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Showing posts from January 20, 2013

Tools of the Trade - CookCountyAssessor.com

Assessor's Web Site Screen Grab by  Michael H. Wasserman, Attorney at Law Whenever a client hires me in connection with a local real estate purchase or sale, one of the first things I do is check out the local county assessorā€™s web site. For Cook County transactions, that would be here . The property search function allows home buyers, owners, and the professionals that represent them, many data points that can be critical to their deals. I am on this site every day. What the Assessorā€™s Office Does The Assessor sets the valuations (worth) of each of Cook Countyā€™s 1.8 millions parcels of property. These assessments are then plugged into the mathematical formula used to calculate our annual property taxes. Your propertyā€™s assessed value, in part, determines how much you will pay in property taxes. Taxes are likewise impacted by the use (or failure to claim) any of several recognized tax ā€œexemptions.ā€ Why I Search A check in with the County Assessor helps me assure cli...