Definition of "Assessment Sales Ratio"

The assessment sales ratio is a way of measuring the accuracy of a property’s assessed value when compared to the property’s selling price. This measurement gives the municipalities an analysis of how real estate is assessed in relation to how it is sold. It is a measurement that helps municipalities better organize the distribution of public funds to improve the community. 

Why are Assessment Sales ratios important?

The assessment sales ratio is used to make sure the assessments are as accurate as possible to the fair market value of the properties in a city. The reason why this process is so important for municipalities is because taxes are established by assessment ratios. If the assessment values aren’t similar to the market values, then taxes aren’t calculated properly for those properties. And taxes are also the generator of school fundings and other public funds spent in those neighborhoods.

Municipalities have assessors that are responsible for correctly assessing the value of a property. These homes are usually assessed every year, but there are taxing authorities that only do them every five years. An assessment is done by taking into account the property itself as well as other properties surrounding it. These assessments are done to determine a median assessment sales ratio in an area of a city or for the entire city (with metro-areas there are subclasses analyzed). Every house in the area surveyed is assessed, then the assessment to sales ratio is calculated for each house to determine the median ASR in an area.

This assessment to sale ratio also helps municipalities determine the coefficient of dispersion, which is a way to measure the variations of individual ratios to the mean ratio in an area. It is used to understand the consistency or interchangeability of the assessed value of the real estate in an area or neighborhood.

How is the Assessment Sales Ratio (ASR) Calculated?

The selling price of a property is divided by its assessed value. If the real estate has a selling price of $400,000 but its assessed value is 438,000, the ratio is 1.053. An assessment sales ratio below 1 shows that the property has been assessed below the market value. If the ASR is above 1 then the property has been assessed above the market value.

The formula to calculate the ASR:

Assessment to Sales Ratio = Assessed Value of the Property / Selling Value of the Property.

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

Rentals received in cash rather than on credit. ...

Kind of siding for wood frame houses where the joints in the usually vertical siding are covered by narrow strips of wood called battens. The battens are nailed over the joints. ...

The Debt-to-Income Ratio’s (DTI) definition is a measure that allows one to compare the ability an individual has to afford a monthly debt payment out of their monthly gross income. ...

Husband's common law rights to the property his deceased wife owned either during the marriage or at the time of her death. The husband has life estate rights in the deceased wife's ...

Same as term government rectangular survey: Way in which the U.S. government uses to subdivide public land. Land is designated as either a base line (East-West) or principal meridian line ...

The amount of inherent risk for a mortgage in granting a mortgage. An operating principle in mortgage risk rating is that the mortgage cannot exceed 2.5 times the mortgagor's annual income, ...

Writ issued by a superior court to a lower court requiring the latter to produce a record of the proceedings of a particular case. The purpose of a writ of certiorari is to review the ...

Legal obligation to pay for a benefit received as if a contract has actually occurred. This may arise in a few cases so that an equitable situation occurs. An example is when a homeowner ...

Street terminating at one end with only one outlet. A dead end street is not a through street. See also cul de sac. ...

Popular Real Estate Questions