Frequently Asked Questions

How does the county determine how much property tax I must pay?

Property taxes are assessed based on the fair market value of your property and any improvements you have made to your property (such as building a house or other structure). The Board of Tax Assessors determines the fair market value of your property and any improvements on it by visiting your property and collecting factual data about your property. This factual data is used to determine the fair market value based on nationally accepted appraisal standards. The assessed value of your property is 40% of the fair market value. Your tax is then determined by multiplying the assessed value by the county's millage rate.

What is a total revaluation?

In a total revaluation, every parcel of property in the county is visited and appraised. The appraisers record the characteristics of the property, take photographs to document their visit and estimate the value of the property. Characteristics such as square footage, type of roof, exterior finish, quality of construction, age, condition, access (paved road, dirt road, land locked, etc.), topography, etc. all may have a bearing on the property's value. It is the appraiser's job to note all these features and make a judgment, based on their training and experience, as to what a knowledgeable buyer would offer and a willing seller would take in an arm's length transaction where neither is under any compulsion to sell.

A total revaluation is a massive undertaking that takes many months. Properties that have sold recently are carefully studied to determine the local market. Local building costs are studied. The appraisers seek to discover and analyze all factors that may be affecting the local market and take these into account when arriving at their estimates of market value.

Why is a revaluaton performed?

As you recall from above, property taxes are assessed based on the fair market value of your property and any improvements you have made to your property. Over time, the real estate market changes as land values and construction costs fluctuate. This can cause the the assessed values of your property not to be in-line with the fair market value of your property. What this means is the property tax burden is not fairly distributed among property owners. Some property owners may be paying more taxes than their fair share; others, less that their fair share. A revaluation is performed to realign assessed property values with fair market value to distribute the tax burden fairly among all property owners in the county.

Are Greene County's values not uniform?

Every three years, the State Department of Revenue reviews the tax digest to see if property values are still fair and uniform. 2004 was the last review year for Greene County. When the State Revenue Commissioner's staff reviewed the digest for that year, they found that our values fell within the Department's requirements for uniformity and the digest was approved. Several areas of Greene County are growing much faster than others. Although the 2004 digest was approved as submitted, it became increasingly apparent that the values would not stay uniform for long. Additionally, the limitations of the computer system were beginning to have a negative impact. Greene was one of a few counties that had not yet converted to the Department of Revenue supported WinGAP system. (WinGAP stands for Windows based Georgia Appraisal Program.) Under the circumstances, the board determined it should undertake a total revaluation of all properties in the county to restore uniformity to the tax digest and convert to the state supported computer assisted mass appraisal system. The Greene County Commissioners contracted with AVTACS, Inc to conduct the revaluation, which began on January 1, 2005.

What is the tax digest?

The tax digest is a book containing the names of all the property owners in the county and a listing of the property they own. Your share of the total tax depends on the value of your property relative to everybody else. For example, if the value placed on your property by the board of tax assessors is 0.4% of the total values placed on all taxable property in the county, then you will be charged 0.4% of the total taxes. Essentially, the property tax digest is the measuring stick by which the total taxes are divided up among the property owners in the county.

Will my property value be changed due to the revaluation?

More than likely your value will be changed. Most properties will be increased, although some will go up more than others.

How will I know if my value has been changed?

The board of assessors is required by law to send you a change of assessment notice if your value is increased during the revaluation.

If my property value increases, does that mean I will owe more property taxes?

It depends on two factors: 1) How much does your value increase relative to everyone else? 2) Will the county board of commissioners and county school board roll the millage rate back to offset the inflationary increase to the digest? For example, if the county and school elect not to increase total taxes levied over the previous year and your value is increased by 20%, you will only see a tax increase if the overall average increase for all properties in the county is less than 20%. If the average value increase is 40% and your value increase is only 20%, you will actually pay less tax! Also keep in mind that if the millage rate is rolled back to offset the inflationary increase, then the tax on your automobiles will decrease.

What if I disagree with the new value placed on my property?

You have the right to appeal the change. Your first appeal, which must be filed within 45 days of receiving your change of assessment notice, will be with the board of assessors. They will review your appeal and they may make further changes to bring the value more in-line with your opinion. Or they may send your appeal to the Board of Equalization, which is a panel of property owners from the county authorized to hear the appeal and set the value. If you are still not satisfied with the value, you can appeal to the Superior Court. It gets expensive when you go court, but the courts are there for you if you feel strongly about the value the county has put on your property. For more detailed information, see our Appeal Information Page.

What does "ad valorem" mean?

Ad valorem is a Latin term meaning "according to value." Taxation according to value is one of the oldest forms of taxation Historically, it was designed to distribute the costs for the common defense among landowners. The more land that one owned, the more that owner had at risk to invaders. Therefore, that land owner paid more for the defense of that land. In modern times, it is a way of distributing the cost of operating the government and providing services among the citizens of the county based on the value of the property owned in that county.

What do property taxes pay for?

Property taxes pay for operating the government and maintaining government records, as well as providing many valuable services to the citizens of the county. Some of the services your property taxes pay for include building and maintaining county roads, providing police and fire protection, operating public schools, running the courts, and maintaining the deeds, court documents, and other official records of the county.

Who establishes the market in "fair market value?"

You do! Sales data plays a very large role in determining fair market value. As citizens buy and sell property, the amount paid (the sales price) is used to determine the value of the property sold as well as other properties similar to that property which have not sold recently. Each time a property owner sells his or her home, that property owner is making a statement on the value of that home and others like it. The job of the appraiser is to review these sales and make judgements about the value of homes, businesses, and land that has not sold recently.

Does the selling price always equal the fair market value?

Not necessarily. For a sale to be considered as a indication of fair market value, several critical ingredients must be considered.

• Willing Seller: The seller must be under no compulsion to sell. For example, an impending foreclosure, a loss of job, or a court-ordered sale of a home in a divorce proceeding are indicators of unwilling sellers.
• Knowledgable Buyer: The buyer must understand what he or she is buying and be knowledgable of the local market conditions. For example, an out of town buyer who is unfamiliar with local market conditions would not necessarily be a knowledgable buyer.
• Arms-Length Transaction: Neither party can have a special interest in the sale of the property. For example, parents selling a home to their child would not be an arms-length transaction.

If all three of these conditions are met, then the sale is likely to be representative of the local market.

I recently purchased my home for $125,000, will that be my fair market value?

Not necessarily. The three conditions noted in the previous question must all be met. Additionally, other adjustments may also need to be made. Appraisers must determine what a typical buyer would pay and what a typical seller would take for a home. Based on personal preferences and tastes, it is reasonable for five buyers to offer five different prices for the same home. An appraiser tries to find what the typical buyer would pay. Similarly, five sellers may take five different prices for the same home, and the appraiser must determine what a typical seller would take for the home depending on the circumstances of the transaction.

Where do I find out more?

This FAQ has covered the highlights of the process. Return to the home page and click on the various revaluation topics that you would like to find out more about. There are also links to status pages that show you the progress of the revaluation, so you can find out when the appraisers conducting the revaluation are likely to be working in your area.