Don’t walk into a hearing blind. In many jurisdictions you can request the evidence the assessor will use to defend your value — the comparable sales, the model, and the math behind your number. Seeing it lets you rebut weak comps and find errors. (In Texas, for example, owners can request the appraisal district’s evidence packet before the ARB hearing.)
Why this matters
- The assessor’s “comps” may be larger, renovated, or farther away than yours — easy to rebut once you see them.
- You can check their square footage, adjustments, and sale dates against reality.
- It tells you exactly what case you need to beat.
The letter
[Your full name]
[Your mailing address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Phone] | [Email]
[Date]
[County Assessor / Appraisal District / Board]
[Address]
Re: Request for the evidence to be used at my appeal hearing
Owner: [Name] Parcel / account number: [number]
Property address: [address]
Hearing date (if set): [date]
To whom it may concern:
I have an appeal pending on the property above. Before the hearing, please provide
the evidence the office intends to rely on to support the assessed value,
including:
- the comparable sales used (addresses, sale dates, sale prices, sizes, and any
adjustments);
- the property characteristics and any valuation model output for my property; and
- any other documents that will be presented at the hearing.
If your jurisdiction provides an evidence packet to property owners on request,
please send it to the address or email above, and let me know any deadline or
small fee to obtain it.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your printed name]
How to send it
Send this well before the hearing (there’s often a request deadline). Review their comps the moment you get them: cross out any that aren’t truly comparable (different size, age, condition, neighborhood, or sale date) and prepare a one-line rebuttal for each.
Notes. Whether — and how far in advance — the assessor must share evidence varies a lot by state; some require a mutual exchange, some don’t. Pair what you learn with your own comps packet. General information, not legal or appraisal advice.