STOW, Ohio — Summit County homeowners are in for a historic rise to their property values. Letters are arriving now explaining new home reappraisals across the county.
The state of Ohio settles the market value of homes every six years, with a three-year reappraisal based on the home sales market.
Across the county, the average home will be worth 31% more than before. With that big jump in property value, families are worried about what their upcoming taxes will look like.
James and Karen Myers recently got a home appraisal letter at their home in Stow.
“Definitely surprising that it took such a jump," James Myers said.
On Wednesday, more than 120 people like the Myers met with appraisers to talk about their home values and dispute the new appraisal rate.
“If I were going to sell my house, I would be thrilled because then we would have this proof that our house is worth this amount of money," Karen Myers said.
Dominic Basile, director of real estate and appraisal with Summit County Fiscal Office, said he has not seen a jump in reappraisal percentages like this in more than 20 years.
“The top concern is the tax bill. What is my tax bill going to be this coming January? How is this value going to change my tax bill from the last one that I received? Unfortunately, that’s the one question we can’t really answer for them," Basile said.
The state passed House Bill 920 in 1976, which protects homeowners from a big jump in levies when property values like this change. But folks will still see an increase in taxes, according to the county.
“There will be an increase in taxes due to the attributable to the inside millage, but as far as the voted-on levies which make up the majority of the tax bill; those rates will drop to compensate for increases,” Basile said.
"We had just been hit with the passage of the Stow schools levy, which jumped our taxes dramatically,” James Myers said.
Another thing the state changed during the 2023 reappraisals, it only looked at a year's worth of home sales data as opposed to three.
“Properties would have come in 10 to 15% lower had we used three years' worth of sales data rather than one," Basile said.
The county can't calculate how much these new property values will affect taxes right now. It expects to be able to begin that in mid to late December.
In Stow, the average reappraisal went up by 25%.
“It’s difficult; it’s difficult in that we are both retired and now we have this huge reappraisal,” Karen Myers said.
Here's a list of the average reappraisal rates for each district in Summit County:
Akron 40%
Barberton 39%
Bath Twp. 28%
Boston Heights Vill. 18%
Boston Twp. 31%
Clinton Vill. 43%
Copley Twp. 27%
Coventry Twp. 44%
Cuyahoga Falls 29%
Fairlawn 28%
Green 30%
Hudson 27%
Lakemore Vill. 28%
Macedonia 27%
Mogadore Vill. 40%
Munroe Falls 26%
New Franklin 35%
Northfield Center Twp. 36%
Northfield Vill. 33%
Norton 28%
Peninsula Vill. 8%
Reminderville 29%
Richfield Twp. 24%
Richfield Village 26%
Sagamore Hills Twp. 29%
Silver Lake Vill. 25%
Springfield Twp. 34%
Stow 25%
Tallmadge 30%
Twinsburg 31%
Twinsburg Twp. 32%
Now, the Myers wait to see what comes of their reappraisal conversation with the county. The couple has asked the county to re-evaluate their home value.
“I hope we see that the value of our house comes down a little bit so that our house will be more affordable for us," said Karen Myers.
It is not too late to dispute the new value of your home in Summit County. The county will speak with homeowners in person here:
Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023: Tallmadge Community Center Hall; 80 Community Rd., Tallmadge, Ohio 44278
Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023: Fairlawn Kiwanis Community Center; 3486 S. Smith Rd., Fairlawn, Ohio 44333
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023: Twinsburg Community Center; 10260 Ravenna Rd., Twinsburg, Ohio 44087
Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023: Firestone Park Community Center; 1480 Girard St., Akron, Ohio 44301
Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023: Cuyahoga Falls Lions Park Lodge; 641 Silver Lake Ave., Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023: Green Central Park Community Hall; 1755 Town Park Blvd., Green, Ohio 44685
Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023: Richfield Village Hall Council Chambers; 4410 W Streetsboro Rd., Richfield, Ohio 44286
If you don't go in person, you can always call the county here: 330-643-2710 or send an email to appraisedvalue@summitoh.net.
If you don't dispute the new value of your home before September 30, you have to wait until January. From January 1 through March 31, homeowners can submit a complaint to the board of revisions.
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