DIY vs. Contingency-Firm Cost Calculator
Shows a homeowner, in dollars, which way of appealing their property taxes actually costs the least over the years they expect to keep the home: doing it themselves with a one-time evidence packet, hiring a percentage-of-savings (contingency) firm, or filing fully on their own with no help at all. The homeowner supplies their expected annual tax savings if the appeal succeeds, the contingency rate the firm charges (the share of first-year savings it keeps each season), the one-time flat fee of a do-it-yourself packet, and how many years they plan to keep protesting. The tool computes the cumulative contingency cost (savings x rate, repeated for each year the firm files), sets it against the one-time flat fee and against the pure-DIY option ($0 out of pocket plus the homeowner's own time), reports the break-even point, and states the multiple by which the cheapest paid option beats the contingency firm. It exists because contingency pricing looks free up front but compounds every year a homeowner keeps winning - the better the firm does, the more it costs - while a flat fee is paid once. The math is transparent arithmetic the homeowner can re-run with their own numbers; it does not estimate what their home is worth or whether they will win.
Example
Input: Expected annual savings $774; contingency rate 25%; flat fee $79; years horizon 3.
Output: Contingency firm: it keeps 25% of your savings every year it files. Per year that is $774 x 25% = ~$194. Over 3 years that is $774 x 25% x 3 = ~$581. Note this RISES the more you save - a bigger reduction means a bigger fee. Flat-fee DIY packet: $79, paid once, no matter how many years you keep appealing or how much you save. Pure DIY: $0 out of pocket - your only cost is your own time, typically a few hours to pull comparable sales and file. Break-even: the contingency firm's cost passes the $79 flat fee partway through year 1, because even one year of contingency ($194) already exceeds $79. So break-even is year 1 - from the very first season, the firm costs more than the one-time packet. Bottom line: over 3 years the contingency firm costs about $581 versus $79 for the flat-fee packet - roughly 7x more. If you are willing to gather comps and file yourself, pure DIY is cheapest ($0 plus time); if you want the guidance of a prepared packet while keeping 100% of your savings, the $79 flat fee wins decisively; the contingency firm only makes sense if you want the work fully handled and accept paying a recurring quarter of every win.
Input: Expected annual savings $1,500; contingency rate 40%; flat fee $79; years horizon 5.
Output: Contingency firm: 40% of $1,500 = $600 per year. Over 5 years that is $1,500 x 40% x 5 = $3,000. The fee scales with your savings, so a strong result is rewarded with a larger bill. Flat-fee DIY packet: $79, paid once for all 5 years. Pure DIY: $0 out of pocket plus a few hours of your time each season. Break-even: year 1 - a single year of contingency ($600) already dwarfs the $79 flat fee. Bottom line: over 5 years the contingency firm costs about $3,000 versus $79 - roughly 38x more. At this savings level the recurring percentage is by far the most expensive route; the flat-fee packet or pure DIY keeps essentially all $1,500/year in your pocket.
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