Access records from the Indiana assessors office When you're interested in investing in a property, it's important that you research that property's history before making a purchase. You should know about ownership changes, construction done on the property and changes in Indiana land values over the years. Indiana property tax records can help to uncover the history of your property.

I recommend:  Go to the Indiana assessors office website for the county which your property of interest is in and do a search on the property's history. Indiana counties such as Vanderburgh County and Lake County provide free online records databases. For a list of contact information and websites for other Indiana counties, visit Assessor Links USA.

Know the regulations for Indiana property assessments There are a number of laws and regulations that Indiana assessors offices and land owners must abide by in order to obtain an accurate and fair assessment of a property's value. Along with the appeals process, there are tax exemptions for seniors and veterans and other ways to save on your property taxes each year.

I recommend:  Visit the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) website for tax summaries by county to better understand how much you pay in taxes and where that money goes. DLGF also provides a list of possible tax deductions and eligibility requirements.

Be sure that your Indiana property assessment is accurate You may find occasion for concern that your local Indiana property assessors calculated an inaccurate value for your investment property. If so, hire an appraiser to provide a second opinion on your Indiana property value. An appraisal will help you to make sure that the Indiana assessors office made an accurate assessment of your property value. If there is a discrepancy, the appraisal provides evidence of a more accurate Indiana property value. If there is an error, file an appeal with your local property assessors offices in Indiana.

I recommend:  AppraiserUSA.com provides a list of appraisers in Indiana by county or city. Go to the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) website for more information on the assessment appeals process in Indiana. To determine how much your property taxes are, visit the DLGF website and use their property tax calculator.

Compare your Indiana property tax records to others in the area If you feel that the value of your property determined by your assessors office in Indiana is way off, compare it to the values of other properties in the area. Talk to neighbors with similar properties, obtain a breakdown of neighborhood assessments, or ask a real estate agent about the sales prices of resembling properties.

I recommend:  The Property Assessment Viewer provides the ability to search and compare property assessments for entire neighborhoods in Indiana. A property records search through KnowX can result in records that allow you to compare sales prices, past tax records and values for your property and others in the area.

Hire an Indiana property appraiser to obtain a comparative value Indiana assessors do mass appraisals for the entire county, resulting in high, low and average assessments. If you paid $100,000 for a property and the assessed value is $98,000 - a difference of a few thousand - then the inaccuracy is not enough to worry about. However, if there is a significant difference, hire a professional appraiser to provide you with an assessed value of the home, broken down and explained in writing, to document the significant inaccuracy.

I recommend:  Request a property appraisal from Appraisals Unlimited of Indiana. RogerMillerAppraisal.com offers commercial and residential real estate appraisals.

Dispute Indiana property assessments by filing an appeal If, after confirming the assessed value of your property, you find that your Indiana assessor office was, in fact, incorrect in its assessment, then you can file an appeal. You must first appeal to your local office, because the state won't review the matter until that occurs. Start by writing a letter to your local township office requesting an informal conference about the appraisal. Denied changes will go to the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals.

I recommend:  If the PTABOA denies your appeal, you must follow the process set forth by the Indiana Board of Tax Review. Another option for appealing your assessment is to submit Form 133, which the Department of Local Government Finance provides, to your County Auditor. If you’re seeking a refund of your taxes, you must file Form 17T as well.

Access Indiana land records Many Indiana county assessor websites have search functions that allow the public to access information about real and personal property within that county. While some counties may not have this online capability as of yet, you can still access many records by visiting your county assessor's office in person. Typically, you can search by the owner's name, the property address or the account number.

I recommend:  Search property records by parcel number or property address on the Allen County Assessor site. A number of other Indiana property assessor websites, such as Grant County, provide similar free records search functions.

Review the regulations governing Indiana property assessments An Indiana property assessor determines how much you pay in property tax each year based upon a number of factors, including the assessed value of that property and what school district it is located in. The Indiana Constitution sets limitations and regulations to tax amounts, such as a limit of 5 percent in tax increases per year. The property assessment manual sets forth guidelines for assessors, such as how to appraise and examine buildings and when to send notices out to taxpayers.

I recommend:  STATS Indiana provides information on tax rates by Indiana county and year. Visit the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance for the current Real Property Assessment Manual, which regulates property assessment strategies.

Gather information on Indiana property values to help with investments While the main purpose of the information the assessor maintains is to collect taxes, you can use that information to your advantage in real estate investments. You can compare the market value, assessed value and sale price of the properties located within the same neighborhood. This allows you to set the appropriate prices for property sales and make sure you're getting a fair deal on investments.

I recommend:  Search the statewide sales disclosure database provided by the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. The Property Assessment Viewer provides the ability to search and compare property assessments for entire neighborhoods in Indiana.