Colliers International's property tax assessment appeal website critique

Property Assessment Appeals (Canada)

Property assessment appeals in Canada

Orientation

Google 'Property Assessment Appeals in Canada' and one of the first links which appears is from Colliers International Property Tax Services. On its website, Colliers advertises itself as "dedicated to reducing the amount you pay for your property tax. We will review your commercial property tax assessment and help you appeal that assessment if it is too high" ("Property tax services," 2014). The motivation behind this website is clearly to advertise the services of the organization. People who feel that their property has been overvalued will likely be looking online for assistance. The website presents its information in a relatively objective and matter-of-fact manner. It hopes it may initially draw people simply looking for more information after they are unhappy with their assessment and then will turn to Colliers as a trusted source of data first and as a source of help second.

What is the relevance of the site to real estate practitioner?

Property taxes are obviously concern of sellers and buyers when they are considering selling or purchasing a new home. If a house's value is reassessed, this may affect the value of the houses in the area over the long-term and selling prospects. Elements which go into a property tax assessment are similar to those which inform the assessment of an entire property, including a comparison of recent sales; trends in the area; the assessed value of similar area properties; and costs of home ownership.

Overall, although I have not personally used the services and the website is obviously intended to function as advertising, I generally agree with the idea that it is sensible to get one's property reassessed if the homeowner believes there has been an error: if this is not done, not only might the homeowner pay needless taxes but it could also affect their ability to sell the property in the long-term .Suggesting a reassessment is not out-of-line with what I might recommend to a homeowner who is struggling to sell because potential buyers might be afraid of the potentially high property taxes they will have to shoulder if they make the purchase.