Bruce Sokol, a trained real estate appraiser, noticed in conversations with Real Estate Brokers that they complained regularly about “unfairly high real estate taxes.” Brokers reported that this, more than anything else, kept them from selling their real estate listings. Then, when they finally did sell their property, they received a lower sales price - because of the unfairly high real estate taxes.

Brokers asked Bruce Sokol to help them reduce their property taxes in order to make their properties more marketable.

Bruce then spent years researching the real estate tax system: What rules and regulations in New York State determine if a property assessment is fair? And if it's not fair, then how does the law allow for a property owner to state his case – to reduce assessment and taxes?

The following represents the typical process Bruce goes through with every tax appeal.

First, determine if the property is over assessed and if the owner is paying too much in taxes. Bruce takes the assessment of the property and compares that assessment to the property's market value. If the assessment is higher than the market value, then the property is over assessed, and the owner is indeed paying too much in taxes. Once it is determined that a property is over assessed, the tax appeal process can begin. In 95% of all cases, this process results in a successful and substantial reduction of property taxes.

Here are some of the steps involved:

1. If a property assessment turns out to be fair, then the suggestion is made that property owners not waste their time and money to protest the real estate taxes.
2. If a property assessment turns out to be excessive, then an appraisal is developed to demonstrate the actual value of the property.
3. A complaint is filed with the municipality on the property owner's behalf.
4. Testimony is provided to the municipality on the value of the property.
5. If filing an appeal is not successful at the municipal level, then a second appeal is made to a higher-level tribunal in the county where the property is located.
6. An appearance is made and testimony given as to the value of the property, before an officer or judge who hears the appeal.
7. The process ends when the client receives a refund from the municipality (which occurs in most cases), along with a new and fair property assessment.

Bruce Sokol is a licensed New York State Certified General Real Estate Appraiser with over 25 years of hands-on experience. During those years Bruce has appraised over 10,000 properties - ranging from single-family homes and multiple family dwellings to apartment buildings. The purpose for an appraisal varies: from tax appeals, estate planning, mortgage loans, and litigation. In this capacity, he has testified in Federal and State Courts on his clients' behalf. For over 10 years Bruce has specialized primarily in the appeal of real estate taxes.

Regardless of the need – be it for real estate taxes, analysis, or appraisals - Bruce Sokol combines the requisite knowledge, experience, and expertise in a way that provides his clients with the service, success and satisfaction they have come to expect.