Property revaluations have begun to arrive in the mailboxes of Wake County residents. If you have not received yours by mail, you can go to Wakegov.com to find your new valuation. Some owners may not be happy with their new valuation and want to have it appealed. (For a deeper explanation of the revaluation process and what it is check out our article from November)

Most homes are likely to see at least some increase in valuation as our area has increased in value as a whole. However, there are factors that could cause a decrease in individual property valuation such as construction of a nearby highway.

Property owners may want to appeal for a variety of reasons. Primarily, it will be because a higher valuation equals a higher property tax bill and homeowners might want to get their valuation down. Property owners may feel that there home is worth less than its been revaluated at and want to decrease their potential tax bill.

It isn’t common, but sometimes those planning to sell their property soon may want to appeal to have their valuation raised. Valuation may affect AVM’s (Automated Valuation Model) like Zillow’s Zestimate, which in turn could affect the public’s perception of a property’s list price.

The results of the revaluation are presented to the Board of Commissioners and value notices are mailed to property owners. Taxpayers can appeal their values informally to the Department of Tax Administration or formally to the Wake County Board of Equalization and Review.

How to appeal

Property owners have the option to first submit an informal appeal and if not satisfied, then a formal review.

First, to be eligible for an informal review the county’s appraised value of your property must have changed since the prior billing year and you are receiving first notice of the new value. If you are a new owner, eligibility for a review would still require that the county’s appraised value has changed since the previous year’s billed value. Essentially, if your home’s new valuation is the same as it was before then you cannot do an informal appeal.

To begin the informal review process, call the tax office at 919-856-5400 or send your request in writing to:

Wake County Tax Administration
Attention: Real Estate Appeal
P.O. Box 2331
Raleigh NC 27602

A county real estate appraiser will review the property and any supporting information provided to determine if a change in value is justified. You will be notified of the results and have the option of accepting the appraiser’s recommendation or appealing further. Informal appeals must be submitted by March 1.

Property owners who are not eligible for informal review or are not satisfied with the informal appeal results may then appeal to the Board of Equalization and Review (BOER).

To file an appeal online or to print an appeal form to complete and return by mail, visit the Tax Portal page and select the option for Create Board of Equalization Appeal. An access code is required to create, print or review an appeal. To obtain an access code, call their office at 919-856-5400 or email your request to taxhelp@wake.gov. Requests should include the tax account number, owner name(s), and property location. Formal appeals must be filed by May 15.

Notification of your scheduled hearing date and time to appear before the BOER will be sent via regular mail.

If property owners still disagree with the results of the formal appeal they may appeal to the North Carolina Property Tax Commission. The Commission is composed of five members; three appointed by the Governor and one each by the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House. Appeals from Commission decisions are to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and are based on hearing records.

What to include in an appeal

Getting an appraisal from a third party is often the first step to disputing the county’s revaluation. If you recently bought or refinanced your home, then you should have an appraisal available from your lender.

If not, you can pay to have an appraisal done, though it will cost around $500 depending on house size and usually takes around 10 business days.

You can submit your appeal without an appraisal using similar information like a list of recently sold homes that are comparable (close by or same neighborhood). You may still need to make adjustments for items like difference in square feet, garages, number of bathrooms, updates etc. Many real estate agents are willing to provide a CMA (Comparable Marketing Analysis) that will have this information. 

Please note that changes in market or economic conditions occurring after the effective date of the last reappraisal, which was January 1, 2024, cannot be lawfully considered when reviewing the appraised value for adjustment

Thanks for reading, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the process!