Property taxes are on the minds of many Southwest Riverside County property owners as the first installment of taxes are currently due and will be considered late after Dec. 10.
Property taxes are on the minds of many Southwest Riverside County property owners as the first installment of taxes are currently due and will be considered late after Dec. 10. (Flickr: JD Hancock)
In some areas of Southwest Riverside County, property values have seen an increase, including Canyon Lake, Hemet and Temecula.
Other areas have seen a decrease, such as Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Murrieta, Perris, San Jacinto and Wildomar. Overall, 12 of the 28 cities in Riverside County saw some increase in their assessed value.
“This year there was an overall decrease by about a half percent, so it was pretty stagnant considering we had increases over the last few years,” said Michele Martinez, principal auditor/appraiser with the Riverside County assessor’s office said of property values in Riverside County. “We attribute that to a stabilization of the market overall for the county as of Jan. 1.”
Last year’s property values in Riverside County were more stable than they have been in more than four years, which may mean the county is at the beginning of a slow rebound toward a normalized real estate market.
Some cities and unincorporated areas saw a greater decrease or increase, but when viewing the average from the county, the numbers are pretty stable, Martinez said.
The numbers posted on the county assessor’s office reflect last year’s rates. Home value assessments for 2012 will begin in January and the new report will be release in July, 2013.
Questions on property taxes should go to the correct county office. Often, property owners may see special assessments levied by other government entities, such as a school district, water companies or code enforcement, which may lead to questions. Questions about bills, assessed values that may seem too high or two low or the tax rate will go to different offices.
The Riverside County Assessor office is charged with valuing the properties. When that task is completed, the Riverside County Auditor-Controller office sets the tax rate, which is typically approximately 1.25 percent of the assessed property value. The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office issues the bills and accepts payments.
So, questions on assessed values should go to the Riverside County Assessor. Questions about the tax rate levied on the assessed value should go to the Riverside County Auditor-Controller office. Questions about a property tax bill, ways to pay or issues with payment should be addressed by the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office.
“The Riverside County Property Tax Portal has a lot of information on all three county offices,” Martinez said.
The website includes general information, property tax payment information and a section on frequently asked questions, which may answer a lot of basic questions property owners may have.
Jennifer Dean is a local writer and regular contributor to SWRNN.
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It seems Riverside County Tax Assessor Office is using a new way to determine Property Values by adding “their estimated values” for any/all improvements performed on a given property, despite Counties depressed Market and “the Law”.
Example: A new swimming Pool might cost some $60K +/-, but will only improve the value of the property… perhaps $10K +/- or possibly, not at all. That doesn’t concern the County Tax Assessor. In fact, they add the full retail value of the pool to the given residents Assessment and thereby raise the value of their property taxes, contradictory to the law.
Further, they now set inspections to view/calculate “Any/All” improvements to increase the value of the given home [eg to raise taxes]… NOT to determine FMV. Never mind that many, if not most improvements [eg Tool Shed, swimming Pool, Tack Room, additional Bedroom, whatever…]are far more expensive than the value they “might” add to the home itself.
In our experience, our 7 Acre Horse Ranch in 2011 was valued correctly at $800K. Then, one Bob Galves [RC Tax Assessor] decided to trespass [eg break the law to enforce the law] and assigned his “random values” to our improvements and thereby raise the Property Value to over $1.3M [eg over 40%!]and by extension, our Taxes from $8,500 to over $15K. Which, under strong Real Estate Conditions would be fine… if the FMV/Fair Market Value were correct. Unfortunately, like so many properties [if not most] are over built for this depressed economy and while the “Black letter Law” prohibits these type assessments to protect the Homeowner as they are far from accurate representations of the true FMV and which property Taxes are based. It seems many/if not most homeowners are thus subject to this predatory Tax appraisal, hostile behavior and abuse of power, if not “subjective discrimination”.
Given the foregoing, we hired a 30 year, State Licensed Commercial/Residential expert appraiser inspect the property and appraise same 3 weeks ago and which confirmed a $800K value, despite our improvements.
One would think that alerting the Assessor’s office to same would result in a re-appraisal/ accurate FMV. Not so… In fact we invited them to our property to inspect/correct their appraisal which has been met with
Their acceptance confirming… The purpose is to “verify the improvements” on our property(?)
The goal for this, or ANY Appraisal, “as mandated by Law”, “is to get the Counties appraised value to “fair market value”. And which is contradictory to the law.
Here again their own “Advanced Appraiser(?)” Bob Galves, whom personally visited [trespassed]our/neighbors property, albeit unlawfully… then provided a ridiculous appraisal [$1.3M+ appraisal/eg 40% over market!?] which can only be considered as…
Incompetence [As an Advanced Appraiser? …not likely]
Deliberate, willful, self serving appraisals to raise County revenue?
[eg Possible… Is he mandated by the County to increase property Values by appraisal/increase revenue from a starving County
Or worse, is it of his own doing?]…
Homeowner harassment /Abuse of authority?
None of which are acceptable of course.
Having alerted the RC County Tax Assessors to same… there is no attempt at resolution and those thus far complicit [all of which have been notified…]in this “process/behavior” include, but not limited to…
Erik Karhu
Supervising Appraiser, Temecula Residential
951.600.6203
ekarhu@asrclkrec.com
Jeffrey Gonzales
Principal Deputy ACR Residential/Agriculture
951-413-2854
jgonzals@asrclkrec.com
Bob Galve
Residential Property Appraiser II
County Of Riverside, Temecula Office
951-600-6202
rgalve@asrclkrec.com
Larry Ward,
Riverside County Tax Assessor
LWard@asrclkrec.com
That said, is anybody else “similarly” situated? I suspect so…
do tell…