Tax assessor inspection tomorrow

[quote] I’d appreciate suggestions for making my house look less valuable.

Be present during the inspection.

Present (unwashed) hole

Place a pier mirror in front of at least 2.5 bathrooms.

Start your fireplace with the flu closed.

Use your non-exterior vent on your island grill.

Wear heels so he knows it’s pergo.

R1–I intend to be there and I’ve picked my outfit which is all Hanes, dingy white, all full of holes.

Um, the word you're looking for is "flue."

Donald Trump is the master of tax evasion, you'll have to ask him.

From what I gather, you have nothing to worry about.

I tried to “ugly down” my house - didn’t work. They really just care about square footage. I spent a ton of time and money on it because my house was sold for 60% of neighbors but my taxes were only 10% less. Saved about $500 year. Waste of time - mainly because it’s largely illogical and it’s a mind numbing bureaucracy

Where do you live where they come to inspect your house instead of using sales data? I have never heard of such a thing.

It’s a town-wide re-assessment required by state law (NJ). The purpose is to make sure taxes are allocated fairly—for example to reflect if one part of town has appreciated more than another. Property taxes are very high in NJ. They don’t rely on sales data because some homes have not been sold in decades.

Just a little spritz here and there.

They care about square footage, bedrooms, bathrooms, and things that are impossible to change on short notice.

Go ahead and present hole. But it's pearls before swine.

This is why CA is interesting. Taxes are never reassessed while you live there. Weird and inefficient. Like an owners version of rent control. But also horrible schools.

Drywall is cheap, why not just seal off a bathroom or fireplace and rip it off once the inspector leaves?

He didn’t show. He set the time, and just blew me off.