Tony Lee, EA

Tony Lee is an Enrolled Agent based in San Francisco with over 15 years of experience helping property owners challenge inflated assessments across the Bay Area. He started his practice after spending nearly a decade inside a county assessor's office, which gives him a perspective most consultants simply don't have. He knows how assessors think, what triggers scrutiny, and where valuations tend to go wrong. His firm handles everything from straightforward residential appeals to complicated commercial and mixed-use properties. He's worked with homeowners, small landlords, and mid-size business owners who felt their tax bills didn't reflect reality. Tony also offers payroll services and general business consulting, so existing clients often find it convenient to consolidate their tax work under one roof.

Tony Lee's practice covers the full range of property tax and business tax needs for San Francisco property owners. On the property tax side, he focuses on assessment appeals, informal review negotiations, and Assessment Appeals Board hearings. He'll pull comparable sales data, review the assessor's methodology, and put together a formal presentation if the case goes to a hearing. For clients who own commercial or mixed-use properties, Tony also digs into income and expense analyses to argue value from the income approach, which is often more effective than straight comparable sales in a commercial context. His payroll services are available to small business owners who want to keep everything in one place, and his business consulting work often ties into tax planning around property holdings, like 1031 exchanges or cost segregation studies. He handles both Proposition 8 decline-in-value claims and base year value challenges under Proposition 13. If you recently bought a property and think the assessed value doesn't line up with what you paid or what comparable properties are selling for, that's the kind of situation he regularly takes on. He also helps clients who inherited property understand what their new tax obligations look like and whether a reassessment is appropriate.

The process starts with a free initial consultation where Tony reviews your current assessed value against recent sales data. If he thinks there's a viable case, he'll outline what approach makes the most sense, whether that's an informal review request or a formal appeal filing. Once you decide to move forward, Tony pulls the assessor's records, gathers comparable sales or income data, and prepares a written analysis. For informal reviews, he negotiates directly with the assessor's office. For formal appeals, he files the application before the county deadline, prepares exhibits, and represents you at the Assessment Appeals Board hearing. Most cases resolve at the informal stage. If the board hearing is necessary, Tony handles all the paperwork and attends on your behalf. After a decision, he'll explain the outcome, how long any reduction lasts, and whether a follow-up filing makes sense in future years.

Tony Lee serves property owners throughout San Francisco County and frequently works with clients in Marin County, San Mateo County, and Alameda County as well. He's familiar with the specific procedures and deadlines for each of these jurisdictions, which differ in ways that matter when you're filing an appeal. Remote consultations are available for clients outside the immediate Bay Area.