Be wary of those Real Estate Tax Reduction Companys' ***********

    Have you received a mail solicitation from a law firm claiming to reduce your real estate taxes? Unless you have specific knowledge that you could reduce your taxes, stay away from these solicitations! You're giving away money for no good reason! I've tried to understand the net tangible benefit from these solicitations, but it's pretty much a scam! 

    It all sounds great...you don't pay any fees unless the law firm or attorney saves you money from your previous years taxes. They take half the profits if they do save you money. These company's claim to "fight the courts" to make sure your property is "correctly zoned" Or they "challenge the assessed market value." The truth is that it's extremely rare that your house would be incorrectly zoned ie. Your house is zoned in an industrial area vs. a residential area. Believe me, you would know because your taxes would be much higher than your next door neighbor's taxes.
     Here's how it works: Your annual taxes are determined by two(2) components; the assessed value multiplied by your tax rate. Tax rates are non-negotiable but you can challenge your assessed value. 
     So where's the Scam in all this? Since the financial crash of 2008 home values have declined. So whether you have an attorney file a tax grievance or you choose to do nothing,your assessed values go down and therefore, your real estate taxes are automatically reduced.That's where the scam is. These unscrupulous attorneys are sending out presorted mailers to the whole county in efforts that you will sign a letter stating that they are the authorized representative and that they actually "worked" to reduce your taxes. That's HORSE HOCKEY if you ask me!!
    Here's my recommendation. Call me and I will do a Comparative Market Analysis for free! If the market analysis is lower than the assessed value, I will file it for you. It's fairly simple to file online. 
     Should you sell your house in the future, please consider using me as your real estate agent! That's how I make my money. Also, if you are a real estate agent, please consider joining my real estate company, East Coast Capital Realty. We are now hiring quality candidates!
    I hope you find this information useful and Have a Happy New Year!
    Regards,    Craig     O:516-277-1279