My own personal home was assessed at $75,000 more than the prior year, so I understand your frustration. You have the right to appeal however, I believe the deadline was April 13th, 2009 for the 2007 payable 2008 taxes. You can contact the Porter County Auditor's office to confirm that. To my understanding you do not have to have an appraisal but, you do have to have some strong SOLD comparables in your neighborhood to justify your request. You may want to read up on the new "trending" values by going to the local newpaper Internet sites and searching. Also, go to http://www.porterco.org, our local government site to read up on the latest in property taxes and to view your neighbors assessed values for comparison. Rest assured you are not alone with this. I read in the paper where 1200 people appealed their taxes in Porter County this year. Best wishes!

You should consider hiring an appraiser to help you determine the value of your home as well as a real estate attorney. Also you can contact the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors and see if they have any statistics for you. Not sure if this will help, but it is worth a shot. Good Luck