People throughout Ohio are hoping to lower their tax bills on real estate they claim would have sold for far more money just three years ago, when counties last assessed property values.
In Cuyahoga County, formal requests for hearings or new valuations of property have already topped the 10,400 mark this year - compared to less than two thousand in a typical year.
Bob Chambers of the Board of Revisions says the largest numbers of inquiries generally occur in the final weeks before the March 31st deadline.
Having anticipated the rush, his staff has been bolstered with extra workers, and has already begun processing the forms its' received.
Summit County Fiscal Officer John Donofrio reports nearly 1,200 requests for valuation decreases there, another figure that represents a substantial increase over most third year requests.
In Lake County, Supervisor of Appraisals Michael Evangelista said 640 requests have already been filed, of that county's 108,000 properties.
Evangelista says for any county, a potential change in assessment must be diligently researched.
MICHAEL EVANGELISTA: "The buzzword in appraisal is homogeneous. We want to make sure they're the same era, same style, same quality. Inside each appraisal neighborhood. And that way they get a fair shake."
But that fair shake has to go both ways, so as not to empty county tax coffers based on a one year fluctuation in prices. Which may mean your house is still more worth than you think, because properties are compared to county figures from the last assessment, PLUS comparable sales from 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Still, the deadline means more people may ask about new evaluations. Paperwork must be filed by 4;30, March 31st.
