of their property because they know they may be entitled to thousands of dollars in reductions. Your appeal actually helps the Assessor create more accurate models to determine property values in future years, which benefits the entire community.
Fact: If you are aggrieved by property tax you can file an administrative complaint every year. Some States only allow an appeal of the administrative decision every two years. This may be unconstitutional as it denies aggrieved parties the right to be heard on a direct tax that is alleged to be apportioned equally to the taxpayers. As our Membership grows we intend to challenge our politicians on the legality of these State statutes.
Fact: Although the vast majority of homeowners will receive a reduction to the assessed value of their property for the next several years - not every homeowner will qualify. You should not file a tax grievance simply for the sake of taking the chance. Use our free tools and do five minutes of research. If you feel you are over–assessed, we will provide you with everything required to affordably present your case to the Assessor or Judge hearing your case.
Fact: Your assessed value will never increase as a result of filing a tax grievance complaint.
Fact: When provided the right tools you will be more successful filing yourself. Just subtract the 50% Fee to see what your real savings would be if you do it. We encourage homeowners that have the required time and above-average knowledge of matching comparables to take on the challenge. We strongly suggest using an appraiser to determine the property value as providing the wrong data could affect the outcome.
Fact: You must substantiate a verifiable hardship such as; income loss, increased expenses, rising costs, excessive debt or at risk of imminent default due to unforeseen circumstances. Basically, you must prove you have suffered a hardship that has caused you to miss payments or increases the likelihood of default.
Fact: Unfortunately, if your loan investor does not participate in the Home Affordable Modification Program your Congress does not currently require anything of them. It does seem unfair that many of these same investors continue to benefit from programs that are funded by your tax dollars. If your loan servicer is already enrolled as a HAMP PARTICIPANT you may qualify for a loan resolution under the Obama Plan. The most effective tool to determine your eligibility is the Net Present Value analysis. This is the tool that pre-determines your eligibility for the program and provides the lender with the “pass or fail” result.
Fact: The Lender may defer a substantial amount of principal owed until the end of the loan and in very rare instances may reduce the principal amount owed. The NPV provides the lender with the modified interest rate, modified term and the amount of principal that must be deferred to make the payment affordable. If the NPV decision determines that a $1.00 positive benefit exists to modify the terms of the loan under HAMP – the lender must comply.
Fact: If you do not qualify for the Home Affordable Refinance Program – You may still qualify for the Home Affordable Modification Program. You should obtain an independent appraisal to first determine the value of your property. You should check with your lender to see if you qualify for this program. If you do not have equity in your house you are still not automatically approved and should use every tool available to fight for your home.
Fact: Although some Lenders are not inputting proper information to determine eligibility for the Home Affordable Modification Program we feel that just as many are. The true way to ensure your lender is accurately reviewing your financial information and property value is to order an independent analysis to determine if a benefit exists to modify the terms of your loan. If you can establish that your Lender did not submit your information in good-faith you have a right to appeal the decision, and present that evidence to a Judge who would typically halt any foreclosure sale until the lender can prove that no benefit exists to modify the terms of the loan.
Fact: In many cases the Company that sends your monthly mortgage statement services the account for an investor or possibly certificate holders that purchased a portion of your loan through structured securitization. If your Lender does not own the loan you should serve them with an FDCPA Notice requesting the name of the investor(s) that hold an interest, or partial interest in the Note you executed at closing. You should first check if Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac purchased your loan from the original lender. Both of these tax-payer owned entities participate in the Making Home Affordable Program and are eager to help homeowners. If your loan is insured by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) you may still qualify for a Non-HAMP loan resolution.
Fact: Good Grievance Corp. is not affiliated with any government agency or program. Although many lawyers use our process to help homeowners achieve affordable modifications we do not provide legal advice. We do not negotiate settlement terms with any parties and will not accept or deny offered programs on behalf of our Members. Our unique Memberships provide homeowners with the administrative tools required to reach an amicable solution with their respective loan investor only if they have suffered a hardship. If a homeowner cannot document a verifiable hardship we do not suggest utilizing our software or programs. We continually provide the tools and updates required for each Member to achieve an amicable mortgage resolve, achieving fair tax assessments, reducing insurance premiums and lowering energy costs.