But
first,
last
night,
some
of
my
MBA
Accounting
students
graciously
volunteered
with
me
to
help
Atlanta
homeowners
appeal
their
property
taxes
through
the
Atlanta

Beltline
Property
Tax
Assistance
(shout
out
to
Marian
Davis)
in
partnership
with

Atlanta
Legal
Aid
(shout
out
to
Stacy
Reynolds).

Here’s
just
one
example
of
what
we
saw: 

In
short,
in
one
year,
this
home’s
value
almost

doubled.
That’s
great
if
you’re
selling
the
home
or
refinancing
to
pull
out
equity,
but
it’s
a
nightmare
when
you
suddenly
have
to
pay
more
in
property
taxes,
which,
if
you
are
not
able
to
pay,
could
mean
you
lose
your
home
due
to
a
tax
foreclosure
or
tax
deed
sale.

Yeesh.

And
guess
what?
We
noticed
many

homeowners
had
lived
in
their
homes
for

years
and
didn’t
have
a
homestead
exemption,
which
is
offered
in
most
states
across
the
U.S.
This
exemption
gives
you
an
automatic
discount
for
living
in
the
home
as
an
owner-occupant
(in
other
words,
if
you’re
not
an
investor,
the
state
will
give
you
a
tax
break).
But
here’s
the
catch:
You
have
to
ask
for
it.
You
have
to
opt
in.
It’s
not
automatic—which
is
a
shame,
but
we’ll
talk
about
lobbying
for
that
another
day.

The
next
thing
we
noticed
(since
this
is
all
public
record)
was
that
many
people
had
neighbors
who
not
only
appealed
their
property
taxes
but

won
the
appeal—locking
in
a
reduced
rate
for
multiple
years.
And
clearly,
those
neighbors
didn’t
spread
the
word.
It’s
better
late
than
never,
but
we
saw
so
many
people
who’d
lived
in
their
homes
5
to
10
years
without
a
homestead
exemption
and

never
knew
they
could
file
an
appeal
to
at
least
freeze
their
property
tax
rate
(so
it
doesn’t
go
up
every
year).

Yikes.

Now,
if
you’re
here
in
Georgia,
here’s
some
good
news:
For
the
first
time
ever,
even
if
you
missed
the
homestead
exemption
deadline
(typically
around
April
1,
depending
on
your
county),
you
can
file
for
it
right
now
while
submitting
a
property
tax
appeal—but
all
of
this
is
due
by
August
1.

Sharing
is
caring,
so
make
sure
you
pass
this
along
to
any
homeowners
you
know,
whether
in
the
great
state
of
Georgia
or
not,
so
that
they
can
at
least
prepare
for
next
year’s
deadline.
Again,
we
were
shocked
to
see
how
many
people
didn’t
have
a
homestead
exemption
or
had

never
filed
an
appeal
to
lower—or
freeze—their
property
taxes.

Lastly,
since
I
am
wearing
my
professor
hat,
it
makes
sense
that
I
have
homework
for
you
to
help
both
your
business
grow
and
to
create
brand
loyalty
among
your
neighbors.

Homework
for

real
estate
pros
(looking
at
my
Mortgage
Brokers
&

Real
Estate
Agents
friends):

• Homestead
  exemption:
  
  Remind
  your
  clients
  to
  apply
  ASAP—it’s
  not
  automatic!
• Appeal
  deadlines:
  In
  Georgia,
  
  August
  1
  is
  the
  cutoff
  this
  year
  for
  appeals
  and,
  
  for
  the
  first
  time,
  late
  homestead
  filings. 
• Neighborly
  duty:
  Many
  homeowners
  miss
  out
  simply
  because
  no
  one
  told
  them.
  Be
  the
  one
  who
  does
  even
  if
  they
  were
  
  not
  your
  client!
  BONUS:
  As
  a
  real
  estate
  pro,
  this
  is
  a
  
  tried-and-true,
  old-school
  marketing
  tip
  that
  promotes
  goodwill
  and
  helps
  to
  build
  your
  book
  of
  new
  business.

Happy
learning!

Lee
Davenport
is
an
international
real
estate
educator
(as
well
as
a
former
RE/MAX
managing
broker
and
agent).

This
column
does
not
necessarily
reflect
the
opinion
of
HousingWire’s
editorial
department
and
its
owners.

To
contact
the
editor
responsible
for
this
piece:



[email protected].