Suffolk County Property Tax Grievance Services

Not "just another case" at PTA

Property Tax Agency is the Leader of the New‐School approach.

We work year round to analyze and select the marketing list, collating data from multiple sources in an effort to be as successful as possible.

The result of all of that work?

We eliminate about 95% of properties in Suffolk County from our potential target list.

To start.

Firms that blindly mass‐mail and sign up customers, and then scramble to see if they have a case, are simply throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks.

If their business model is "throwing shit against the wall to see what sticks," what does that make their customers?

Based upon the numbers of actually‐granted reductions each year, it doesn't seem to be working out too well for them in Suffolk County.

Even if they are burying fees in their fine print, it' difficult to believe they are doing much more than covering their costs, if that.

Our system identifies areas based on recent sales and current assessment comparisons of neighboring parcels.

We think different.

Using multiple statistical approaches, we identify 2 strategies per year that are best suited to the real estate market current conditions.

Then we market selectively to those properties and areas that fit those profiles and meet potential reduction thresholds.

So, our pitch? We look for our pitch.

We analyze the market and find the opportunities.

The Property Tax Agency Advantage

Research informs us.
Analysis guides us.
Results defines us.

The PTA philosophy

There are 3 ways to make money in this industry:

1. You can file lots of random grievances and collect a small fee for each, even occasionally win some.

2. Or, you can do your homework: determine where the chance of success is greatest, and win grievances and earn a bigger fee on each.

3. Or, you can cheat.

Well, we don't cheat; and while we could make money filing tons of go‐nowhere protests and charging hidden fees, we prefer to win (and make money).

We also get yelled at a lot less this way.

Money Never Sleeps

At PTA, research never stops.

While the grievance filing period is limited, the collection and analysis of information is an ongoing process‐ all year round.

Some of this research work entails:

• The collection, curation, and cleaning of the various public and proprietary data sources to ensure usability and fitness of the information, as well as data integrity, and the protection of personally identifiable information ("PII").
• The continual monitoring and analyzing of real estate markets throughout the County via public and private datasets, and even taking "field trips" through an area of interest.
• The creation and continual refinement of numerous pieces of proprietary software and algorithms in order to better classify, quantify, identify, and visualize, potentially misassessed properties.
• The process of tweaking, and manually checking and verifying the information and recommendations of the system, adjusting parameters and determining what course of action is appropriate.
• And, there's coffee. A lot of coffee.

Each property is subjected to 14 different measurements, at 3 different geographic levels of abstraction, for a total of 42 data points that are compared, and analyzed‐ individually and in aggregate.

That property profile is then evaluated and ranked in terms of applicability to the current strategies based on market conditions and Levels of Assessment.

Battles are won before they're fought

• The most valuable commodity I know of, is information.
• I don't throw darts at a board. I bet on sure things.
• I look at a hundred deals a day; I pick one.
• In my book, you either do it right‐ or you get eliminated.
• Lunch? Lunch is for wimps.

Get dressed. I'll show you my charts.