Travis Bunn
Founder, AppealDesk · Published March 11, 2026 · Updated August 25, 2026
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Updated August 2026 · 9 min read
This is an illustrative, hypothetical example, not a report of one specific verified customer transaction. It walks through realistic McHenry County numbers: a home assessed at $320,046 against comparable sales showing a market value of $200,560 -- a 37.3% overassessment worth $2,831 per year in excess taxes. Here is the full breakdown of how that kind of evidence gets built and what it means for homeowners in McHenry County.
| County Assessed Value | $320,046 |
| Market Value (from comps) | $200,560 |
| Overassessment | $119,486 (37.3%) |
| Effective Tax Rate | 2.37% |
| Potential Annual Savings | $2,831 |
| 10-Year Savings | $28,310 |
Woodstock sits about 50 miles northwest of Chicago in McHenry County, one of the collar counties where property taxes are among the highest in the nation. Illinois homeowners routinely face effective tax rates above 2%, and McHenry County is no exception at 2.37%.
Picture a homeowner in a standard Woodstock neighborhood receiving an assessment notice showing a value of $320,046. The number seems high, and recent sales nearby tell a very different story.
The question is simple: does the county's number match what comparable homes are actually selling for?
In this scenario: not even close.
The foundation of any successful property tax appeal is comparable sales data. Not Zillow estimates. Not gut feelings. Actual closed transactions of similar properties nearby.
For this Woodstock property, 5 comparable sales were identified -- all within McHenry County, all sold within the past 12 months, all with similar characteristics:
The median value of these comparable sales came in at $200,560 -- a full $119,486 below the county's assessed value.
This was not a marginal difference. The county was valuing the home at 37.3% more than what the actual market was paying for similar properties.
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Illinois uses a triennial assessment cycle in most counties, meaning values can lag or overshoot the market depending on when the last reassessment occurred. Several factors contribute to overassessment in McHenry County:
Illinois has a structured appeal process that flows through the Board of Review:
The critical element is the evidence packet. A Board of Review member reviewing dozens of appeals per day needs to see, at a glance: your current assessment, the comparable sales that prove it is too high, and the specific value you are requesting.
Property tax savings compound because a corrected assessment typically holds for the remainder of the assessment cycle. Here is what $2,831 in annual savings looks like over time:
For a $49 evidence packet, that is a 57x return on investment in the first year alone. Even if the Board of Review grants only a partial reduction, the savings still dwarf the cost of building the case.
This case illustrates several patterns common across McHenry County and the broader Chicago suburbs:
In this illustrative scenario, a Woodstock homeowner is paying taxes on a $320,046 assessment when comparable sales show a market value of $200,560. The 37.3% overassessment translates to $2,831 in excess taxes every year -- $28,310 over a decade.
The evidence is there for gaps like this. It just needs to be compiled, organized, and presented to the Board of Review in the format they expect.
Professional evidence packet with comparable sales, cover letter, and filing guide. $49 flat fee.