If it's your first time here, skip this paragraph.
10/01/2024
Angelo here, owner of Farlap & Associates. We have informed all customers that we can no longer receive text on the business line 773-409-4405. We have added a NEW chat box (bottom right of all pages). This Chat box is NOT all Ai Driven. It will ask some common questions and point many of you in the right direction. If it doesn't know where to point you, I will reply myself. As owner I am the only one checking these messages right now. Soon other staff will have to assist as it becomes more popular. Even when others begin to check these messages, this chat is now connected to my cell phone, so I see everything. We often work very late so make sure you let us know HOW LATE we can call you back. Be sure to enter YOUR NAME, FULL ADDRESS, and PHONE along with your QUESTION! If you do not get a quick reply, sorry, we get busier and busier the closer we get to an appeal window deadlines. Simply close the chat, you will get a reply in your email within 2 business days.
You NEVER have to contact us for your appeal package and we ask that you never do. You pay us to contact you and ARM you with evidence when it's time. For people looking for their appeal packages. The 1st agency each year, the Cook County Assessor's Office usually goes through all 38 townships Jan - June. They have only opened about 80% of townships as of today. This means they are behind just like the last 2 years, since we are already in October. There are currently 8 townships OPEN now and they have 3 more to get to, You only need to contact us if you change your email address.
How come we have NOT been returning calls or emails? The 2nd agency to open each year, the Board of Review has OPENED for the 2024 tax year. They OPENED and immediately emailed all 38 townships at once "We are OPEN" making everyone think their "appeal window" was OPEN when it wasn't. It took them about 4 days to send out a corrected email stating what they meant to say was more like "We have OPENED for the 2024 tax year and we will start to move through the 38 townships a few at a time, over the next 6 months or so.." If you can imagine, when just one big township is OPEN like Lake View or like Jefferson (Western to Cumberland) we can get hundreds of inquiries. Now imagine telling all 38 areas at once that they are OPEN. It caused 1,122 inquires and effectively slammed us. Regular customers, people wanting a free evaluation were all caught in-between and left hanging. It's important you know it was to no fault of our own. We were getting caught up with appx. 400 more to get through. Now the Jefferson has opened and it's massive, we know we would get slammed once again in the near future, if we didn't make some improvements and take some corrective action immediately. Therefore, the decision has just been made to WIPE all Voicemails and all Emails clean up to this point in time. We now ask customers to resubmit their inquiry through our new chat box. First time people can use the Free Eval form on the bottom of this homepage, we figured some of you will read this even though we said you could skip it ;-)
As mentioned in several email updates, we no longer send out Appeal Packages as soon as your area OPENS. We hold them about 2 weeks to make sure the county does not retract bad data. You usually have about 2 weeks to upload it to the county once you get it from us! NOTE: To those who took PREMIUM SERVICE so we can FILE FOR YOU at the Assessor's Office, the 1st agency to open in 2024, we will email you a Homeowner's Authorization Form soon after your area OPENS for appeals. SUBSCRIBE YouTube Updates!
If you appeal and WIN, when will you see savings?
If you START FIGHTING your property taxes, when will you see savings?
In Cook County property tax bills come out one year late, why? Two reasons, first because they warn you with a Reassessment Notice (a document many do NOT see because it goes to their mortgage company and they toss it, they don't care. They will just skyrocket your mortgage when higher property taxes hit). The letter is officially called a Notice of Proposed Assessed Value, it's basically a "Warning Letter". It shows what your OLD property tax value and the NEW taxable value the next 3 years unless you FIGHT it within 30 days. Example: If you fight 2024 property taxes and get a WIN at either the Assessor's Office, the Board of Review or both, the reduced property tax value would show on the 2024 2nd Installment which arrives the following year 2025 usually in July! The county uses a Mass Appraisal Process to pick your new tax value every 3 years and if it was fair, we would NOT be in business. Many companies and attorneys gouge you for 33-50% of whatever they save you. TIP: Read the small print. Aside from a percentage of your "reductions" they also do not say "percentage of reduction in *dollars* it's reduction in Assessed Value. Many people think they get screwed here. When they paid someone to help, wrote them a huge check for what they were told was a WIN and then get a tax bill that climbs 30% 5 months later. They were unaware they signed their contract in a reassessment year (the county hiked their property tax value), tax payers aren't aware because while the value is on record a year before they don't see it until the tax bill follows a year later. They were paid to soften an increase, not to lower tax dollars. The other two years of an assessment cycle you can fight to go "dollars downward". They also get a percentage of "refund" checks. TIP: Their contract doesn't mention the word "refunds" it says "Certificates of Error" the county term for a document that becomes a refund. This is why their contracts state you pay on receipt of a decision letter, not when you see the bill. Go figure, clever, aren't they? We do not have any contracts, you are most safe with us especially in the reassessment year when the competition makes a killing by gouging you for a percentage. The whole system is designed and setup to get your money. We help your family keep it in your bank instead of theirs. There are 15 more enlightening questions on our FAQ's page HERE! You can spend a day on our website educating yourself and all owners should. The best decision is an informed decision.
