In February 2025, O’Connor expanded its property tax services with a new office in New York with Frank Grampone leading the office. Frank Grampone works with commercial property owners in NYC and residential property owners in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. With a wealth of experience in New York property tax services, Frank offers expert advice to clients as they navigate the complexities of property taxation. In New York, property taxes are handled at the local level, meaning each county, city, town, or village sets its own property tax rates. Property taxes are assessed by a variety of taxing authorities, such as the county, city, school districts, and special districts. The assessed value of a property is determined by the tax rate set by the appropriate taxing authority. Following the determination of assessments and the application of tax rates, property tax bills are issued by the local governments. Property tax bills are... Read More

Property taxes are due soon for Cook County property owners! Steer clear of late fees and penalties by keeping up to date on all property tax deadlines. Be Aware of Deadlines & Avoid Late Fees For Cook County property owners, your 2024 property taxes are due in two installments. The Cook County Treasurer has already sent out the first installment bills that are due no later than March 4th. If you haven’t already received your bill in the mail, now is the time to check your bill online. You can also make your first installment payment online at no charge to avoid the cost of a stamp or the inconvenience of making the payment in person. Your second installment on 2024 Cook County tax bills will be mailed by the end of June. Payment on the second installment will be due August 1st. For most other Illinois property owners, the first tax... Read More

If you are a property owner in Illinois, you should make it a habit to check your property values every year, even if you are not in a reassessment year. The reason for this is because in Illinois, property values can be adjusted for taxes in two very different ways. These methods of adjustment are reassessment and equalization. Even if you are a first-time homeowner, you have probably heard of reassessment. This is when the county or township assessor reviews property values, looking at specific criteria, such as location, square footage, condition, and improvements. By evaluating these conditions, the assessor calculates the value of a property. Often this is done by computer algorithms and mass appraisals. It is a homeowner’s right to contest these assessments. By law, when the county or township assessor adjusts the value of a home, they must send notification to the property owner. Another way that... Read More

The owner of the 3-unit triplex at 1633 S Avers Avenue (Chicago IL 60623) saw their Cook County property tax assessment increase 2,080% between 2023 and 2024. This is not a typo. The Cook County Assessor increased their opinion of the value of this property from $16,050 ($5,350/unit) to $350,000 ($116,667/unit). How can the value of a 3-unit rental property increase from $5,350 per unit to $116,667 per unit in one year? The first reaction when seeing such a massive increase is that the owner must have added a building or completely remodeled the property. Alternatively, perhaps the property sold recently, and the assessor realized the sales price was much higher than the assessor’s estimate of market value. But these do not appear to apply to 1633 S Avers. The Cook County Assessor reports no recent sale and no remodeling for this 109-year-old residential property. The 2024 total market value... Read More

The Cook County Assessor raised the market value of 626 N Long Avenue, Chicago by 2,797% in just one year! This is for a duplex in West Chicago Township. Read More