When it comes to high property taxes, you can fight city hall and win, the Home Economist reports how for Fox Business News.

Your property taxes aren't falling with declining home values, well, it's most likely because your local government needs the cash almost as badly as you do. And it's woefully behind in reassessing many home values - perhaps including yours. Instead, you'll have to be proactive - here's how.

1) Look at the bill closely and make sure your home's actual specifications -- we're talking about square footage, lot size, number of floors -- match the charges on your bill. It's not usual for the government to mistakenly ask you to pay for floors or even land you don't actually have.

2) Is your property next to a rail road tracks or a garbage dump? That's what property estimators call an "external obsolescence" and it's the kind of thing lowers your house value and therefore your taxes.

3) Those inside flaws - such as having to walk though one room to get to another or some other strange layout - also help your case for lower rates. They're called "functional obsolescences" and they too - if the government didn't know about them - may reduce your tax bill.  

4) Check with your neighbors and ask 'em what they're paying. Don't be shy. If you bought at the height of the market your taxes might also be unusually - and unfairly - high.

Once you've built your case, call the tax assessors' office and book an appointment or a court date. If you need extra help, try finding an appraiser - check professional organizations - and investigate whether paying those fees will pay off later.

READ THE FULL STORY ON FOX BUSINESS NEWS

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