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

The time period a real estate investment is held. The return is tied to the time period of the investment. The period is used for income tax purpose to determine whether a profit earned or ...

Percentage of a geographic location's population to the number of persons employable by a basic industry in that area. A basic industry is one that draws income from outside the locality ...

A flexible price that may be adjusted. A resolved situation between two or people or parties through discussions in which common interests are modified. For example, real estate ...

The definition of reversion in real estate is the return of property or assets to their original owner after a prespecified event or occurrence. This real estate term is used primarily in ...

In real estate terms, many consider having corner influence an extra financial advantage when it comes to transactions in most cases. Usually, enjoying a corner influence brings an ...

Arrears is a legal and financial term used to describe payments in regards to their due dates. While the term is more often used to refer to a contractual obligation or liability that was ...

loan that is not secured by a mortgage on a specific property. It is backed only by the borrower's credit rating. Unsecured loan are typically short term. The disadvantages of this kind of ...

Income reporting to the Internal Revenue Service using form 1099 stating income earned. For example, An employing real estate broker uses form 1099 to report commissions earned by a real ...

Home inspector is the name the real estate industry calls the professional responsible for the close and thorough examination of a property. The home inspector usually is called upon ...

Popular Real Estate Questions