Archived Announcements
2005-2008
November 2008
Garippa Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner John Garippa has been published in Realtor Magazine by the National Realtors Association. This article has been written as a public service for the millions of homeowners who now are paying excessive property taxes. The article entitled, " How to Win a Residential Tax Appeal," focuses on the necessary issues that a taxpayer must address in order to lower their property taxes by filing a tax appeal. Realtor Magazine has a circulation in excess of 1.5 million. To Article
October 2008
Garippa Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner John Garippa has been published in National Real Estate Investor Magazine in its October 2008 issue. In an article entitled, "How Assessors Can Veer Off Course," Mr. Garippa writes about the danger in a down real estate market where assessors can place a heavy reliance on income data that may be one or two years old. In such a situation, this income becomes contract rent and must be distinguished for tax purposes from market rent. Only market rent should be used for tax assessment purposes, even if that market rent is below the current level of income at property. To Article
September 2008
Garippa Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner John Garippa has just been published in the September, 2008 issue of Real Estate New Jersey
His article entitled "Winning Tax Appeals in a Down Market" deals with the difficulties property owners face in obtaining tax reductions during difficult economic times. RENJ Article
July 2008
Philip J. Giannuario, partner at Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario, spoke at the annual IPT Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Giannuario spoke about the unique aspects and issues that arise when handling a large and complex tax appeal matter within a small municipality.
April 2008
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that our senior partner, John Garippa, has been selected by Real Estate New Jersey as one of the top real estate attorneys in the State of New Jersey. We congratulate him on behalf of the entire firm in recognition of his 33 years of service to our firm and our clients. RENJ Article
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announced that senior partner, John Garippa, has just been published in the April 2008 issue of Real Estate New Jersey. His article entitled "Falling Market Brings Rising Taxes" deals with the two pronged threat of falling prices and the resultant impact on property taxes. Reducing property taxes will become increasingly more important in this slowing economic environment.
John Garippa, President of the American Property Tax Council, is pleased to announced the 14th annual APTC Seminar. This is an invitation only event. Please see attached brochure
Lee Turner, Esq. staff attorney with Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario will be making a presentation at the New Jersey Self Storage Association Annual Convention in Woodbridge, New Jersey on April 10th, 2008. Mr. Turner will speak about the property tax appeal system in the State of New Jersey, and will focus on special valuation issues affecting the self storage industry.
February 2008
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner, John Garippa, has just been published in the February edition of Real Estate New Jersey. In the article, Mr. Garippa discusses significant issues that arise during revaluations. The article focuses on the enormity of these issues during times of economic erosion in the real estate market, and why owners and managers of property need to be especially vigilant.
October 2007
American Property Tax Counsel Seminar
APTC seminars are by invitation only
October 12 - 13, 2007
Torrey Pines, La Jolla, CA
Annual APTC Seminar
Capital continues to flood the commercial and industrial real estate sectors at unprecedented levels, to the point that basic assumptions and traditional valuation concepts have lost much of their meaning. The availability of capital has become the major driver of value (purchase price). In a seller’s market, properties are no longer sold for real estate reasons. Risk is no longer a factor to be considered in net operating income projections. Underwriting has become so aggressive that its main task is to inflate cash flows. Holding periods have become shorter and real estate fundamentals are not nearly as decisive as they were in determining value.
Those changes, and the issues they raise, have become the basis for the American Property Tax Counsel’s Seminar, which will be held at Torrey Pines just outside of San Diego on October 12 & 13, 2007.
At the Seminar, we will propose certain valuation modifications and certain strategies that take into account the changes created by capital flows. In addition, there will be a session in which we will review commercial and industrial Cap Rates as an adjunct toward discussion of the changes in commercial and industrial real estate stemming from current capital flows.
Finally, there will be a Panel Discussion in which tax managers for regional mall owners and tax managers for anchor department stores consider a valuation methodology that accommodates their synergistic assets.
Contact us for more information
September 2006
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner, John Garippa, has just been published in the September 2006 edition of Real Estate New Jersey. In the article, “Protect Your Rights in Property Revaluations,” Mr. Garippa discusses the many problems that may arise during a revaluation, and the necessary steps that taxpayers can take to make certain that the revaluation conforms to lawful constitutional standards.
Mr. Garippa was also published in the September 2006 issue of National Real Estate Investor. In the article, "Aging Industrial Plants - Worthy of a Tax Discount," Mr. Garippa addresses the issue of obsolescence and the value of alternative uses for older industrial plants.
