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Hi Montgomery County Friends:

 
You have 45 days to appeal from the date of the tax assessment notice. This is strictly enforced.
 
Recent cases:
Steps to take when appealing the assessment:
  • Confirm deadline (45 days from Notice of Assessment)
  • Print SDAT property record and identify factual errors
  • Select 3 - 4 comps only - same neighborhood, similar home style, similar lot size
  • Build an adjustment table and reconcile to one set value - do not give a range
  • Add labeled photos and repair estimates for major condition issues - be careful because this will create a record; you may need to disclose this information when selling your home
  • Submit through SDAT portal by the deadline
There is good news and bad news:
  • Your home’s fair market value is not tied to the government-assessed value in any way. This is merely a way for the tax to be calculated and collected.
  • Your home is probably and likely worth more than you might think if you purchased it more than five years ago - yes, this is good news!
  • If the value went down (yes, some neighbor assessments went down in value), don’t argue it. They will eventually catch up.
  • Most of the assessments I’ve seen are still below the market value I would expect if you were to put your home on the market for sale. :)
  • It’s easy to appeal online.
Arguments for or against the value of a home - best to use as a comparison to OTHER properties:
  • Bedroom count
  • Bathroom count
  • Bathrooms upstairs (Just one bath on bedroom level vs. two+ on bedroom level)
  • Main-floor bedroom suite
  • Above-grade square footage
  • Finished basement
  • Walkout basement
  • Finished attic
  • Walk-up stairs vs. pull-down stairs
  • Garage 
  • Size of garage
  • Lot square footage
  • Topography of the lot
  • Floodplain or not
  • Condition of homes next door
  • Condition of homes on the same block
  • Age of systems
  • Age of the roof
  • Updates of the kitchen and baths three years, five years, or more than ten years ago
  • Adjacency to parks, pools, or pickleball (pickleball is often a negative due to sound)
  • How far to the bus stop
  • How far to the Metro
  • Lot location (Main road? Backs to parks?)
  • Views
 
As an example of how to gather appropriate data, I’ve organized 2025 sales for a few local Bethesda neighborhoods. In this case, these galleries (or Collections) allow you to scroll through photos and get a better sense of the condition of each property. It’s harder to extrapolate conditions from the spreadsheet, so this is great for a cross-reference.
 
SAMPLE NEIGHBORHOODS: 

 

  • There are several distinct subdivision-specific assets or deficiencies that might impact the overall market value of your home, so pay attention to the specific sales data in your immediate subdivision. 
  • The state/county assessments are based on very general inputs - and most are easily skewed - so taking a hard look at your own home condition and specifically your subdivision is key to making your case.
  • This variety is why the tax assessments can range so widely. Within a relatively small geographic footprint, we’re made up of many distinct neighborhoods, and that patchwork is exactly why homeowners can argue their case on tax assessments.

 

Need help with information about your home and your specific neighborhood? Reach out today? We can send you an update specific to your needs.

 

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Dana Rice Group team brings more than 45 years' combined expertise to work for our clients. Dana, Lisa, Kcrystal, Karen, Kate, Brian and Catie work as interchangeable parts so our buyers and sellers always have access to personal, hands-on support. With varying backgrounds in architecture, staging, marketing, sales and communications we have unique perspectives on the market -- servicing both first time buyers and those looking at properties in the upper brackets with diligence, care and excellence. With decades of living in Maryland and D.C. between us, we work together to ensure that clients achieve success.
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