Property taxes are based on an assessed value set by the taxing jurisdiction - in Maryland by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation and in West Virginia by the county assessor. Assessments are developed by mass appraisal, not by an individual appraisal of your property, and they can come in above market value. Each jurisdiction provides an appeal process, and the document that supports an appeal is an independent appraisal showing what the property was actually worth on the assessment's valuation date.
When a tax appeal appraisal is needed
Consider an appeal when your assessed value appears higher than what your property would sell for - for example after a reassessment, when comparable homes nearby are assessed lower than yours, or when the assessment record contains errors about your property, such as incorrect square footage, room counts, or condition. An appraisal prepared for the appeal documents the property's characteristics as they actually are, analyzes comparable sales from the period around the valuation date, and states a supported opinion of market value that the appeal board or hearing officer can weigh against the assessment.
How the process works with Sanicola Appraisals
We confirm the jurisdiction, the assessment being challenged, and its valuation date, since the appraisal must speak to that date. We then inspect and document the property, correct the factual record where the assessment is wrong, and analyze comparable sales appropriate to the valuation date. The report is prepared to appraisal standards (USPAP) so it can be submitted with your appeal and, where a hearing is held, explained by the appraiser. Deadlines for filing appeals are set by each jurisdiction and are strict - starting the appraisal early in the appeal window protects your filing date.
Sanicola Appraisals, LLC provides tax appeal appraisals in Washington County and Frederick County, Maryland; Berkeley County and Jefferson County, West Virginia.
Request a tax appeal appraisal
Call Sanicola Appraisals, LLC at (240) 217-7778 with your assessment notice in hand, and we will talk through whether an appeal is worth pursuing.