Online help for disputing property tax

SNOQUALMIE - When Jerry Hall found out how much King County wanted him to pay in property taxes this year, he said it was the last straw.

The accessed valuation for his property in the Meadowbrook neighborhood in Snoqualmie had gone up 80 percent from the previous year, and the years prior were not much kinder, with valuation usually going above and beyond the 10- to 15-percent rate of appreciation.

"I wanted to tell them to come out here and buy this building if they think it is worth that much," he said.

Hall contested his valuation to the county and won. He had already contested the valuation the county put on a house he owned in the Indian Hill neighborhood and had dealt with the county many times while trying to run businesses out of the Meadowbrook building.

Hall, who now lives in Deer Park, north of Spokane, thinks other property owners should have the same success he had. He launched a Web site earlier this week that helps property owners appeal their valuation to the county called www.propertytaxdispute.com.

"People tend to just roll over and accept whatever they [King County assessors] say," Hall stated.

For $18, users can download a form to file with the county with all the information needed to make their case. Homeowners just fill in the blanks. For another $80, Hall and his small staff will research other properties which the property owner can use for comparison.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this weeks Valley Record

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