By CLARENCE CROMWELL
Homeowners don't have to pay to appeal property values, Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone reminds us this month, and receiving promotional mail from a private assessment-fighting firm doesn't mean for sure that your home is overvalued on the tax rolls.
About 420,000 county residents will receive a postcard this month from the assessor's office inscribed with the value of their properties. Property taxes for 1996-97 will be based on those assessed values.
If they disagree, homeowners can appeal the assessment by phoning Stone's office before June 14 or by mailing a one-page appeal form before Sept.15.
But Stone cautions against mail-order assessment appeals that may deluge homeowners this month.
Last year, property-tax appeals shot up to 3,823, nearly four times the previous year's 1,021 appeals, thanks to a pair of private firms that help residents appeal their property values by mail for a fee. The firms target homeowners who bought high-priced houses between 1989 and 1991, just before real-estate prices fell statewide.
For $29, a Sacramento company called County Tax Review provides the information required for owners to appeal their assessments, namely the sale prices of three similar homes nearby. For $65, San Diego's Property Assessment Adjusters look up the information and file the form on behalf of clients. They refund the fee if the appeal is denied.
Stone cautioned residents to read material about their home values carefully. The firms' offers usually arrive in the mail before the assessor's office notifies homeowners of their property values, and some recipients mistake them for government documents.
The formal appeal process involves completing a one-page form. Anyone can get the three required home prices from the same place the two firms get them--the Santa Clara County assessor's office on Hedding Street.
In some cases, residents don't even have to file the appeal. Those who dispute property assessments by phone before June 15 may have their assessment lowered for free with the help of the county staff.
For information about appeals, taxpayers can call 299-3011 or 299-2401. The assessor's fax number is 299-3015.
Written inquiries may be sent to: Assessor's Office, 70 W. Hedding St., San Jose, 95110-1771.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 22, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.