I apologize ahead of time if I'm posting this to the wrong section of this message board. Does anyone know of a property tax appeal attorney in the Glen Ellyn or Wheaton area? From what I've heard they typically charge about 35% of the whatever amount they're able to save the homeowner if the appeal is successful.

At any rate, at over $20K in taxes we need all the help we can get. However, I don't know of any local attorneys who do this type of work. Any help/leads are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I was doing a little research on this subject myself. Looking at the respective market shares of the attorneys listed, maybe you might want to consider retaining one of the firms mentioned in this article They seem to do quite well in Cook County.

Good luck with your efforts!

I only know of Bill Brestel in Naperville, but never dealt with his firm directly.

You have to be very careful with these guys (Especially in Chicago) Rumor has it some are "Friends" with some of the Assessors and they have a little scheme that plays out where your assessed high, the Tax Attorney "fixes"it. You pay the Tax Attorney. . .The Assessor gets an envelope. . . Your re-assessed (high or even higher)again and the cycle repeats itself.

Make sure the guy you use has a really good reputation and track record. I used one last year, this year my taxes are manageable. One year I filed the appeal, and told the assessor that the taxes are built into the lease, (meaning if the taxes increase the tenant picks up that portion of the additional taxes based on a percentage of the property they occupy.). I explained that many of retailers wouldn't be able to absorb the reassessed value (this is when the re-assessed all of the building in the CBD at double Yes Double their previous value.) The assessor looked at me and calmly said. "Maybe you should get better tenants".

You can also try to tackle this yourself, by finding comps in your area and pulling the tax records for these to make sure your not being overcharged. Pull your own tax records and actually measure your lot, house ect to make sure your sq footage is in agreement with the assessor's (They tend to make mistakes in their favor.)

After you do all of that, you can file your own appeal (you may also need to bring an envelope). Then the assessor will look at you and maybe give you $30 or $40 dollar credit for your efforts, b/c they really don't give a Sh!t.