Evidence
How Illinois assessments are built, where they go wrong, and what an owner can actually do about it. 105 articles, written to be useful to somebody who then does it themselves.
How to find comparable properties for a tax appeal
Start from the county's own records, not from what you know about the neighbourhood.
Evidence · 3 min
What makes a comparable good enough to use
Similarity on recorded attributes, proximity, and nothing clever. Four tight ones beat twenty loose.
Evidence · 3 min
Using your county's parcel search like an assessor would
Every Illinois county publishes a searchable roll. Most owners never open theirs.
Evidence · 2 min
Assessed value per square foot: the number that makes comparisons possible
Raw assessments cannot be compared. Rates can.
Evidence · 2 min
Why a Zestimate will not help your appeal
Automated values are not accepted as evidence of value, and boards say so out loud.
Evidence · 2 min
When paying for an appraisal is worth it
A few hundred dollars against a multi-year saving — the arithmetic is usually clear either way.
Evidence · 2 min
Documenting a factual error in your property record
The easiest win available, and it needs evidence rather than argument.
Evidence · 2 min
Where to find recent sales data free
County recorder, assessor sales files, and IDOR declarations — no subscription needed.
Evidence · 2 min
The valuation date: why last month's sale may be the wrong evidence
An assessment speaks to a specific date. Evidence has to speak to the same one.
Evidence · 2 min
Building an evidence packet a board can actually use
One page of argument, one table, and the records behind it. In that order.
Evidence · 2 min
Using photographs as evidence
Photographs prove condition and prove absence. Both are worth more than description.
Evidence · 2 min
Adjusting comparables when nothing matches exactly
Small differences can be adjusted for. Large ones mean you picked the wrong comparable.
Evidence · 2 min
How many comparables you actually need
Three to five tight ones. More is not stronger, and it is often weaker.
Evidence · 2 min
How to read a property record card
The county's full description of your house, and the single best place to find a winnable error.
Evidence · 2 min
Writing the appeal so it is decided in your favour on paper
Many appeals never get a hearing. Write as though yours will not.
Evidence · 2 min