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How Land Assessment Values Work

According to experts, assessments are actually broad averages that are based on the historical sales. When the prices are increasing, looking at the sold prices in previous years means that the assessment will be lower compared to the typical listing price these days.


Basically, assessments are done yearly. For instance, the assessments of 2017 will be based on the 2016 activity. Therefore, the data are a year outdated. There are lots of jurisdictions where the assessments are done once every two or three years. So, those are less reliable. Sometimes they don't even really go out or look at anything for a long time depending on the county.


However, do not base your offer or sale on tax assessment. Tax assessment is a broad average and not specific to any homes or land. Tax assessors did not come out months ago and inspect homes. A land assessment is only considered accurate if it is within nearly ten percent of the property’s actual value. Which often time can be so off it is shocking. Being in the business of selling land we have come across assessed value land of $300k that sold on the market for $4000.00. And land values of $750 that sold upwards of $30k. Issue with the first one is your taxed value will be through the roof for such a low selling parcel. It is often critical to stay away from that one unless you are sure you can sell it more, and quickly!


Assessed Value vs Market Value


It might be a bit confusing to determine what’s meant by terms market value and assessed value when either selling or purchasing a home. Oftentimes, assessed value is less than market value. Therefore, buyers prefer assessed value while the sellers would instead sell at home’s market value.


Generally, the property’s market value is how much it’s worth currently in the market and assessed value, on the other hand, is usually based on the percentage of appraised value that’s used for determining how much property taxes you’ll owe on your house. Typically, it’s a point of contention when assessments arrive in mail since many homeowners do not agree with taxes stated as due.


Many properties are assessed at higher amount than their value. Apart from the argument of what homeowners owe the IRS, the property’s assessed value isn’t what homes would sell for, yet it’s the rate it’ll be taxed. Normally, the market value is what homes would sell for and usually the price that is used for property listing.


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Why Should You Listen to the Market?





The market value is influenced by the homes that were sold recently in the area, the home’s location in relation to the schools, and construction’s future impact for the area. The market value may be influenced by the economy.


When applying for home loans, lending institutions and banks often look at the market value. Market value is considered as the most dependable and accurate so that’s what they base their loan award decisions. These days, it’s easy to determine the home’s market value. Banks have a home value estimator that allows you to see the home’s market value. Knowing the market value enables you to determine what you could afford and help in the process of budgeting for future home purchase.


When reviewing the home’s value, make sure that you look closely at the market value, which is the price put on home based on the current immediate environment of the home. However, you should still consider the assessed value from the website of a tax appraiser. The combination of two values would arm you with lots of information and leverage so you could act as informed consumers and not one that’s entering to expensive transaction blindly. Just remember to base most of your assessments and research on what the market is selling for vs. the assessed value.


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