How to minimize your tax liability during an assessment year

[Tyson Allen]

I am relatively new to real estate investing with 4 single family rentals in the Des Moines Polk County area. My question is around property taxes and how to minimize the increase in assessed value of your property. This year I had a property increase roughly 50,000 in value increasing my tax liability by 1,200. What would be the best way to fight this increase? I understand that I can present comps that have sold in the area to a formal assessor review but does anyone have any other strategies they have used in the past to decrease the assessed value of a single family rental?

To give a little background on this property it was recently remodeled top to bottom and although it looks really nice and a lot of items are new the quality is of average building material. 

Would it be best to request an oral hearing and if so what data should I bring to debate in why my assessed value should be lowered?

Is my best bet to find some comps and submit those?

Any advice would be much appreciated.