Albemarle and Charlottesville conduct assessments of real property on an annual basis with results made available each January to help elected officials establish a budget and a tax rate.
Other localities in the area reassess property on a less frequent basis. Nelson County last made an update in 2022 when the firm Wampler Eanes Appraisal Group was hired to do the work. Now county officials have put out a request for proposals for a company to do the work in 2025 in time for an effective date of January 1, 2026.
“The county is approximately 471 square miles in area,” reads the RFP. “It has approximately 16,562 real estate parcels and approximately 619 mobile homes.”
The selected firm will conduct all of the work including preparation and mailing of assessment notices. The county will provide office space. Company representatives will also have to be present for meetings of the Board of Equalization scheduled for March 2026.
Handy for anyone interested in the real estate market is a definition of “fair market value” as Virginia law requires assessments to be at 100 percent of that number.
“The fair market value of a property is the price which it will bring when offered for sale by one who desires, but is under no duress to sell and is bought by one who is under no undue necessity of buying, with both buyer and seller being knowledgeable of the uses to which the property is adaptable,” reads the RFP.
Louisa County handles their assessments in-house but they’re done on a rolling basis with updates made based on the sale of properties and when buildings are constructed.
“We do assessments each year, but our schedule does not allow for a visit to each property yearly,” said Cindy King, Louisa’s Community Engagement Manager. “Visits are on a five-year rotation.”
Fluvanna County updates on a two-year cycle with the next new set of values expected for January 1, 2025. Like Nelson, they also hire an outside firm to do the work.
In May, Greene County Supervisors directed staff to pursue a reassessment to update property values in time for the next budget cycle. They’ll also use a third-party company.
Albemarle County is currently conducting inspections of some of the properties.
“Each year, as part of the routine assessment process, we inspect approximately 20% of properties,” reads a press release sent out on Monday. “This year, the County plans to visit over 8,000 properties.”
The inspections are all conducted on the exterior of each structure. Those who do the work are identified as working with the county and be in vehicles with the county seal.
“Staff completing the assessments will have County identification and drive vehicles marked with the Albemarle County seal,” the release continues. “The appraisers will knock on residents’ doors to notify individuals they are there and, in some cases, to ask specific questions about the basement finish or other general details when needed.”
If no one is home or answers, the appraiser will conduct the assessment of the exterior after leaving a door hanger with a phone number and information about when the inspection was conducted. If there’s a no trespassing sign, the exterior inspection will not take place.
Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the June 24, 2024 edition of the newsletter. To ensure this research can be sustained, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.
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