Property Tax Appeal to Michigan Tax Tribunal

[Matt Peterson]

Hello, does anyone have any advice on how to bring a local failed tax assessment appeal to the Michigan Tax Tribunal? I appealed two properties this year. I had success at one of my rentals, as the assessor uncapped the taxable value to match the assessed value two years in a row. That one was easy and didn't even reach the local Board of Review as I pointed out that doing this was against Michigan law. However, I am having tax assessment issues at my personal residence, which was purchased in 2019. Through a HELOC application process last summer, I came to realize that my property is assessed 35% higher than the most similar 3 bed/1.5 bath colonials in the neighborhood. To add to that, most properties in the neighborhood had a decrease of a few hundred dollars in assessed value for 2023 vs 2022, while mine was hit with a $10,500 increase. During the HELOC application, my home was appraised at just about the same price as the most comparable home, and within two weeks of that sale. This is the first comparable shown in the attached image of the spreadsheet that I put together for the local tax Board of Review. My packet had a nice cover letter, the comparables as shown in the image, and the appraisal packet received the end of July 2022. With all of this evidence, the appeal still failed. What makes me feel even worse, is that no one in the local Assessors office has been able to give me any reasons why my home would be assessed so high. It's even assessed much higher than larger and more updated colonials in the neighborhood, as shown in the second block of comparables. Does anyone have any advice for my situation? Is it difficult or worth it to take this to the Michigan Tax Tribunal? Thanks for any help.