Assessment appeal services Most localities determine your property tax burden based on an ad valorem assessment of the property's value. Sometimes, as a property owner, you get an unwanted surprise in the mail telling you your taxes are going up, and sometimes it may seem as though your assessment is too high.
There are as many different procedures for appealing assessments as there are property taxing districts, so it's important to enlist the help of a professional appraisal firm that's experienced and trained in the ins and outs of your particular jurisdiction. Please note: It makes sense to do your own research before determining whether to go forward with a property assessment appeal, especially before you make the decision to hire a professional appraiser. However, according to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), we are not allowed to take "shortcuts" -- i.e., your research -- and use it on its face as part of our independent evaluation. When you hire us for an assessment appeal, you're commissioning an independent, third-party professional appraisal report. As such we do our own evaluation, beginning to end. If you're right that your property has been overvalued, an independent report such as ours will be even more persuasive than any other evidence you can marshal on your own. But it depends on our ability to do the work independently. Sometimes, you will have a hearing on your assessment appeal and will need for the appraiser you've hired to testify on your behalf. Be assured that at BICI APPRAISALS, we are able to professionally and persuasively testify at appeal hearings. Browse our website to learn more about our qualifications, expertise and services offered.
CATEGORIES OF NONUSABLE DEED TRANSACTIONS WITHIN NEW JERSEY Check for most current list. CATEGORIES OF NONUSABLE DEED TRANSACTIONS N.J.A.C.18:12-1.1 Categories enumerated (a) The deed transactions of the following categories are not usable in determining assessment sales ratios pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54: 1-35.1 et seq.: 1. Sales between members of the immediate family; 2. Sales in which "love and affection" are stated to be part of the consideration; 3. Sales between a corporation and its stockholder, its subsidiary, its affiliate or another corporation whose stock is in the same ownership; 4. Transfers of convenience; for example, for the sole purpose of correcting defects in title, a transfer by a husband either through a third party or directly to himself and his wife for the purpose of creating a tenancy by the entirety, etc.; 5. Transfers deemed not to have taken place within the sampling period. Sampling period is defined as the period from July 1 to June 30, inclusive, preceding the date of promulgation, except as hereinafter stated. The recording date of the deed within this period is the determining date since it is the date of official record. Where the date of deed or date of formal sales agreement occurred prior to January 1, next preceding the commencement date of the sampling period, the sale shall be non usable; 6. Sales of property conveying only a portion of the assessed unit, usually referred to as apportionments, split-offs or cut-offs; for example, a parcel sold out of a larger tract where the assessment is for the larger tract; 7. Sales of property substantially improved subsequent to assessment and prior to the sale thereof; 8. Sales of an undivided interest in real property; 9. Sales of properties that are subject to an outstanding Municipal Tax Sales Certificate, a lien for more than one year in unpaid taxes on real property pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:5-6, or other governmental lien; 10. Sales by guardians, trustees, executors and administrators; 11. Judicial sales such as partition sales; 12. Sheriffs sales; 13. Sales in proceedings in bankruptcy, receivership or assignment for the benefit of creditors and dissolution or liquidation sales; 1 14. Sales of doubtful title including, but not limited to, quit-claim deeds; 15. Sales to or from the United States of America, the State of New Jersey, or any political subdivision of the State of New Jersey, including boards of education and public authorities; 16. Sales of property assessed in more than one taxing district; 17. Sales to or from any charitable, religious or benevolent organization; 18. Transfers to banks, insurance companies, savings and loan associations, or mortgage companies when the