We have a YouTube channel and it's a GOLDMINE especially for newbies! Please SUBSCRIBE!
Our YouTube Channel has plenty of great things. Our most popular video "Dirty Little Secrets of your Property Tax Lawyer" (now pinned to the top of this page) is also one of our most enlightening videos for those who have shelled out tons of cash to lawyers for property tax relief in the past. The best thing you could do now is SHARE it! The channel also address concerns and questions homeowners have about fighting their property taxes. Such as Description Errors like UNFINISHED BASEMENT (when they have a finished basement). They think they are getting the basement for free so they STAY QUIET. What they don't know is that BASEMENTS (even when furnished are NEVER included in square footage, surprise! It is one of many ways the county pulls the wool over the eyes of taxpayers. Tell your friends our Channel is WeChopPropTaxes you can use the link here: https://www.youtube.com/user/WeChopPropTaxes/videos
We will continue to work from home, sorry...
Their are ton of reasons behind this business decision, including but not limited to; Chicago constantly raising minimum wage by $1 every year, currently $15.40/hr. This is "minimum wage" in Chicago. Teenagers at McDonalds get that, you won't get Professional Office Assistants for that rate. Plus 95% of job applicants are requesting a work from home position, apparently no one wants to work in an office any more. On the healthcare side of things, we are a small office with thousands of customers. Like many companies we realized we don't really need an office since Covid. Before Covid, we had a customer come in coughing who gave ALL OF US pneumonia, closing us completely for 2 weeks.
Additionally, since the county now forces users to register on their website and receive a test email before uploading their appeal, the office is no longer as beneficial as it was in the past. We know this will likely bring dismay to our senior citizens and non-computer savvy customers. Our advice would be to let a teenager help you get your appeal done online, like most of our clients do. One customer told us his 8 year old followed our Appeal Package! We will continue to focus on improvements. Rest assured everything can be done online, over the phone and via email since property taxes are public record. Please understand our phones get extremely busy near township Appeal Deadlines and around Tax Bill arrival and due dates.
3 Steps Away From Kickin' The County's Butt.
Step 1. Enter Address for a FREE EVALUATION (below) but WAIT! There's a few GOOD REASONS to SKIP our FREE EVALUATION!
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
1. If you were just dealt a CRAZY new Property Tax Value, just SIGN UP because if you don't FIGHT IT you ACCEPT IT. Remember we have a LOW, FLAT fee, your costs will NOT CHANGE whether we save you a $1,000 or $3,000!
2. Unless you prefer a phone call.
3. On deadline days we often get over 500 voicemails. We do not have the time to call them all back on the deadline day.
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
Don't take our word for it, see VIDEO TESTIMONIALS and take theirs! Many receive Property Tax Refund CHECKS! You will see one who took $5,000 back from the county! With us you keep 100% of all REDUCTIONS and REFUNDS! Our competition gouges you for 33-50% of BOTH.
Step 3. Sign Up and Start Stickin' It to the Man! The Man whose been Stickin' It to You!
Step 2. Check our References. You heard it right, we're 5 Stars EVERYWHERE! 5 Stars on Yelp, 5 Stars on Facebook, 5 Stars on Google and A+BBB Rating!
Step 3. Sign Up and Start Stickin' It to the Man! The Man whose been Stickin' It to You!
Get ALERTED when Appeal Windows OPEN!
Get ARMED with EVIDENCE for your Appeal!
1 Year of Service $175 flat fee.
3 Years of Service $275 flat fee.
(Saves 40% Averages $75/Year)
Premium Service ADD-ON
so we can FILE FOR YOU just $99.
Robo Deadline Dialer ADD-ON calls 2 phone numbers so spouses can't blame each other when appeals get missed.
It saves a lot of butts for just $24.