Frequently Asked Questions
Look what another satisfied client has to say:
"Lake County Appeal did a terrific job for me on researching, analyzing and preparing a property tax appeal. I would recommend your services to anyone interested in property tax relief. You were timely, informative, prompt and accurate in your assessment of my situation and prepared a successful appeal!"
Bob Riddle
Lake County Resident
Mr. Riddle saved $3,043 on his 2009 tax bill,
$1,813 on his 2010 tax bill,
& $1,538 on his 2011 tax bill!
$1,813 on his 2010 tax bill,
& $1,538 on his 2011 tax bill!
We lowered market values for our client's by over
$145,000,000
in 2009/10!
LET US LOWER YOUR TAX BILL AND SAVE YOU MONEY!
Did you know...
Once you receive your BLUE ASSESSMENT NOTICE from the County, you only have 30 days to appeal to the Board of Review. Why worry about missing the deadline or waiting too long to contact us just to find out we are already booked for the year?
Purchase an Assessment Review now and secure your place for a review of your assessed value. If you can benefit from an appeal we will make sure to meet all deadlines and prepare all of the necessary paperwork and documentation at NO RISK TO YOU! You only pay for an appeal if we win...that is our promise at Lake County Appeal.
- How can you help me to lower my Lake County property taxes?
- Technically, at Lake County Appeal, we are fighting the assessed value of your property which determines your property tax bill. When we lower your assessed value, your property tax bill will be lower too. There are many ways to go about an assessment reduction and we take the time to review each case individually to determine the best method for a successful reduction.
- How successful are you at reducing property taxes?
- We have better than a 94% success rate
on our appeals! In 2009/10, we lowered fair market values for our clients by over 145 MILLION DOLLARS ($145,000,000.00)!
- Why should I use Lake County Appeal? Can't I just do an appeal myself?
- All of us at Lake County Appeal are experienced and familiar with how the assessment and appeal process works. A quick search on the internet will verify that trying to appeal your value in Lake County is very difficult and some people will tell you that it is almost impossible to succeed on your own. Why waste your valuable time when you do not even know if it will be worth one red cent? For only $65, we will review your assessed value. If we can help to lower your assessed value than we will proceed with an appeal at no additional charge unless we succeed!
- Who should use Lake County Appeal?
- Everyone needs to have an advocate on their side to ensure you are being properly assessed and taxed by Lake County. There are certain cases when it is imperative that you check your assessed value. If any one of the following situations apply to you within the past three years, be sure to have a complete assessment review done right away! These situations include:
- A new Home Purchase
- An existing Home Purchase
- A new Home Construction Project
- A Remodel and/or Addition
- A new Pool
- A new Gazebo, Outbuilding, Shed or Garage
- A refinanced mortgage.
- How much do you charge?
- To review your assessed value, we charge a one time fee of only $65. We will review your assessment on multiple levels to make sure you are being assessed fairly and equitably. We will also search for any errors or omissions that could be costing you money every year. (For some errors we can even get you a refund from the year before too!) We will notify you of our findings and if an appeal is warranted we will proceed with your appeal at NO ADDITIONAL UPFRONT CHARGE TO YOU! We only charge a percentage of the money we save you with no risk to you. Our fee for an appeal is only 25% of your savings with absolutely no hidden fees or surcharges. If Lake County Appeal saves you $4,000 a year than our one-time fee is only 25%, or just $1,000, and the remaining $3,000 savings is all yours! If we are unsuccessful in your appeal, you owe us nothing. It really is that simple.
- What information do you need from me before you can check if I am fairly assessed?
- For a complete assessment review, click here. Once your assessment review purchase is complete, you will receive two e-mails. The first e-mail will be your receipt, the second e-mail will contain a link to download the simple form that needs to be completed and returned to us either by e-mail, fax, or post office mail. At that point, you are done! We will contact you if we need any additional documentation. Most clients do not need to invest more than ten minutes in their appeal.
- Once I send my information, how long until I know the results of my assessment review?
- We will send you an acknowledgment that we are in receipt of your information within 24 hours. Once the Assessor publishes your new assessed value we can then complete our work at Lake County Appeal. Please be aware that we are at the mercy of the County and Township Assessors. Until we have the necessary information from the County we cannot finish our research. As soon as the information is available we will proceed so YOU DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT ANY DEADLINES...Lake County Appeal will always keep you on track!
- Who is Lake County Appeal?
- All of us at Lake County Appeal have extensive backgrounds in our respective field. We are made up of, and consult with:
- Past Township Assessors
- Real Estate Attorneys
- Licensed Illinois Appraisers
- Licensed Illinois Real Estate Brokers
- Licensed Illinois Real Estate Agents
- Local Builders & Developers
- Real Estate Experts
- We all work together to find the best angle to approach your individual appeal. No two appeals are the same and there is no simple way to successfully win an appeal on a property.
- What is the best way to contact Lake County Appeal?
- E-mail is the best method to reach us. You can click here to e-mail us. We work day and night to process the tremendous number of contacts we receive in a day and we have found that e-mail assists us when working these long hours by allowing us to reply as soon as we possibly can.
- We can also be reached by phone Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM at (847) 790-7400. We have team members waiting to assist you!