by Ms. Keith Edwards and Twumasi Duah-Mensah
Why is it important to be prepared for the 2025 property valuations?
People are very nervous about this next round of revaluations because the tax values increased so much during the last revaluation four years ago. If there’s been new properties built since that revaluation, some people are afraid that these new properties will make their taxes increase, pricing them out of their community. Some of the neighborhoods in 2021 hit hardest were in minority communities, while more affluent households in other neighborhoods did not see the same increases. When people received the first notice of revaluations in 2021, the property taxes skyrocketed. Many in the community were very upset and want to make sure that doesn’t happen again this time. When you receive your revaluation from Orange County in early March, please read it very carefully. The one thing we don’t want you to do is to stress yourself out
over it before you have the chance to talk with someone who knows something about these revaluations. There are measures you can take to combat whatever the revaluations are this cycle.
During the last revaluation, Northside advocacy efforts supported over 100 long-term neighbors with appeals that resulted in $500,000 of property tax savings — or $1,300 per resident per year. Paying attention and getting support is critical to helping make this happen. There’s help out there, but your yearly income may affect how much assistance you’ll be eligible to get. Anyone can appeal their revaluation directly to the county regardless of income. You can also apply for relief from the county, state, and Jackson Center. The last thing the county wants is for people to feel as if they’re being taxed out of their homes.
Here are the steps you can take to contest your revaluation:
1. Appeal the tax revaluation directly to the Orange County tax office. The number is (919) 245-2100. You can also email reval@orangecountync.gov and visit their website for more information.
2. Visit the Jackson Center at 512 W Rosemary St, call them at (919) 960-1670 or email contact@jacksoncenter.info. You can also contact other agencies that are available to help anyone who lives in Orange County. The Jackson Center also plans to offer a property tax workshop in late March/April to learn more about appeals and evaluating whether your property’s valuation shows obvious problems.
Other than the high property tax rate, the Jackson Center hears this concern often: if the homeowner has to sell their home for any reason and had their property tax lowered through revaluation, will it cause the market value of the home to depreciate? Absolutely not. If it
ever comes to a time where you want to sell your home, even after a revaluation, you can still use the original assessed value as a starting point for selling your home. Even with the uncertainty of 2025 and beyond, the Jackson Center is always here for you no matter your situation and no matter how big or small. But we can only help you if you call us!
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