transfer is made in lieu of foreclosure where the foreclosing entity is a bank or other financial institution; 19. Sales of properties whose assessed value has been substantially affected by demolition, fire, documented environmental contamination, or other physical damage to the property subsequent to assessment and prior to the sale thereof; 20. Acquisitions, resale or transfer by railroads, pipeline companies or other public utility corporations for right-of-way purposes; 21. Sales of low/moderate income housing as established by the Council on Affordable Housing; 22. Transfers of property in exchange for other real estate, stocks, bonds, or other personal property; 23. Sales of commercial or industrial real property which include machinery, fixtures, equipment, inventories, or goodwill when the values of such items are indeterminable; 24. Sales of property, the value of which has been substantially influenced by zoning changes, planning board approvals, variances or rent control subsequent to assessment and prior to the sale; 25. Transactions in which the full consideration as defined in the "Realty Transfer Fee Act" is less than $100.00; 26. Sales which for some reason other than specified in the enumerated categories are not deemed to be a transaction between a willing buyer, not compelled to buy, and a willing seller, not compelled to sell; 27. Sales occurring within the sampling period but prior to a change in assessment practice resulting from the completion of a recognized revaluation or reassessment program, i.e. sales recorded during the period July 1 to December 31 next preceding the tax year in which the result of such revaluation or reassessment program is placed on the tax roll. 2 28. Sales of properties which are subject to a leaseback arrangement; 29. Sales of properties subsequent to the year of appeal where the assessed value is set by court order, consent judgment, or application of the "Freeze Act." 30. Sale in which several parcels are conveyed as a package deal with an arbitrary allocation of the sale price for each parcel; 31. First sale after foreclosure by a federal- or state-chartered financial institution; 32. Sale of a property in which an entire building or taxable structure is omitted from the assessment; 33. Sales of qualified farmland or currently exempt property. (b) Transfers falling within the foregoing categories nos. 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17, 26, 28 and 31 (under section 1.1(a)), should generally be excluded but may be used if after full investigation it clearly appears that the transaction was a sale between a willing buyer, not compelled to buy, and a willing seller, not compelled to sell, with all conditions requisite to a fair sale with the buyer and seller acting knowledgeably and for their own self-interests, and that the transaction meets all other requisites of a usable sale. 3 https://www.njactb.org/Downloads%20New.asp
NEW JERSEY PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM LEGEND REAL PROPERTY CLASS CODES EXEMPT PROPERTY CLASS CODES TAXABLEPROPERTY 15A PUBLICSCHOOLPROPERTY 1 VACANTLAND 15B OTHERSCHOOLPROPERTY 2 RESIDENTIALPROPERTY(1-4FAMILY) 15C PUBLICPROPERTY 3A FARM(HOUSE) 15D CHURCH&CHARITABLEPROPERTY 3B FARM(QUALIFIED) 15E CEMETERIES&GRAVEYARDS 4A COMMERCIAL 15F OTHEREXEMPT 4B INDUSTRIAL 4C APARTMENT RAILROADPROPERTY DEDUCTIONS 5A RAILROADCLASSI 5B RAILROADCLASSII CODE EXPALNATION S SENIORCITIZEN PERSONALPROPERTY V VETERAN 6A TELEPHONE W WIDOWOFVETERAN 6B MACHINERYOFPETROLEUMREFINERIES D DISABLEDPERSON 6C PHASEOUTPERSONALPROPERTY R SURVIVINGSPOUSE BUILDINGDESCRIPTION* QUALIFICATION STORIES CODE EXPLANATION S PREFIXSWITHNUMBEROFSTORIES S SECTORNUMBERPREFIX W WARDNUMBERPREFIX STRUCTURE C CONDOMINIUMUNITPREFIX AL ALUMINUMSIDING QFARMQUALIFIEDFARM B BRICK LOT LOTONLYISOWNED CB CONCRETEBLOCK BLDG BUILDINGONLYISOWNED F FRAME HM HACKENSACKMEADOWLANDS M METAL X EXEMPTPORTIONOFTAXABLEPROPERTY RC REINFORCEDCONCRETE FP FLOODPLAIN S STUCCO M MOBILEHOME SS STRUCTURALSTEEL PL PINELANDS ST STONE Z COASTALZONE W WOOD L WETLANDS STYLE SPECIALTAXCODE A COMMERCIAL B INDUSTRIAL CODE DISTRICTTYPE C APARTMENTS F FIRE D DUTCHCOLONIAL G GARBAGE E ENGLISHTUDOR S SEWER F CAPECOD L LIGHT L COLONIAL W WATER M MOBILEHOME R R.E.A.P.(Shared service rebate) R RANCHER S SPLITLEVEL LIMITEDEXEMPTIONS T TWIN W ROWHOME CODE EXPLANATION X DUPLEX E FIRESURPRESSIONSYSTEM Z RAISEDRANCHER F FALLOUTSHELTER |
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