Definition of "Assessment ratio"

Myrna  Strain real estate agent

Written by

Myrna Strainelite badge icon

Watson Realty Corp

When a real estate owner wants to know what their property tax liability is, they calculate the assessment ratio for their property. An assessment ration is a relationship between a real estate's assessed valuation and its market value. In order to know what is the assessment ratio for any personal property or real estate, a homeowner needs to learn what the assessed value of the property is and its market value. In order to discover a property’s assessment ratio, one needs to divide the assessed value of the property by the asking price of the property. The assessment ratio is rarely at 100%, as the two values rarely match. So let’s see how the assessment ratio works.

How does the assessment ratio work?

As mentioned above, the math to discover the property’s assessment ratio is relatively simple. Getting the two values can be slightly trickier. 

Firstly, you need to know that the assessed value is a value that the authorities, in this case, a government assessor, sets for the property annually to calculate the annual property tax of the owner. In order to calculate the assessed value of a property, the assessor needs the property’s market value, which is multiplied by the assessment rate. The assessment rate is set at the district or county level.

The second element of the equation is the market value of the property. That is relatively straightforward as it is the actual price of the property if it were put on the market. For this, one needs to consider the supply and demand present on the market at that time, the structure of the real estate, materials used, aesthetics, etc. 

The difference between a property’s market value and its assessed value gives homeowners a good understanding of the market’s current condition, discouraged or promising. If the two values are equal or close to being, then the market is promising; if the values are distant, the market is discouraged.

The formula for the assessment ratio is: 

Market Value/Assessed Value = Assessment Ratio%

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

A portion of a real estate company's assets financed with debt instead of equity. It involves interest an principal obligations. Financial leverage is beneficial to real estate investors ...

In everyday discourse, a merger defines the combination of two entities, be it real estate or two companies, into a single and legit one. We should make a difference between a merger and ...

Income for investors arising from net long-term profits of a real estate mutual fund realized when the portfolio is sold at a gain. Fund managers pass on profits from sales of real estate ...

A cost of funds index that most adjustable rate mortgages written in California in recent years are tied to. Computed by the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, it reflects the cost ...

Sponsor sells interest to real estate investors in one property only. The total amount received from the equity investors is used by the sponsor to buy the property for the partnership. ...

Subsoil that is beneath the A horizon and above the C horizon of the earth. ...

Acquired by adverse land use for a statutory period of time. ...

Group of people residing in one home, usually consisting of a family. ...

Net operating income (NOI) of property relative to its market value. If rental income property worth $1,000,000 results in NOI of $100,000, the overall return is 10%. NOI compared to ...

Popular Real Estate Questions