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Wish the county tax assessors and the government would be in line with you P.S. statement. Across the nation, tax assessors and the gov have decide that homes are worth more than what they usually sell for. In Franklin Co., NC, we have 'drive-by' picture assessments. Funny thing, how much is a home really worth if it's trashed inside and in dire need of repair and maintenance? This is never taken into account for tax purposes.

Drive-by assessments can be successfully challenged. If there are enough homes, what they call comparables, in the area that have sold for much lower than your value listed by them with the same/similar conditions, they don't have much to stand on and will usually relent, even if somewhat.

I used to challenge raises in appraisals every year they went up and I'd spend nights and weekends searching comparables and checking around the immediate vicinity. They are expecting you to bend over and take it and if you do your homework you can gain from it. There are laws in many states that require reassessments when more than a certain percentage of assessments are challenged. I think homeowners as a matter of course should challenge every year just on principle.