CLEVELAND — A growing number of homeowners are trying to make falling property values work for them by asking the government for a tax break.
Some are winning cuts worth hundreds of dollars in taxes that traditionally help pay for everything from law enforcement to road crews in a city or county.
Nationwide, home values are falling because of deeply discounted foreclosures, harder to-get mortgages and an economy in shambles.
Faced with property tax bills that still reflect heady prices of the boom years, more homeowners are learning about the appeals process.
The obscure and once-rare process of appealing property taxes usually involves no fees and no need to hire an attorney or an appraiser.
The number of appeals for the 2007 tax year went up from 10 percent in Collier County, Fla., to almost 90 percent in Clark County, Nev.
Any property owner who thinks the government has placed an unfair value on a piece of land has the right to challenge that decision.
What’s brought wider attention to this right are skidding property values, especially in markets plagued by foreclosures.
