Thursday, July 10, 2014

Property Taxes

To all Cedar Run Homeowners:

By now, you should have received your second tax bill for your 2013 property taxes.  Most likely, you'll notice something about this bill.....it's very low!!  We've had homeowners report bills as much as anywhere from $200-$300, and some even got a bill for $0!!

If your second installment tax bill looks like any of the above, this is likely because your Phase Association appealed your property taxes on your behalf.

Your phase board retained a law firm specializing in tax appeals (Worsek & Vihon, LLP).  They appealed to both the County Assessor and the Cook County Board of Review to maximize your savings.

Wondering how much they saved you?

Your first installment for 2013 was for 55% of your total tax bill.  So your second installment should have been about 82% of that amount.

Example using typical numbers:
John Q. Homeowner received the following  tax bills:
1st installment:  $950
2nd installment: $270

Without the appeal, Mr. Homeowner should have received a second installment bill for $777.27.  Therefore, he saved $507.21, thanks to this tax appeal.

Now, how does that compare to the $120 per year that Robert Sher boasts about saving you??

Questions?
Comments?
restoreCR@gmail.com
(224) 544-9058

Tell us how  what your tax bill looked like!



14 comments:

  1. What was the law firms fee for this service per unit?

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    1. Fees were 18% of the net savings. If an individual were to hire an attorney for the same service, they would normally be charged about 33%.

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    2. There is no charge to homeowners in Phase 8

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    3. Nothing was directly charged to homeowners, but the 18% fees were paid with association funds.

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  2. this card that was mailed out to home owners last week regarding election ?what happened ? home owners are getting the shaft having 3 management companies to run cedar run get rid of these schumks and the phases we all need 1 company 1payment no phases give me onother complex that has phases ?

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    1. Not sure which card you are referring to from last week. There will be an election as soon as the judge makes a ruling. The case keeps getting kicked down the road and delayed/continued by those who would prefer NOT to hold an election. Hopefully something decisive happens at the next court date of August 20.

      Regarding one company & one payment, you are totally spot on about this, and one of our main goals is to make it happen. Sadly, dissolving or eliminating the phases (if done legally) is a very complex issue with a lot of legal hurdles.

      That said, with one management company and one payment, the overall effect on the daily lives of homeowners would be just as if there were no separate phases......One number to call with questions/comments/concerns/requests or to report an emergency repair need. One check to write/mail each month; One late fee for late payments.

      Thanks for your input.

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  3. In Re; of 3 management companies running Cedar Run........till we have a Master Board that is willing to work with every phase and all the concerns..sad we need 3.......We hope to be able to have a election to do this..... Then baby steps to undone damage...getting 1 Company to manage all of Cedar Run.....Better Contractors to do much needed work......such as building maintenance...... But to get this all done...we need to have our voices heared by going to both Master Board & Phase meetings and standing up..not be bullied.......

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    1. Amen to everything you've said!! Your final point about participating at meetings is one that really underscores one of our core beliefs......that the only thing that can truly RESTORE CEDAR RUN is homeowner involvement.

      A well-informed homeowner is an empowered homeowner!!

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  4. In regards to the booting agent-the phone is a Calif number.......when called a older gentleman answers........it is not a company.....therefore my question is....how can a vechile be booted if it is not booted by a license company here in illinois? it can not be.........residents need to know this...if their vechile is booted or towed..call the police....do not pay $175 to have it unbooted

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  5. Obviously the whole parking thing is at a halt due to legal issues! A car can not just be booted and it takes a long time to and special laws as well as permits to be allowed. I don't see this really happening at leat anytime soon. It is getting frustrating seeing people putting chairs and bikes to observe spots and horns beeping for 10 mins. at a time as neighbors turn on each other! Seriously I think it was a gesture trying to set up this parking program but it wasn't done very intelligently. It definitely needs a be thought over and changed a lot! All of these crazy politics make me sad that we bought a home here as family with kids, and right when all of this fighting started! I can't get a straight answer about why any of this was allowed to happen and without anyone noticing it for over 10 years. This is sadly very stressful and extremely ridiculous!

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    1. You're probably right about the legal issues with the parking program. Wheeling village ordinances definitely require a license towing company for relocating or towing cars.....The language is vague, but it probably works the same way with booting.

      This is about the 5th or 6th parking program, and the latest notice stated that a (another!) new one will be rolled out on November 1st. We have yet to see a parking program that is well planned, fair, and does something to deal with Cedar Run's shortage of street parking. None of the five or six programs we've seen so far has given any incentive (positive or negative) to encourage people to park in their garage and driveway spots. Dozens of homeowners with only one or two cars were given assigned spots on the street as long as they were willing to pay the fee, got on the list early enough, or are close with the Sher group.

      Sorry to hear about the timing of your purchase. Cedar Run is definitely a worse place to live now than it was three years ago. With a free & fair election (which we haven't seen from the Master Board in over two years), homeowners will have the opportunity to change this dynamic. Hopefully after this election, we can see some new direction for the community that involves responsible management, fair treatment to all homeowners, and an end to all the conflict.

      If there is anything we can do to help or advise you on your specific situation, please do email us at restoreCR@gmail.com.

      Thanks for your comment!

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    2. The most recent notification I got stated vehicles will be towed, not booted. In the meantime there is a new posting every few days with different listings, no parking for law abiding long term residents for short term need or guests, people and their friends parking illegally on wrong side of street msking it impossible to drive through. Many street parkers are ysing their garages for storage or living spaces, do not have multiple vehicles or drivers.
      The old rules stated that the garage must be used, that vehicles be registered, and no more vehicles than there were licensed drivers as residents. Overnight passes were limited and were to be used for guests or emergencies.
      I have spent hundreds of dollars monthly for decades for an off site storage facility so our garage could be used for my car.
      This whole thing is unacceptable and nothing but another way to raise money for Sher and rub up to his followers.
      I am all for the striping and numbers keeping people parking in multiple spots but this has to be rethought.

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    3. All great points!

      Contrary to the latest notification, which stated the Red's will be handling towing, we still have a Northwest Towing signed placed prominently at the entrance to Cedar Run. And despite claims that the booting program has been axed, a car was booted on Spruce Dr. last week.

      We've gotten reports from homeowners who have called Red's Towing and were told that they do not have an active contract with Cedar Run. Anything you read in these notification must be taken with a grain of salt.

      Decisions on major policies like parking should not be made impulsively, and without thorough planning. That's basically what we have here. There are no published, hard & fast rules because Sher hasn't thought of them yet. Even so, he proceeds to rollout the program anyway.

      Thanks again for your insightful comment.

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  6. Just got a sizable check from my mortgage company for an 'escrow overage'. This seems to be legit because I never appealed the taxes myself....works for me :)

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