I've written a lot here about how to appeal. This one is about what actually happened when I did. Short version: I didn't get what I asked for, I took the deal anyway, and I'd do it again — with a couple of changes.
Where I started
My notice said my home was worth about $1.4 million, up roughly $300,000 in a year (the whole story is here). I filed online and asked for $1.15 million, backed by comparable sales and the appraisal my bank had ordered when I bought the place, which came in around $1 million.
I thought that was a strong case. It was a decent one.
What actually happened
I never saw the Board. Before my hearing date, the Assessor's office sent back its own review of my petition with a recommended value: about $1.3 million. Along with it came a stipulation — a form that says, roughly, "we both agree on this number, cancel the hearing."
That's about 5% off the original assessment. At King County's average rate (about $9 per $1,000 of value), that's roughly $700 a year back.
Why I took the smaller number
Because of one rule that changes how you should think about a hearing. In Washington the Assessor's value is presumed correct, and the owner has to overcome that with "clear, cogent and convincing" evidence (RCW 84.40.0301). That's a high bar. The Board isn't splitting the difference between two opinions; it's asking whether you proved the county wrong.
So the real choice was: a guaranteed 5% now, or a shot at more against a standard that favors the county — with the very real possibility of walking out with nothing off. My comps were fine, not overwhelming. I signed.
What I'd do differently
- Better comps, closer to January 1. The Board judges the value on one date. Sales from the months right before it beat anything from the summer after.
- Less weight on my purchase appraisal. It was real evidence, but it was from the wrong date, and that's the first thing a reviewer discounts.
- Ask for what the evidence supports, not what I hoped for. My ask was aggressive. A number that matches the median of good comps is harder to wave away.
The part that surprised me
The next year's value came in a little lower again. I can't claim the appeal caused that — every year's value is calculated fresh — but it didn't snap back up either, and I'm checking it the same way the week it arrived.
Is this typical?
It's one appeal, mine. Some people get more, some get nothing, and many cases settle exactly like this one, at the Assessor-review stage. If you want the honest version of the odds: the strength of your comparable sales matters far more than how angry you are, and the deadline matters more than both.
If your number looks wrong, start by comparing it to what similar homes actually sold for — by hand, or with the free check I built after going through this. Then follow the step-by-step guide.
