Just found out my property tax went up 18% since last year...

I was looking through some mail from the county assessor's office last week and almost dropped my coffee. My property tax assessment jumped from like $3,200 to $3,776 in a single year. No improvements on the house or anything, they just decided the neighborhood's worth more now. Has anyone else in Everett gotten a big surprise like this from their tax bill lately?

3 comments

3 Comments

alice_palmer202mo ago

Mine went up 15% last year in North Everett.

rowan7252mo ago

Friend of mine in south county got hit with almost the same jump, @alice_palmer20. She called the assessor's office and they just said "market adjustments" with no real explanation.

robert_anderson6916d ago

Well, I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a minute. Market adjustments are what they sound like - if houses in your area are selling for more, the assessed value has to follow to keep things fair across the board. It's not fun to see that number jump, but the system is designed to spread the tax burden evenly based on current values, not what you paid five years ago. I've seen this cycle before where people get upset about reassessments, but then they're the first ones to cheer when their neighbor's house sells for a record price. You can't have it both ways. The county has to use some kind of data to set values, and recent sales are about the best objective measure they have. That said, your friend should make sure they're checking the details - sometimes there are errors in square footage or lot size that can bump things up unfairly. It's worth a second look even if the overall trend is legit.