I think your agent is not a property tax expert.You want to look up the process yourself for your area and see how it works.You also want to investigate HELOC's and any collection repurcussions in your state versus a regular loan if you default later on.Some properties are under assessed and not over assessed so just make sure you have a strong case or your tax bill could go up instead.

It also ensures one has the ability to pay dues and assessments.

Do I try to put down an offer with some kind of option period to lock it in while I do due diligence on the property (bring in a contractor to assess rehab while I continue to evaluate rents, loan options, etc.) or do I try to arrange an in person review of the house and assess rehab prior to making any kind of formal offer?

I'm trying to build an excel spreadsheet to help me quickly perform assessments and this review is tremendously helpful!

I've read over the 2% and 50% rule and they make sense, and obviously are techniques to "screen" or do top-level analysis to help quickly triage a deal.As I've crunched numbers on hypothetical deals I've always pulled out PITI (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) out of the monthly rent to assess what the cash flow might be.

No harm in trying to see how to get taxes lowered (you'll still be assessed for the value of the land at minimum, but some reduction is better than none).

(earthquake/tornado/flooding etc)I have 2 rentals at the moment and am looking to grow but trying to juggle damage assessment for 10-15+ rentals (especially when I might have damage to my own home) after a hurricane seems like it would be a nightmare.Anyone out there that has experience managing scenarios like this?

The plight of short sales is buyer's wanting to prove their value assessment and change the mind of the mortgagee.

'Eminant domained' an entire neighbhorhood with my properties and assessed the value far below my financing and I lost all of my equity.

And the siding- needs to be removed and replaced over the entire structure.The owners claim all the interior work done has only raised the assessment by about $8K to its current level.I like the house, but really feel I need an expert opinion on its market value before negotiating with the owners on the price.