Stark County completing property reappraisal. Here's a look at the inspection process

CANTON − Jason Jeffries observes the outside of a home that recently sold.

Wearing a yellow vest and holding a tablet, Jeffries is comparing what he sees on the outside of the house in Canton to data previously collected by the Stark County Auditor's Office — information used to help determine property values.

For homes that recently changed hands, the county tries for an on-site inspection within two weeks.

"The most important thing we do is collect accurate data," he said. "The more accurate our data is, the better our outcomes will be."

Jeffries is team lead of appraisal and data analysis in the auditor's office. This year, the office has to finish visiting every home across the county, a total of about 137,000, for the state-mandated property reappraisal.

Stark County property values were last updated in 2021. At the time, the median assessed value of a home rose by more than 17%.

County officials expect another increase this year.

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Property values are reassessed every three years by the county auditor's office. Mass reappraisals, where appraisers visit every property to collect data, happen every six years. The triennial update between mass reappraisals reassess values based on data from recent sales.

This year is a reappraisal year for Stark. Appraisers have been collecting data for the last few years in anticipation.

"We have appraisers out in the field every day," Jeffries said.

In a typical month, appraisers complete around 2,000 field inspections. Jeffries said visiting homes is a constant cycle, all to keep accurate data.

Why is Stark County expected to see property values rise?

Stark County Auditor Alan Harold said an increase is expected because the amount of homes in the county has stayed mostly steady.

"Property values continue to go up," he said. "This is just really simple supply and demand. People need to move and need different housing choices."

A recent countywide housing study showed there is a shortage of affordable housing in Stark.

Countywide housing study: 'We're either growing or we're dying.' Stark County housing study shows there's a shortage

Each of Ohio's 88 counties reassess home values every three years. Last year, Summit County home values rose by over 30% .

For homeowners, sharp increases can be troublesome, as home value is connected to how much is paid in property taxes.

But property taxes will not go up at the same rate as home values. Tax rates are subject to other deductions and are based on what levies have passed in the local area.

The auditor expects preliminary information on reassessed property values to be released to the public around the second week of August.

Following the release of information, property owners will have the chance to appeal if they believe their property value should be different by submitting evidence or other documentation to the auditor's office.

A look at the on-site inspection process

When appraisers first arrive at a home, they start by double-checking the address and take a look at the photo the county has on file.

If there are visible changes to the home, the appraiser will take a new picture.

The next step is to knock on the door and have a short conversation with the owner. The appraiser will give a summary of what they are doing and ask some basic questions about the home, such as how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are and if there were any recent changes made.

If no one is home, they leave a questionnaire.

County appraisers do outside inspections and will rarely go inside a home.

The next step is to inspect specific issues, validating data on record. This includes checking measurements and making updates to the data if there have been any changes.

At the end of the inspection, the appraiser gives an assessment of the condition of the house from poor to excellent based on the inspection and in relation to other nearby homes.

Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County completing property reappraisal. Here's a look at the inspection process