Gwinnett County Property Valuations
Manage the assessed value of your Gwinnett County Home to make ownership more affordable and to keep the property competitive when the time comes to sell.
As we know, the start of Spring means that tax season is upon us, a time when many are thinking about their income taxes. But it’s also a time when Gwinnett County Homeowners with mortgages can influence their future monthly payments, specifically the tax portion, and all homeowners, including those without mortgages, can ensure their property is competitive when the time comes to sell.
Occasionally, buyers I work with faced an interesting situation: two identical properties in the same area priced equally, but with different estimated mortgage payments. Why was that? While the estimated principal and interest payments on the mortgage to buy the properties were usually the same, the property with lower taxes often had the advantage and sold sooner than the other, possibly because one owner regularly validated the county’s annual assessment of their property value, and the other hadn’t.
Keep Your Gwinnett County Property Assessments of Value Accurate
There are a couple of methods to keep your mortgage payments fair and your property competitive when the time comes to sell. Please continue reading to learn more and to hear how you can avoid a common mistake that leads to missed opportunities.
Claim the Homestead Exemptions Available to You
One way to manage the property taxes billed on your home is to claim the Gwinnett County Homestead Exemption.
Review and Appeal the County’s Assessment of Your Property Value
Have you ever noticed a mysterious change in your mortgage payment? It could be due to a change in the insurance premium or in the property taxes, resulting from a change in the county’s assessed value. You may be able to change the property taxes billed on your home and influence future mortgage payments due by reviewing the county’s assessment of value and appealing it when you’re not in agreement. The Gwinnett County Annual Notices of Assessments are usually published on the tax assessor’s website and mailed to owners in April and May, and owners may appeal the assessed value within 45 days of the date of the notice. Regardless of whether you have a mortgage, review assessment notices regularly, and file appeals before the deadline if you believe the assessment is inaccurate.
Three Suggestions for Filing a Successful Assessment Appeal
Homeowners typically have one opportunity annually to make their case for a change in the county’s assessment of property value, and including fact-based information helps them succeed. When possible, obtain information from more sources than the automated valuation models (AVMs) found on popular real estate platforms. Real estate agents are all over Gwinnett County, and some are willing to provide a cooperative market analysis of your property that includes more than just the timely sales of similar properties nearby.
If your assessed value is much different than the average sales prices of similar recently sold homes close by, file a PT-311A State Appeal Form online or by mail with the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor’s Office within 45 days of the assessment notice, and include supporting documentation.
Contact the tax assessor’s office regarding the appeal if no response is received within the following few weeks. Tax bills usually go to owners and their mortgage companies around October, so please don’t delay.
A Common Mistake that Contributes to the Loss of an Appeal
Many Gwinnett County Homeowners avoid engaging with local industry professionals and instead rely solely on AVM data to determine the property's value for their assessment appeal. While some AVMs provide accurate current value estimates of Gwinnett County Property, the county assesses values as of January 1, which may not always be readily available. To support your claim for an adjustment, obtain property values from multiple AVMs during late December and early January, or seek advice from an appraiser or a Gwinnett County Real Estate Agent.
Appraisers typically charge a fee for their services and may require an on-site visit and several days to complete and deliver their report. Real estate agents may be more affordable and typically ask only that you follow them on social media, review their services on a public site, allow them to add your email address to their customer relationship management (CRM) system, or some combination of these or another expression of gratitude. Of course, we will ask who you know who may be considering listing their home for sale, but that’s a small price for the value you’ll receive.
More Thoughts on Gwinnett County Property Assessments
As you’ve read, the county’s assessment of value is based on a single day, and it should not be used exclusively as a valuation tool to price your home when it goes on the market in the future. The final assessment will have no bearing on your home's future value, and the property should still be priced competitively when it enters the market. Further, property taxes based on accurate assessments let buyers estimate monthly payments more precisely and may give your home a competitive edge.
My intention is not to reduce the badly needed funds required of Gwinnett County to ensure the continued comfortable lifestyles that many of us enjoy. I’ve owned Gwinnett County Property for over 20 years, and my children were educated in Gwinnett County Public Schools, so I encourage us all to pay accurate and fair property taxes to continue safely enjoying the high quality of our lifestyles.
I’m no financial or tax expert, and this information should be evaluated by a trusted advisor. But I regularly review our assessment notices and submit appeals when there are questions. Sometimes they change, and other times they don’t, but I try to keep my property assessments accurate so that our mortgage payments remain affordable and fair. Our home will be competitive when a buyer compares estimated monthly mortgage payments at the time of sale, and yours can be, too. Review and validate your annual assessment notice to ensure your mortgage payments remain fair for you and future owners.
Remember, the notice is also posted online on the Gwinnett County Tax Assessor's Website.
In closing
If you find this content helpful, please click the like button on the post or video and share it with others so that they, too, may be at peace that their Gwinnett County Property Assessments are accurate, and their mortgage payments are fair. I also invite you to follow me and subscribe to my real estate channels and pages on your preferred platforms using the links below. You’ll then see updates in your “for you” pages, which include my opinions on enjoying an affordable home ownership experience and other information that may be of interest to owners of Gwinnett County Property.
If you're thinking about selling your home or know someone who needs a listing agent to sell their home fast, smoothly, and for more, please call me at (770) 271-2156.
