How to Lower Your Property Taxes in Illinois

Property taxes can be quite a burden. However, this money pays for the infrastructure of your county. The school districts and police departments are funded through residents' property taxes. Your property tax bill is based on the value of your property. The higher the value the higher the tax. The property value is determined by a county assessor who appraises each home. To lower your property taxes, you have to convince a three-person review panel that your property is not worth as much as the assessor declared.

Contact your Board of Review and request the form needed to appeal your assessment. In Cook County, Illinois. you can file a property tax appeal form on the Internet.

Fill out and return the form before the deadline. According to John Roska of the St. Louis Dispatch, "Generally speaking, the deadline for assessment appeals is sometime around September."

Call three real estate offices and request a "market valuation or a price broker opinion)." These numbers can be used as evidence illustrating what a professional would value your home at.

Find "comparables" or properties that have been sold in your area that are similar to your home. Use these numbers to help develop a general idea of your home's value.

Present this information to your Board of Review. Your goal is to convince them that the county assessor valued your property for more than it was actually worth, causing you to pay unfairly high property taxes.

Receive a property tax refund if the Board of Review votes in majority in your favor.