Start the New Year by Lowering Your Property Tax Bill in Marietta and Cobb County, Georgia

How to Lower Your Property Tax Bill in Marietta and Cobb County, Georgia.  If you have beena a homeowner for awhile in Marietta or anywhere in Cobb County, Georgia, your property tax value is probably higher than it should be.   Check this link and look at your property taxes.  http://www.cobbtax.org/search/genericsearch.aspx?mode=parid

Now go online and look at the sales of similar homes in your neighborhood or area, to get a good feel of the value of your home.  http://cobbcountyhomes.kwrealty.com/  You might consider consulting with a realtor friend about your home's current value (if you don't have a realtor friend, you do now - - call me at 770-653-0756).

If you think your home is overvalued by the county, you can file a property tax return.  Download and print the Taxpayers Return of Real Property form at https://etax.dor.ga.gov/ptd/adm/forms/pt50r/LGS_TAXPAYERS_RETURN_OF_REAL_PROPERTY_PT50R.pdf. 

Sectiion C on the form requests that you list last year's "fair market value" on your land and house as of January 1, 2012.  The figure you write should be what you believe that your home is now worth.  Be certain to send the form to your county tax assessor after January 1 and before April 1st.   By the end of June the county will respond with a Notice of Current
Assesment, letting you know what it estimates your property is worth.

The county may agree with the value you propose or disagree with the value you propose.  If the county does not agree, you can appeal within 45 days of the date of the notice you received from them.  Visit the Board of Assessor's office at 736 Whitlock Avenue NW # 100 Marietta, GA 30064 (their telephone number is  770) 528-8600 and their website is http://www.cobbassessor.org/Main/Home.aspx).  If they turn you down, the next step is to appeal.  

Within 45 days of the date of the notice you must state that you want to appeal either by Board of Equalization, Hearing Officer (this one does not come up much as it is only for non-homestead real property in excess of $1,000,0000), or Arbitration.   There is no cost for the first two options.  The loser in the Arbitration pays for its cost.   

The Board of Equalization is a panel of county residents that hears appeals unresolved tax issues.  If you don't like their answer, you can appeal to the Superior Court within 30 days of their decision. 

In Arbitratation, the Arbitrator is appointed by the Clerk of the Superior Court, and within 30 days the Arbitrator schedules the time and date of the hearing.  You present your case and the Arbitrator makes their decision.  The Arbitration the final decision and is not appealable to Superior Court.