Property taxes are an ad valorem tax i.e. the tax that the local government calculates based on the assessed value of your property. The property tax amount keeps changing based on the changes in the property value. An extra bedroom or a property renovation could impact how much your future property taxes would be. A small or big renovation to your property, either inside or outside, may impact your property taxes.
New construction vs Natural disaster
When you are planning to make a renovation, watch out for the term “new construction” because a new construction can increase your property taxes. When there is major construction on the property it attracts the attention of the city officials. Hence, there are chances for a reassessment of the property value after the construction is over.
If you had to rebuild your property due to a natural disaster but did not increase the sq. ft. of your property, then the construction is considered neutral. This means that your property taxes are not impacted by the change in your property appearance. If your damaged property has not been repaired by January 1st, your taxes will be lower and the property value will remain the same as if it were in the damaged state.
Now that we have seen how new construction and natural disasters affect your property taxes, here is a video that explains how the grade of construction determines property taxes.
Do property improvements make my taxes go up?
No matter you have spent thousands of dollars on your project, an increase in the property tax may not always be based on the project’s cost. You can always ask your assessor how the project will impact the next assessment. However, you will have to pay a little more on property taxes each year. But there still lies an advantage. If you decide to sell your property in the future, the increase in the property value will result in an increase in the sale price.
What if there is an unfair increase in your property tax bill?
There are chances for mistakes to happen at the assessor’s end. Appraisals are just an estimate and are an opinion on the property’s value and this is subjective because the appraisal is just an estimate, the value is subjective and can be changed with effective evidence and effort. Having a property tax consultant on your side can help you protest your property tax bill.
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