Because of a delay in delivering the reassessment letters in May, the deadline for filing an appeal has been extended to June 15 for Jeffco only. I was told that it wasn't because of delayed mailing by the assessor's office, but rather a screw-up at the Postal Service's Quebec Street mail processing center.
I recommend appealing in person. When I've gone in person, I've been successful, but last year when I mailed my appeal, I was denied despite a really clear case for reduction.
In my May 4th column I overlooked an important tool: Use the Advanced Sales Search tab on the assessor's web page for your home to quickly find the best comps. I found that my home was overvalued by $127,000! Here's a screen shot of how I used that tab:
The line under the blue bar near the top is my house. Below that you can see how I entered search criteria matching my style (Ranch), year built, main square footage and condition (good to excellent). I also selected "Single Family," then clicked "Search" and boom! -- three perfect comps. I printed out this screen shot and took it with me to my in-person appeal at the assessor's office.
The assessor’s office admits that its computer software is “broken,” and urges “everyone” to check their comps and appeal. My source said that the prior assessor's "penny-pinching" had hurt the quality of the office's work, but she praised the current assessor, Ron Sandstrom, for turning things around -- but acknowledged the turn-around is not complete.
Published June 1, 2017, in much abbreviated form in the Denver Post's
YourHub sections serving Jefferson County.
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