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— -Law Offices
I
MYLES B. HOFFERT
JULIA S. ROSEN
PAIGE HARLEY BACHAND
Tackling Property Taxes
Check with Hoffert & Associates, P.C. to make sure you aren't paying too much.
Esther Allweiss Ingber
Contributing Writer
It's usually not a happy day for home owners when
the annual property tax assessment form comes in the
mail. Chances are they'll look over the form and then
succumb to what seems inevitable: paying the city or
township the amount requested.
Hold off for a moment, advised tax attorney
Myles Hoffert, owner of Hoffert & Associates, P.C., in
Farmington Hills.
"People think they're happy with their assessments
but there is room to appeal," he said. "Most of them
have a misunderstanding of the [property tax] law and
how it's applied."
Hoffert said taxpayers should consider these
questions: Can the stated valuation be challenged?
Can the property tax bill be reduced?
When the answer is yes, Hoffert & Associates,
specialists in property taxation law, is the place to turn.
The general law firm in Southfield that Myles Hoffert
purchased in 1980 and renamed Hoffert & Associates
has grown into one of the largest property tax law firms
in the state. Hoffert & Associates is known for saving its
clients thousands of dollars in taxes.
"Of the cases we take, we get bill reductions of
more than 90 percent," Hoffert said. The biggest, he
recalled, was "a reduction of over $1 million for Toll
Brothers," a local builder.
Property assessment "depends on your
neighborhood, the size of the house, the square
footage and the amenities," Hoffert said, adding
that "real estate agents are the primary source for
determining a home's valuation."
Taxpayers are still feeling the effects of the national
recession that started in mid-2009. A home's location
in different communities is a main factor in determining
property taxes.
"You can't sell a house as easily as you once could,"
Hoffert said. "The market has not come back yet in
Oak Park and Southfield," making tax bills often higher
than residents would expect.
He said Birmingham is not far off with its prices,
calling it a "unique" situation, while noting that some
houses are still overvalued.
"Homes in Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield and
Farmington Hills still have some room, depending on
location, for tax reduction," Hoffert continued.
The upshot, he said, is that "everyone should appeal
their property taxes, even if you think you're OK."
Starting off an appeal, the city or township offers
home owners a period in which to request a review of
the assessment.
"You'll typically be given only five minutes to make
your case," Hoffert said. If the tax bill isn't reduced,
"then you can take it to the Michigan Tax Tribunal,
which is an ongoing tax court in Lansing. It can take
from one to two years to get a hearing before the
Michigan Tax Tribunal."
He said, "The Board of Review in your local
community is required to present your case for the
appeal of property tax assessments."
The big push is to get a case to the Board of Review
during March, because the board meets only that
month.
"For residences, you must file by July 31 in the year
the assessment is received to have your case heard
by the Board of Review," Hoffert said. "The date for
commercial properties is May 31."
Successfully pursuing a reduction can be a
complicated and time-consuming journey. Clients pay
a filing fee of $250. If there is a tax reduction, Hoffert &
Associates charges a contingency fee that is one-third
of the final judgment.
No fee is due until the case is finished. "If you don't
win anything, there is no further fee," Hoffert said.
He is proud to offer some of the more experienced
and competent attorneys in the property tax field,
saying that "four of our former employees have been
appointed to the Michigan Tax Tribunal, and two of
them — Kimball Smith and Fred Morgan — were
appointed chief judges."
Hoffert & Associates is influential in its field. "We
changed the law in Michigan for how homes are valued
based on the cases we filed with appellate courts,"
Hoffert said.
The company currently employs three attorneys and
two paralegals, "so we can give the appropriate service
to our clients," Hoffert said. Julia Rosen, his daughter,
is one of the tax attorneys working at the firm.
Hoffert and his wife, Ronna, members of Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Farmington Hills, also have
another daughter, Mara Hoffert, who is the associate
principal at Bloomfield Hills High School, and their son
Jared Hoffert works for a consulting firm.
Homeowners who don't want to accept their
property assessment "can just call our office to
request services," Hoffert said. "We will send out the
paperwork right away."
32255 Northwestern Highway, Suite 290
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Phone: (248) 702-6100, ext. 0 I Fax: (248) 702-6101
www.hoffertlaw.com
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January 22 • 2015
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