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

Process of simultaneously appraising several pieces of property. Normally, occurs when a local government conducts a reassessment. ...

To pass property by will to an heir. Strictly speaking, real estate cannot be bequeathed to an heir, it must be devised. However, if it becomes clear the purpose of the testator was to ...

If you came here looking for the Sublease definition, chances are that you know what it means, but you need more information about it, with scenarios and facts to better grasp it. ...

Fund set aside for periodic payments, aimed at reducing a financial obligation taken out to buy real estate, or to accumulate enough funds to buy property or plant expansion. The principal ...

Large heavy piece of wood or other material generally running horizontally through a building providing support for other parts of the structure. The stringer usually runs in the direction ...

Illegally keeping or holding on to someone else's property. An example is a tenant staying in the apartment after the lease has expired. A court order may be sought to evict the tenant. ...

Association of people not treated as a corporation. Examples are a limited partnership and a group of cooperative owners. ...

The term amenity value refers to the worth or pleasant feeling added by using or seeing something. The amenity value definition would be the value that an individual amenity adds to the ...

(1) Rectangular area bounded on all sides by consecutive streets. It is part of a platted area. (2) Substantial amount of real estate properties to be sold together. (3) Group of houses, ...

Popular Real Estate Questions