Free Property Tax Relief!

Yesterday I received a formal looking letter in the mail from a company that calls themselves property tax experts (I won't mention the company's name, because what it's doing is in no way illegal) who can "significantly reduce your property taxes". The company claims that they will handle all paperwork and appeals and attend any hearings or judgements by proxy towards the lowering of your taxes and only will collect a fee if indeed the county grants the homeowner the tax reduction. The company's fee, you ask? 40% of your annualized 2011/2012 property tax savings!!Fellow homeowners, if you wish to use these companies and let them do all the work for you, fine. You may reduce your taxes. But I wish to tell you that this process is ENTIRELY FREE and ENTIRELY EASY to do.First, you must assume that your property has declined in value from last year. If so, go to www.sdarcc.com and click to print an assessment appeal form. Now, here's where knowing a friendly Realtor like myself (!) comes into play. The only way to prove declined value in your property is to provide comparable properties near yours, like yours that have sold for less than your assessed value in the last 3-6 months. We Realtors have that information. I can't speak for all agents but I would be happy to help homeowners for nothing. Maybe you'll remember me down the road when searching for property. Please contact me.