Jul 24, 2002 By Paul Sunyak 2 min read

Fayette County is offering property owners a “tremendous tool” to assist them in researching and preparing a tax assessment appeal, according to the county’s chief assessor. By clicking on the “sales criteria” heading on the reassessment project Web site – located at www.fayetteproperty.org – anyone can find out property sale prices by street, valuation neighborhood or municipality.

James A. Hercik, CPE, said the search engine also allows people to customize their search by including such things as sale price, square footage, building style, year built and number of stories.

Research that would have taken days in the era before computerization and Internet access now takes only minutes, Hercik said.

“Everything’s right there on the Web for them. It can’t be any easier,” Hercik said. “And the Web site’s available 24/7, where the courthouse hours are restricted.”

Although the Web site offers sales data stretching back 10 years, Hercik advises property owners to restrict their search to the last three years.

Those sales formed the backbone of the new tax assessments computed by Cole Layer Trumble, the company that updated the county’s assessments for the first time since 1958.

“It (three years) gives them a more recent search and a more well rounded search. It kind of levels out the economy (swings), so to speak,” Hercik said.

The “sales criteria” search gives you a listing of recent sales according to the criteria you input. You can then click on those parcel ID numbers to find out more details about the property, especially to see how it compares to your own in style, size, acreage and amenities.

“You can click on any of those parcel ID numbers and see a photograph of that house. See if it is comparable to your home,” Hercik said.

Finding properties that are similar to yours but have sold within the past three years for a price lower than your new assessed value gives you the type of ammunition that is effective in an appeals board hearing.

Thus far, 1,400 property owners have filed for an appeal, a number roughly half the 3,000 that Hercik estimated would occur. However, with seven days left to appeal for the 2003 tax year, the number could easily reach the estimated mark.