HLR Real Estate Law focuses exclusively on property tax appeals for both residential and commercial properties. As a Realtor and an attorney, Hap Richardson has the ideal background to represent property owners against the County Assessor’s Office.
The Georgia property tax system is an “Ad Valorem” system, meaning property owners are taxed according to the value of their property, Richardson explains. Each county in Georgia has a county assessor who is responsible for assessing the value of the property in the county.
When an individual files a property tax appeal, the owner is disputing the assessed valuation as determined by the County Assessor’s Office. Speaking from personal experience, Richardson understands how challenging the appeals process can be – and he embraces the opportunity to help other people who find themselves in a similar situation.
“The first appeal I filed was on my own house. I was mad because my bill was three times as much as my neighbor’s house,” he says. “Each year our practice has grown, and we’re filing about 500 appeals a year.”
The majority of HLR Law’s practice is in the large metro Atlanta counties, but Richardson and his team have experience in 15 Georgia counties – from the golden isles on the coast of Georgia to the mountain region of northeast Georgia.
Keller Williams, the largest real estate brokerage in Atlanta, uses a data-driven approach to provide agents with all the tools necessary to succeed in real estate, Richardson says. He closely analyzes data reports with an eye towards spotting trends in the Atlanta real estate market. While the overall market is important to understand, Richardson’s keen attention to detail have enabled him to develop winning strategies for each client based on the strengths and weaknesses of each property.
Richardson is a member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors, the Georgia Association of Assessing Officials and the Real Property Section of the Georgia Bar. He has been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia. He lives in Brookhaven with his wife and two dogs, and on weekends he can be found enjoying time outside.
