PORT ANGELES — Property values across the North Olympic Peninsula are rising, but that doesn’t necessarily mean taxes will rise with them.
“We don’t derive revenue from assessments,” said Daniel Childress, chief appraiser for the Clallam County Assessor’s Department. “I could double values and it wouldn’t generate any more taxes.”
Taxes are set by the various taxing districts where a home is located, such as fire, school and other administrative districts. Those taxing districts are limited in how much they can raise taxes each year.
The assessor’s office is tasked with determining the value of homes and land across the county which is supposed to match their market value. Assessors determine values by looking at a range of data including sales and physical inspections of homes in a certain area. Because the entire county can’t be physically inspected annually, assessors choose an area that’s one-sixth of the county’s developed area and do inspections there, rotating the area that is physically inspected from year to year.
This year, Clallam County assessors looked at parts of the Dungeness Valley and areas west of Sequim. In Jefferson County, the tri-area of Port Hadlock, Irondale and Chimacum were inspected as well as Chimacum School District areas of Marrowstone Island.
In both counties and across the state, property values continue to rise.
“Inflation is definitely driving values up,” said Jeff Chapman, Jefferson County assessor. “The cost of materials alone is going up; inflation is going up by 15-20 percent.”
Statewide, the median price of a home increased more than 15 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to the Office of Financial Management. According to the University of Washington’s Center for Real Estate Research, the average price of a home in Clallam County in 2021 was $420,600 and $452,400 in 2022, and increase of over 7 percent.
The median home price in Jefferson County rose from $569,400 in 2021 to $606,800 in 2022, and increase of more than 6 percent.
Officials in both counties also said another factor driving up home values was the increase in value of vacant land. Vacant land in Clallam County has increased by 20 percent over the past three years, Childress said, and while other areas of the housing market have slowed, vacant land has not.
In Jefferson County, Chapman said several parcels of vacant waterfront land have been selling well and local governments have been easing construction regulations to help spur the construction of additional housing.
Childress said that high-interest rates on mortgages haven’t necessarily had the downward pressure on home prices typically associated with that kind of financial situation, but new data is showing home prices beginning to level out.
Furthermore, the North Olympic Peninsula remains a desirable place to live.
“People want to live here,” Chapman said. “With all the issues with disasters elsewhere and climate change, there’s a lot of influx of people from other areas.”
Appraisers acknowledge that their assessments are imperfect and there can be a wide variety of property value increases even within the same neighborhood. County officials said they encourage homeowners to contact the assessor’s office with concerns about their valuation.
“Sometimes people get caught up in the percentage change and that’s not really relevant,” Childress said. “We encourage them to call, to come talk to us. We’re always willing to do that.”
Each year, counties send out Change of Value notices or COVs, and homeowners have 30 days to challenge their assessment, either with the assessor’s office or with the county Board of Equalization.
Chapman said concerns over COVs can often be resolved through conversations with appraisers at the assessor’s office.
“We want to be sure they’re being valued fairly in relation to their neighbors,” Chapman said. “They show us new information that we didn’t have, we can still adjust in that 30 days.”
Currently, Chapman said Jefferson County had about 300 challenges, most of which he said would likely be resolved in conversations with the assessor’s office. The number for Clallam County was not available.
But if the issue can’t be resolved with the assessor’s office, a homeowner can file an official appeal with the county Board of Equalization which will independently review the information.
In Jefferson County, notices were mailed Oct. 9, making Nov. 8, the last day to file a challenge. In Clallam County, notices were mailed Oct. 16, making Nov. 15 the last day for challenges.
Chapman noted homeowners have 30 days from their most recent COV notice. So if a second COV is sent to a homeowner, the 30-day deadline is reset to the most recent notice.
If homeowners feel they’re property has been over-assessed, Childress said they should bring that information to the assessor’s office.
“It’s important if they feel like they’re over-assessed, that’s something that we definitely want to see,” Childress said. “We’re always trying to do a good job for everybody, our appraisers are always willing to talk to people. We have good relations with most of the people that come in a talk to us.”
—
Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
