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Property Tax Appeal Appraisal in Claremont and the Inland Empire

An independent appraisal supporting a decline-in-value or assessment appeal filing with the Los Angeles County or San Bernardino County assessor and assessment appeals board. The report documents the property's condition and the closed sales that best reflect it as of the required lien date, in the format a board hearing expects. Particularly relevant where a single street can sit on the county line and carry very different assessed values.

Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (opens the state license lookup)

Who orders this

  • Homeowners who believe the assessed value exceeds market value
  • Tax agents and attorneys representing a property owner
  • Trustees and estates reviewing an assessment after a change in ownership

What the report includes

  • An effective date at the lien date the county uses, January 1 under California Revenue and Taxation Code section 2192, unless the matter requires another date
  • Condition as of that date, documented with photographs and any repair records
  • Comparable sales that reflect the market as of the lien date, chosen from the correct county side or explained when they are not
  • The client, the intended use (what the report will be used for) and the intended users (who may rely on it), stated on the first page
  • The effective date, the date the opinion of value applies to, and the date of the report
  • The scope of work, meaning the inspection, research and analysis performed, including any limits on access
  • Comparable sales chosen for era, pocket and lot character, each with the reason it was used
  • Adjustments for differences such as gross living area, lot size, condition and location, each explained
  • Interior and exterior photographs and a measured sketch of the living area
  • A signed certification with Gordon Hall's California license, BREA No. AR003877

The page a reviewer reads first is the sales comparison grid: the subject beside the closed sales, every difference adjusted and explained. This is its shape, left blank.

Sales comparison approach

File no. blank

Sales comparison, blank
RowSubjectComp. 1Comp. 2Comp. 3
Addressblankblankblankblank
Sale dateblankblankblankblank
Sale priceblankblankblankblank
Gross living areablankblankblankblank
Lot sizeblankblankblankblank
Year builtblankblankblankblank
Conditionblankblankblankblank
View / siteblankblankblankblank
Adjustmentsblankblankblankblank
Adjusted valueblankblankblankblank
Figures come from the inspection and the closed sales on your blocks. A blank grid is shown because report contents are confidential under USPAP.

What we need from you

  • The assessment notice or tax bill and the assessor's parcel number
  • Which county and which step you are at: an informal or decline-in-value review with the assessor, or a formal appeal to the board
  • Evidence of condition as of January 1 (photos, repair estimates, inspection reports)
  • The property address and who will provide access on inspection day
  • The purpose of the appraisal and who will read the report (lender, court, assessor, CPA, trustee or yourself)
  • Permits, plans or a survey for any addition, remodel or ADU
  • A list of improvements with approximate dates

Two assessors, one market

Claremont, La Verne, Pomona and San Dimas assessments are handled by the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, and formal appeals go to the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board. Cross the county line east of the Claremont Colleges, at Mills Avenue into Montclair or at the Claremont and Upland boundary, and the same kind of postwar housing is assessed by the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, with its own Assessment Appeals Board administered by the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors. Each county has its own forms, its own informal review route and its own hearing format.

A decline-in-value appraisal documents the property's condition and the closed sales that best reflect it as of the January 1 lien date. Where the best evidence is a sale across the line, for example a Montclair tract house compared with one on the Claremont side, the report explains the location adjustment rather than leaving the board to guess. Filing periods are set by each county and change from year to year, so confirm the current window on the county's own page before you file; this page does not state one. The board, not the appraiser, decides the outcome.

Timeline and next step

Reports are typically delivered three to five business days from the inspection. The inspection runs 30 to 60 minutes for a standard single-family home, longer for hillside, custom, multi-family or homes with additions that need to be measured and sketched.

The fee is set by the scope of the assignment and quoted before work begins. It does not depend on the value, and it is never contingent on a result.

Call (909) 324-6122 or use the order form well before the county's filing period closes, and note your hearing date if one is set. County pages: Los Angeles County Assessor (assessor.lacounty.gov), Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board (bos.lacounty.gov), San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk (arc.sbcounty.gov), San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board, Assessment Appeals (cob.sbcounty.gov).

Straight answers

Questions

Do you do property tax appeal appraisals for Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties?
Yes, for both. The report documents the property's condition and identifies the closed sales that best reflect it as of the required lien date, in the format an assessment appeals board hearing expects. This matters here because a single street can sit near the county line and carry very different assessed values. Filing windows are fixed and short, so call well before your deadline rather than after.
What is the lien date?
The date the value is measured as of for the tax year. California Revenue and Taxation Code section 2192 attaches property tax liens as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1 preceding the fiscal year, so a decline-in-value appraisal is usually made as of that January 1.
Will an appraisal lower my taxes?
No one can promise that. The appraisal is independent evidence of market value as of the lien date. The assessor or the appeals board weighs it with the county's own evidence and decides. The fee does not depend on the result.
Can you tell me the filing deadline?
Filing periods are set by each county and published on its site. Check the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board or the San Bernardino County Clerk of the Board page for the current period; we do not state deadlines from memory.

Related appraisals

Request this appraisal

The property, the purpose and the effective date set the scope and the fee, which is quoted before work begins.

Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (opens the state license lookup)

The property and the assignment

Effective date of value (optional)

The date the value has to apply to: today, or a date in the past such as a date of death or separation.

How to reach you

Additions, an ADU, a prior appraisal, a hearing date: whatever shapes the scope.

Nothing is scheduled until you say so.

Prepared by Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877. Reports are prepared in conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Nothing here is legal or tax advice. The assessor and the assessment appeals board decide every review and appeal; no outcome is promised or implied.

Get the value documented before someone else needs it.

Two minutes for a fee quote and a turnaround date. Nothing is scheduled until you say so.

Request an appraisal