Yesterday in Part 1 of this post, I wrote about the mystery of the Cook County Property Assessment Process. Adding to the confusion of property assessments is the fact that the assessments contain a lot of erroneous data. That’s one of the reasons why automated home valuation systems such as Zillow.Com are so often off the mark. The “zestimates” are partially based on the assessor’s data much of which is inaccurate or incomplete.
I wrote about this back in May in my post, “Sneak a Peek, But Don’t Put Money on It.” Since that post, the Cook County Assessor’s website now shows that one of the properties erroneously listed as a 1-story is now a 2-story house, but it still has the number of bathrooms wrong and is incorrect in saying that the house doesn’t have a basement. I know it does, because I’ve been in the house.
Home buyers considering a purchase in Chicago or suburban Cook County (or anywhere for that matter) should check the property assessment for the property they are interested in to see how accurate the data is. If the information about the home is underreported, the new owners may get a property tax bill surprise when the property is reassessed after the purchase. To check Cook County Property Assessments visit the Cook County Assessors Property Search System.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Bailey shows, previews and tracks downtown Chicago homes for sale giving her the insights needed to help her clients negotiate the best price and terms. Fran has been quoted in numerous Chicago and national publications. To schedule showings of listings regardless of broker or to contact Fran email her at fran.bailey@bairdwarner.com or call 773.793.4516. Learn More
Fran Bailey, Realtor
