Definition of "Reassessment"

Nikki Serrano real estate agent

Written by

Nikki Serranoelite badge icon

Sellstate Real Estate

A reassessment or a reappraising is a decision or strategy made by the owner or the state or local authorities. The reassessment definition is a revision of an earlier assessment. Property taxes are based on property values and tax rates. An assessor assesses the property value, and then a reassessment can be necessary if the property changes owners or changes are made to the property. The revaluation may have many reasons, such as recent comparable sales of a property, economic conditions, and new tax laws. The valuation is most often used for contract negotiations or tax matters. An example is revising the value of real estate based on new information.

Assessments and reassessments are done by local authorities either every year or every five years. As mentioned above, change in the property or change of ownership demands a new reassessment.

Why are reassessments done?

The main reason for reassessments is to determine the property’s tax. State or local authorities do this process through an assessor who may or may not visit the property. The assessor’s job is to evaluate the property’s value by considering the variables that affect it. Some of these variables are the lot and building size, number of stories, bedrooms, bathrooms, improvements from the previous assessment, comparables, curb appeal, etc.

Because the real estate market is alive and influenced by outside factors, the properties’ values can fluctuate with the local economy. Appreciation and depreciation can happen, but they don’t always affect properties in unison. An upcoming housing market crash will, however, affect house values. This can be affected by how often reassessments are done in one district or another, affecting property taxes’ correctness.

States like Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan require annual reassessments, while New Hampshire, New York, and Hawaii do not require periodic assessments and leave them to local districts.


Reassessments and assessments can also be used by property owners to determine their assessment ratio. This can be done to determine their tax liability and understand the state of the market.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

An individual appointed by a court to manage the affairs and property of a legally incompetent party. The conservator has full decision-making authority over the affairs of the property in ...

Sales commission charged to buy shares in a real estate mutual fund sold by a broker or salesperson. Typically, the fee ranges from about 1 percent to 8 percent of the initial investment. ...

Sponsor of a syndicate involving people or companies buying an interest in a real estate investment or unit. The group of investors are in effect engaged in a joint venture for profit." ...

British thermal unit-a unit of energy associated with the creation of heat. Prior to 1929, it was defined as the amount of heat required to raised the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 ...

Are you planning on buying a house? If you are, you’re going to love the Buyer's Market definition. But if you are a home seller, you will wish that term never comes up again in your ...

Listing of items in priority or sequential order. There may be a succession or series of steps to result in a desired outcome. An example is what logical order should occur in building a ...

When we use the term contingent, we typically imply that something is dependent on another factor. Real estate contingencies make home selling, buying, or even inheriting a property ...

To undertake or take on a responsibility or duty. ...

Danger, hazard, risk, or peril. For example, jeopardizing a piece of property by pledging it as collateral for a loan. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions