KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporters talked to experts who said for weeks the best way to dispute a Jackson County property assessment is to file an appeal.
A Jackson County couple says they've done that twice.
It's hard to notice some of the differences between the homes in their Lee's Summit neighborhood, but Jackson County assessors found them.
The assessment team valued some of the houses much higher than others.
Edward and Roberta Johnson's home was one of those with a higher assessed value.
And that resulted in their second appeal.
The couple appealed when their property value was raised years ago, but this time they say the meeting about their assessment was far different.
"When we went in front of the BOE (Board of Equalization) you know, you were in front of a panel and they discussed," Edward Johnson said "They had builders, real-estate people and all that. They had them all there and this time we didn't run into that."
At that meeting, they were told they couldn't use certain documents supporting their appeal.
"We had a real estate agent put a list together for us of comp and it was in the two-mile range that was required and they wouldn't even look at it," Roberta said.
The Board of Equalization referred to the county's own information, which is what caused the Johnson's appeal.
This hasn't been everyone's experience with some appeals smoother and others worse.
“My feeling now is I’d like to sell this home and either rent or get out of Jackson County" Edward Johnson said.
The spokesperson the county hired to manage the assessment response said the county does encourage bringing documentation like the kind the Johnson's did.
That means things like additional comps and info on the surrounding homes.
If there's still a disagreement, the appeal can be elevated to the full Board of Equalization.
