tax appraisals on land/home: how are they done? (for sale, real estate)

[ryan112ryan]

I was wondering how tax appraisals are done. I have heard they take aerial photos, but what i am wondering is what goes on if they need to come to your property? and reasons they would come to your property.

1. Do they have to notify you?
2. Can the legally just walk on your property to do the inspection?
3. Do you have to be present?
4. What legal rights do you have?

[mullman]

They look at what they want to spend, then divide by square foot of housing in Meck Co, then look at recent sale prices, then assign your value.

We're all screwed.

[chicagocubs]

Do they have to notify you? NO
Can the legally just walk on your property to do the inspection? YES
Do you have to be present? NO
What legal rights do you have? PRACTICALLY NONE

and, if you are freaked out over that, just look at Google maps. Chances are your house is already pictured....

[ryan112ryan]

Originally Posted by chicagocubs

Do they have to notify you? NO
Can the legally just walk on your property to do the inspection? YES
Do you have to be present? NO
What legal rights do you have? PRACTICALLY NONE

and, if you are freaked out over that, just look at Google maps. Chances are your house is already pictured....

I have property that is large enough that you have to come onto the property to even see the house.

I have heard if you have a gate and a sign up they can't cross....is this true?

[BigJon3475]

Real Estate, Homes for Sale & Real Estate Values - Zillow

[chicagocubs]

Originally Posted by ryan112ryan

I have property that is large enough that you have to come onto the property to even see the house.

I have heard if you have a gate and a sign up they can't cross....is this true?

No. The government always has access.

[lumbollo]

It's rare that a tax appraiser will visit a piece of property to determine it's tax value. State law requires the tax assessor to come up with a uniform set of standards and rules to arrive at a tax value. This gets approved by the county commissioners. They then simply use the building permits and/or what ends up being recorded on the deed to determine tax value. If you do an addition, then again they will use the building permit process to add the additional value to your home. No visit is needed. Cars, Boats, etc. are found from the license registration.

If an owner contests the value, they can do an on-site appraisal. They are to notify you in writing they are coming and I believe you can stop this, but then you won't get a re-appraisal. The county commission can also order one on behest of the owner or for any other reason for that matter. Cities with property taxes, and they all have them in Mecklenburg, have to use the value determined by the county. They are not allowed to do their own valuation.

This is the extent of state law. From a legal perspective they don't have any rights except those stated specifically in law. So they can't come onto your property without your permission. However if they suspect the listing is incorrect, they can simply set the value to reflect this, provided they have good reason and follow the rules set out above. It's up to you then to get them to come and change it if you feel it is incorrect.

Finally state law requires a revaluation every 8 years. When this happens, they will adjust property values based on the current value times an amount broken out by subdivision or other similar division. Again no visits are needed.

So the answers to your questions are as follows:

1. Do they have to notify you? YES
2. Can the legally just walk on your property to do the inspection? NO
3. Do you have to be present? Up to you, you have to have agreed to it first.
4. What legal rights do you have? The power of the court to contest the action.

[ryan112ryan]

How is this process different in the case of empty land?

[davidtsx]

Originally Posted by ryan112ryan

I was wondering how tax appraisals are done. I have heard they take aerial photos, but what i am wondering is what goes on if they need to come to your property? and reasons they would come to your property.

1. Do they have to notify you?
2. Can the legally just walk on your property to do the inspection?
3. Do you have to be present?
4. What legal rights do you have?

Since I am a appraiser for a county and have taken classes with appraisers from your area. I can tell you.

1. No they don't have to notify you, but if you are appealing to their office or going to the BOE (Board of Equalization). they will notify you in advance to coming to your house.
2. Yes they can legally walk on to your property. Most state give the right to Police, EMS, and us tax guys. If you refuse to let the appraiser on the property they can get a police escort to access the property. We also have programs where we can get the information other ways. We give you the benfit of the doubt. Remember if your nice to us we are nice to you. If your mean to us well... we still are pretty nice to you.
3. No you don't have to be present, Unless they are going inside you home. Most homes are picked up during new construction and the rest can be done when you are not home.
4. You have the legal right to contest your assessment. You can Appeal the property. This is going to require access to sales data. You can take it to the BOE, which is a panel of independent people for them to decide ( I would recomend this process).

Most of us are fee appraisers as well so the chances of you winning are very slim. I have realtors come in and try every trick in the book and most don't know bs about real estate other than getting you into a contract. I would get a fee appraiser to help you, because we go to years of schooling and most have degrees in ECON or Accounting. We are not mean people. Have you called your assessment office? I would do this first. We understand most complaints and can fix a lot of the problems.

[davidtsx]

Originally Posted by ryan112ryan

How is this process different in the case of empty land?

Vacant land is very easy to appraise. We don't even have to set foot on the land. We use TOPO maps and area photos and we can determine value with out ever seeing it if we choose too.