Property assessment notices were just sent. Here’s what Horry residents need to know.
On Thursday morning local social media sites were enveloped with a cacophony of upset tax-payers.
They all seemed to be complaining about the same thing – why were their property assessments all of a sudden significantly higher than what they once were?
And why now?
According to information posted on the Horry County Assessor’s website, this round of assessments happens every five years due to state law.
“Our primary aim is to determine the current market value of properties within Horry County,” the statement said. “This valuation serves as a basis for calculating property taxes.”
The assessor’s office may conduct physical inspections, collect data, and analyze recent sales and market trends to determine a property’s value.
Only property owners with an overall value increase of more than $1,000 received notice in the mail, according to the county assessor’s site.
“Reassessment is not intended to raise taxes, but to distribute them more fairly,” they wrote.
Since the last reassessment was five years ago, the assessor’s office warns taxpayers that their property values will likely increase.
In neighboring Georgetown County, assessor Tim Holt said his office will mail more than 3,300 notices to property owners starting on Monday, July 15. Like in Horry County, Georgetown County spokeswoman Jackie Broach said in an email that notices are only sent to those with an overall increased value of over $1,000.
For those interested in determining how these new values will affect their upcoming property tax bills in Horry County, here’s the link to the county’s property tax calculator.
That number will guide what to expect on this October’s property tax bill.
The directions for how to appeal the property value from the county are on the back of the mailed notice.
You can also fill out an online form to appeal.
The deadline to appeal is 90 days from the date of the mailed notice.
If you tried to reach the assessor’s office with any questions or concerns, after a brief hold, the automated message said to leave a voicemail, and someone from the office would get back to you because the lines were so busy this morning.
That’s the same as last October, after the tax bills were sent out.
At the time, county spokeswoman Mikayla Moscov told The Sun News that it’s important for people to update their information with the assessor before those bills are finalized and mailed.
Out of 57,330 properties in Georgetown County, a total of 3,318 saw value changes big enough to require a notice of assessment, Broach said via email. These are mostly newly purchased or newly constructed homes, and is unrelated to a future countywide assessment that will occur next year.
Georgetown County property owners will also have 90 days to appeal the new values if they disagree with the value calculated by their Assessor’s Office. Broach said instructions on how to file an appeal and an appeals form are included on each notice.
