An independent appraisal to support your property tax appeal
If your home's market value has fallen below its assessed value, a written appraisal from a licensed, independent appraiser gives your Sacramento County assessment appeal stronger, more credible evidence — evidence you submit yourself with your own appeal.
What is a Proposition 8 assessment appeal?
Under California's Proposition 13, your property is normally assessed at a "base year" value that increases slowly and predictably each year. Proposition 8, a separate and later measure, allows the county assessor to temporarily lower that assessed value when a property's current market value has fallen below it — which in turn can lower the property tax bill for that year.
This adjustment isn't automatic for every property in every year. If you believe your home's assessed value is higher than its actual market value as of the relevant valuation date, you have the right to file a formal appeal with your county's Assessment Appeals Board. It is then up to you, as the property owner, to present evidence supporting the value you believe is correct.
A reduction is temporary, and worth understanding before you start. A Proposition 8 reduction is not locked in. The assessor reviews the value again every year, and if the market recovers, the assessed value can be raised back up — and that increase is not held to the usual annual cap of no more than 2%, because the assessment is simply catching back up to the base year value it would otherwise have had. A successful appeal lowers the bill for the years the lower value applies; it does not permanently reset what the property is assessed at.
Stronger evidence for the case you're already making
The Assessment Appeals Board weighs evidence of your property's market value as of the relevant valuation date. Not all evidence carries equal weight: an automated online estimate or a printout of nearby listings reflects asking prices and algorithmic guesses, not a documented, defensible opinion of value.
A written appraisal report from a licensed appraiser — based on a physical inspection, researched and analyzed comparable sales, and a documented approach to value — is generally regarded as more credible evidence than either of those. It doesn't file your appeal or argue it for you; it gives the appeal you file something solid to stand on.
Sacramento County's 2026 filing window: July 2 – November 30, 2026.
This is the regular assessment appeal filing period set by Sacramento County for the 2026 assessment year. Once it closes, that window is done for the year — there is no late filing for a missed regular period. This deadline applies to Sacramento County specifically; other California counties set their own filing periods, and many use a different date (commonly September 15). If your property is outside Sacramento County, check with that county's Assessor or Clerk of the Board for its own deadline.
From first call to written report
A straightforward process, handled personally from start to finish.
-
Get in touch
Call or send a quote request with the property address and your current assessed value. That's enough to get started.
-
Quote and timeline confirmed
You'll get a quote and a realistic turnaround time before any work begins, so there are no surprises.
-
Inspection and market research
A physical inspection of the property, paired with research and analysis of comparable sales as of the relevant valuation date.
-
Written appraisal report
You receive a signed, written opinion of value that you can submit as evidence with your own appeal to the Assessment Appeals Board.
Is this worth it for you?
An appraisal is most useful when there's a genuine, documentable gap between your home's assessed value and what it would actually sell for today. If comparable homes in your neighborhood have sold for at or above your assessed value recently, an appeal is unlikely to succeed — and an independent appraisal would confirm that rather than support a reduction.
Being direct about that up front is more useful to you than a sales pitch. If you're not sure which situation applies to you, a phone call is a reasonable first step — it costs nothing to ask.
Considering an appeal this year?
Request a quote with your property address and assessed value, or call directly to talk it through.
Important information about this service
Valley-Wide Appraisal Services provides independent real estate appraisal services only. Daniel R. Nelson is a licensed residential real estate appraiser, not an attorney, tax agent, or other legal or tax professional, and nothing on this page is legal or tax advice.
Valley-Wide Appraisal Services does not represent property owners before the Assessment Appeals Board, does not file appeals on a property owner's behalf, and does not guarantee any particular outcome, tax reduction, or savings. Filing an assessment appeal, and its outcome, remain entirely the property owner's responsibility and the Assessment Appeals Board's decision.
For official filing procedures, forms, and deadlines, contact the Sacramento County Assessor's Office or Clerk of the Board directly, or check that county's own website for current information — details on this page may not reflect the most recent county rules.