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The Duval County Appraiser’s Office has 128 employees and about 50 of them perform appraisals, the size of the staff has not changed in over five years. Even though the county staffs the correct amount people based on the population size, it was not prepared to see the sudden decline in property values. Obviously this has caused an increase in the amount of assessment appeals, something the staff size could not handle. The best solution would be to hire more employees but that’s something the county cannot afford at this time because of the city’s budget.  The lack of money is the primary issue, in addition the the major issue with the budget, the city’s asking for a 3 percent salary cut, making positions harder to fill.

The practice of pricing behind the market, is the biggest factor affecting assessments. The city is nine months behind accurately assessing data, whether the market is increasing or decreasing. A property is evaluated based on data that is taken on the first of that year. But in a market such as the current one, it can give appraisals that are not accurate and are lagging about 8 months in data. Although other properties have not received in-person valuations in 2008 or 2009, the market values were adjusted downward.

A practice in appraisals is finding a piece of property that has been undervalued and bringing it up to its current market value. Even though some homeowners would benefit from filling an appeal for their home’s appraised value, some might find it useless. Its also good to point that homeowners who currently live in their homes are currently enjoying a $50,000 homestead exemption, which is deducted from their appraised value.

Assistance for property owners in dealing with the valuation appeal process is available from Land Tax Florida, LLC. Visit them on the web for contact and information.