The numerical value The value of your property as determined by your county tax assessor. This is the numerical value of your home that is used to determine the amount that you owe in property taxes. Individual tax assessors have a great amount of discretion when they try to determine the value of your property. Some of the most important factors they will consider are recent improvements to your home, value of other homes in your neighborhood and of course recent increases in property tax rates.

check and compare to other rates in your area The only way to get an accurate picture of what your home is worth and how much you should pay is to do some investigation on your own. Check with the County Tax Assessor's office to see what is happening with the rates on properties in your area.

If you don't agree with dollar amount, contact county tax office for a review or to file a complaint If you feel that they have been overzealous in inflating the value of your property, there should be many avenues for a review. These avenues include a second evaluation, a professional appraisal of the property and possibly a judicial revue if you absolutely cannot agree with the county administrators.

Property taxes are by far the largest source of revenue for many municipalities. However, business taxes are also important so a town with a healthy economic base can offset property taxes with the increased revenue from local businesses.

Don't agree with your tax assessment? Take it up with your county tax assessor's office or perhaps a state office. Sometimes overall changes in state laws can lead to rapid increases or decreases in the amount of property taxes that are assessed.

Recent local government expansion or population growth can lead to a need for revenue Check for recent municipal developments such as new roads, new schools or new government offices. All of these are signals that your county will probably need more cash to maintain their operating expenses.