WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Houston County homes are up for revaluation, which could affect your-end-of the-year taxes.
We'll explain how this will impact you.
This year, 13 Houston County appraisers are revaluating homes. They're using the fair market value and current value sales as guidelines.
Every year, appraisers revaluate Houston County homes. That's according to Houston County's Chief Appraiser James Moore.
"Values have gone up in he market place, so I am sure the tax assessors evaluations will rip also," Carl Camarota said.
Camarota lives in Bonaire. He says, if his property tax goes up, his money will go toward county necessities.
"It affects people in the lower end of the spectrum harder than it does high-income earners, but it is all part of the process to keep the county going, and to keep the coffers full of money to provide all the services that they have to as the county grows," Camarota said.
Moore says they look at fair market value and they complete field inspections of all homes to determine each property value. Moore's office says, fair market value means, “the amount a knowledgeable buyer would pay for the property and a willing seller would accept for the property at an arm’s length, bona fide sale.”
"Anything that is added to the property that we discover, that wasn't added to the property permit from either the county or the cities, we may pick those values up as well; and not only the inflationary value of the homes, but maybe a pool, a storage unit, or a garage," Moore said.
According to the the county's Tax Assessors Office, the market has been constantly increasing since last year when notices were sent to homeowners in April 2021, but Moore says this doesn't mean your property tax will increase this year.
"On taxes, we really don't know at this point. It's really early in the game. There's factors that go along with that. We appraise properties and these are the values we generate in this office. The millage rate has a big impact on your taxes and that's determined by the county commissioners and school board. It may stay the same, or they may decide to lower it. That's just all up to them," Moore said.
"I'm sure they are going to go up, but that's part of the process," Moore said.
Moore said your taxes may stay the same or may they raise or lower them. But, they will send out notifications of property reassessments late this month or early May. After receiving the notice, you would have 45 days to appeal the new value. Houston County homeowners can expect to get a tax bill in the fall. It'll be due late December. The Board of Tax Assessors also rely on the Georgia Department of Revenue during this revaluation process.
Mason Rainey with the Georgia Department of Revenue says: "Property values are as of January 1st of each year. The assessor will complete their work in the late spring / early summer and the property owners will be sent a 'notice of assessment' showing the value of their property for that tax year. There is also appeal instructions on the notice if the owner wants to appeal the assessors' value. The tax bill that will go to the owner in December will be based on the Jan. 1 value opinion on the notice or the value concluded at the end of the appeal."