How can the Right Property Tax Agent Simplify My Life?

William Ryan Nov 03, 2021
4 min read
How can the Right Property Tax Agent Simplify My Life?

How can the Right Property Tax Agent Simplify My Life?

Increased Results, Decreased Stress

Extending Your Reach

Tax agents may seem like they are a dime a dozen, but if you want a tax agent to simplify your life, you need to dig a little deeper.  Tax agents come from a wide array of firms, experiences, locations, reputations, and client experiences.  It is important to ask yourself what you are looking for in an agent?  Do you want someone you have to constantly check on to make sure they are meeting the deadlines?  Do you want to feel like they are just another person you must supervise?  Or maybe, your agent cuts you out entirely, doesn’t give you updates until you beg enough, and then only tells you about their successes while leaving out all your other properties. 

 From my experience, that is not usually what a client wants but it is often what they get when they hire the average tax agent.  It is easy to see why an agent who cuts you out or needs your constant monitoring would not simplify your life.  It could even seem like more work to hire an agent, after all, if you need to monitor everything why not do it yourself? 

 If you feel burned out from previous agents, I’m sorry to hear that.  An agent should extend your reach.  Allowing you to do more with your limited time.  The right agent figures out a customized plan with you for how and when you want reports so that you don’t need to ask.  They don’t make last-minute requests, causing you to drop everything to answer in time.  And they certainly don’t need you to remind them of deadlines.  If anything, it should be the reverse where you are being reminded by them because you are so confident they have your back that you can move on with other responsibilities.

Experience

The right tax agent will also simplify your life by having experience in your property type.  They will be a specialist, not a jack-of-all-trades.  They will know the best valuation approaches for your property and market and will use them to secure you the best possible reductions.  A large part of experience comes from visiting your properties and the local market.  Actual boots on the ground, asking the right questions and documenting the right facts.  If your agent is too overburdened to visit your property, then they are missing a critical piece of the valuation puzzle.  They may secure you a reduction, but it’s like slinging mud against the wall to see what sticks.  

Results

The right specialist tax agent will deliver you the best results possible.  Does that always mean a reduction? No, an agent can’t guarantee a result.  But, if they have done everything they should be doing, they will come to you and let you know the results with confidence.  Knowing they left no stone unturned, and no argument omitted.  The results of a specialist in your property type are usually better than the average agent and that can give you confidence when you report the results. 

A tax agent may not simplify your life, but the right specialized tax agent will.  If you are tired of begging for reports, supervising your agent, or only getting part of the story, it sounds like it may be the perfect time to reevaluate your agent and find the right one to simplify your life!  

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