Property taxes and you County watchdog sets up website to help you figure out tax issues

Joseph Hottendorf, the president of Hudson County’s Liberty Board of Realtors, is already a well known critic of local governments, and a watchdog over taxes. Now he has taken his vigilance to a new level.

Earlier this month, Hottendorf unveiled a new website: http://njrealestatetaxes.com  The site is designed to give people access to information and provide tools to help them better navigate the complexities of local real estate values and taxes. He also wants property owners to know more about “revals,” which are townwide re-assessments of the current market value of their homes so that they will pay the proper amount of property taxes.

Ultimately, it’s politically unpopular for a mayor to authorize a reval, and the towns of Weehawken and Jersey City, for example, are behind in conducting one. In a reval, homes are reassessed citywide at their current market values, which is sometimes a jolt to homeowners who got comfortable paying their city taxes based on a 25-year-old assessment. Owners of old homes may suddenly have to pay more, while those who purchased homes five or 10 years ago who since then saw the market decline have been paying too much. A reval is meant to make taxes fairer across the board, but those who have to pay more are never happy with it.


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