Property tax bills arrived in mailboxes last Monday, and on Wednesday night, homeowners--about 60 in all- filled the Niles Public Library's meeting room to hear a consultant tell them how to lower the amount they have to pay.

Andrea Raila of Andrea A. Raila and Associates started by outlining four premises on which to file an appeal to lower what you owe:

• Lack of Uniformity. If all of your neighbors' homes have the same square footage, number of bedrooms and other pertinent details as yours but your tax bill is higher, you can likely make a case to lower your taxes based on lack of uniformity. To do so, visit cookcounty assessor.com and under "Property Search," fill in only the first three boxes of your PIN number (Property Index Number, from your tax bill). This will give you similar homes in your area. File an appeal with the Cook County assessor, citing three similar homes which pay less in taxes than you are being charged. If your request is denied, Raila said, add a couple of more comparable neighboring homes.
• Over-evaluation. You'll need to prove your home is worth less than the assessor has valued it at. If you've recently purchased it, all you need is the signed sales contract, Raila said. Otherwise, you can pay for a professional appraisal, which costs around $350, or ask a realtor to do a comparable market analysis, which is typically free but may not be as convincing to the assessor as a professional appraisal.
• Error. Examine your tax bill, Raila advised, to be sure it's accurate. Are the number of bedrooms, the age of the home and the square footage correct? Garages and basements should not be included in the square footage. If the assessor got it wrong, you can ask for a Certificate of Error to be filed.
• Vacancy. If no one is living in the property, such as in a for-sale home or foreclosure, it's not taxed at the same rate.

Raila has more information on her website, and occasionally gives free public workshops on lowering property taxes.