The firm is also please to announce that Mr. Garippa, will be speaking at the 2006 Institute of Professionals in Taxation (IPT) Symposium at The Broadmoor, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mr. Garippa will be speaking on November 6, on the topic of “Entrepreneurial Profit.”
July 2006
Our Senior Partner, John Garippa, is quoted in USA Today, "As Hotels Prosper, Their Property Taxes Surge." by Barbara De Lollis
July 2006
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that senior partner, John Garippa, was quoted by USA Today in a July 13th, 2006 article entitled "As Hotels Prosper, Their Property Taxes Surge." The article traces the dramatic increase in hotel property taxes as a result of growing income and increasing occupancy. If you would like a copy of the article, please contact Mr. Garippa at 973-744-1688 or john@taxappeal.com
With regard to your Pennsylvania properties, the September 1st filing deadline for many counties is rapidly approaching. If we can be of service in reviewing any of your Pennsylvania locations, please do not hesitate to contact our firm.
With regard to your New Jersey properties, this is the time of the year when a majority of assessors send out a request for Income and Expenses related to your property (commonly known as a Chapter 91 request) . Although these requests are designed for income producing properties, often owner-occupied properties receive a request from the assessor. It is critical that these requests are addressed promptly, even for owner-occupied properties. Failure to address this request from the assessor could result in your 2007 tax appeal being dismissed. If you receive a request from the assessor and have any questions as to how to respond, or the penalties for failing to respond, please contact us.
May 2006
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce that an article authored by senior partner, John Garippa, was published in the May 2006 issue of Real Estate New Jersey. In the article, Mr. Garippa discusses the responsibility of the taxpayer in defining the role of their property tax attorney. Mr. Garippa addresses the changing nature of client demands and expectations from their property tax counsel, and how these needs have significantly changed the role of the tax lawyer.
MAY 2006
Garippa, Lotz & Giannuario is pleased to announce the 2006 American Property Tax Counsel (APTC) Annual Seminar. This is an invitation only event. The focus of the seminar this year is:
Expanding The Parameters of Highest & Best use in the Valuation of Industrial and Commercial Properties.
Specific topics will include:
A New Look at Highest and Best Use Commercial - Is it Anchor vs. Mall, or Anchor and Mall?
The Effect of Globalization, Outsourcing, Productivity, and Market Share on Economic Obsolescence
Contemporary Issues Panel: Market Value vs. Value In Use 2006 CAP Rate Survey
The seminar will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, CA, October 13 -14, 2006
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005 The firm is pleased to announce that senior partner John Garippa has published an article in the most recent edition of Real Estate New Jersey. The article, entitled, “When to Challenge Tax Assessments” focuses on the year-end opportunities available to property owners to reduce tax assessments. Mr. Garippa discusses why assessors are more open to settlement discussion at this time of year, and what due diligence issues property owners need to be aware of in order to obtain those reductions.
SEPTEMBER 2005 The firm is pleased to announce that senior partner John Garippa has written an article entitled “Bleak Future for Business Owners.” The article was published in the September 2005 issue of Real Estate New Jersey. In this article, Mr. Garippa traces the travails of the business community and the attempts by the legislature to address these concerns. At the same time, the Tax Court of NJ has been a vigorous opponent of these attempts and has rendered a negative landscape for the business community with an uncertain future. As New Jersey fails to cut spending and rein in runaway state pensions, the state will likely continue to hit its business tax base with higher levies as discussed in this article.
AUGUST 2005 John Garippa, APTC President, is pleased to announce the annual APTC invitation only seminar on October 21 - 22, 2005 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.
Each year APTC invites industry leaders to collaborate in developing new valuation methodologies for controlling property taxes, question approaches and share problems at our seminar. APTC was formed to reduce property taxes for owners of multi-state and Canadian portfolios. Taxpayers are best represented by highly qualified, experienced attorneys in the geographical areas where their properties are located. APTC offers the advantage of dealing with one firm while insuring the best local representation. We have for some time recognized the disconnect between the sale prices for institutional commercial properties and the economic productivity of those properties, which has lead to inflated real estate assessments based on unrealistic cap rates. This seminar will focus on the fundamentals of cap rates, the distinction between overall rates, yield rates, real estate rates and going concern rates. The presenters will analyze commercial and industrial rates in today’s market. Finally, a panel will update us on the latest valuation and assessment issues.