YOUR AD HERE »

Chuck Cobb: Property values similar to weather forecasts

Moffat County Assessor Chuck Cobb
Courtesy photo

Editor’s note: The following is the final column in a series about the processes involved with property assessment.

I have discovered during my short tenure as your county assessor that trying to predict property values is like trying to predict the weather. Values will and are going to change. They may not be what you had originally forecast, but one thing is for sure: Just like the weather, property values are not going to satisfy everyone!

So, as we close out this conversation on property value history and the upcoming re-appraisal process I encourage you to check the assessor’s web page on Moffat County’s website. There, you will find some great information about the valuation process, property classification, appealing your values, mapping, GIS, our abstract brochure, and more.

The GIS feature is, no doubt, the most heavily utilized area on our site and is extremely helpful when you need to identify land parcels and owners throughout our county. I invite you to check out. Our site also allows you to research your own property data, recent sales, and more.

Please note, as much as we try to update our data on a regular basis, it can never be real time, so please don’t hesitate to call our office for the most current ownership information. Additionally, we could use your help in keeping our records up-to-date. We ask that you to let us know if your mailing address has changed. This helps ensure future value notifications and your tax warrants get sent to the correct address.

So 2019 is off and running. Tax notices are out, commercial personal property declarations were mailed Feb. 1, and “Notices of Value” for real property will be out by May. As I mentioned earlier in this series, I do expect to see residential property values to increase this year. As for other properties, such as commercial, vacant land, and agricultural, it’s expected to be a mixed bag — as the weatherman might say, “It’s probably going to be partly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow or sun.” Some up … some down!

Through the course of the next year, our office will be providing more assessment conversations covering a wide range of property assessment subjects. Our goal is to not only assess our county as fairly and equitably as possible, but also better educate our taxpayers about the assessment and valuation process.

Property valuation in Colorado is complex and difficult to understand. I am hopeful this article and those that follow will help you become a more informed property owner and taxpayer.

Chuck Cobb is Moffat County assessor.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Craig and Moffat County make the Craig Press’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.