Even though property appraisals increased across Orange County this year, the Orange County Appraisal District did not have more appraisal protests than usual, according to Chief Appraiser Mike Cedars.
He said the district usually has 2,500 to 3,000 appraisal appears each year, but this year had a little more than 2,000. Cedars said it “was a little less than normal.” The county has about 76,000 appraisals.
When the appraisals went out in late April and early May, many homeowners complained in conversations and on social media about the increases. Cedars said the values went up about 8 percent through all the county except in the West Orange-Cove school district. The appraisals were up about 5 percent in that district.
The appraisal district now has a way for property owners to appeal a value through the district’s website. Cedars said almost 500 of the appeals were made online. With an online appeal, the property owner can send information and figures to prove a value. The online appeals take the emotion out of a dispute and uses facts, he said.
These days with real estate information online and sites like Zillow and Trulia, property owners have more facts to gather and use, he said. The local appraisers do not have access to the inside of a house. A property owner with problems inside can use proof to get a decrease in the values.
The appraisal district uses statistics on a property along with recent sales in the neighborhood to put a value on the property. Cedars said the district does not set taxes. The governing boards of entities, like county commissioners, school boards and city councils, set the tax rates. He said state law has some taxes frozen for property owners 65 and older, but the freeze is for the tax rate and not the property value.
The district’s Appraisal Review Board has already started meetings to hear the appeals in person. Usually most people who file an appeal do not show up for their hearing, he said. The board schedules three appeals for every 15 minutes. “We know two will not show,” he said. “That comes from years and years of experience.”
The appraisal district hires a professional firm, Pritchard and Abbott, to assess the values on industrial properties in the county. Cedars said the district has about 10 industrial appeals each year.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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