SUSSEX CO. DE - As property owners across Sussex County receive tentative property reassessment notices for their homes, some expressed concern to WBOC that their estimates do not reflect the value of their homes.
According to county officials, this is the first time in roughly 50 years that property values in Sussex County are being reassessed.
After receiving their tentative reassessments, some taxpayers took to social media to express concern over their estimates. Others shared that they felt their estimates were accurate to their home values.
When visiting one neighborhood in Laurel today, multiple homeowners expressed concern over the reassessments to WBOC.
One homeowner in Laurel, Elbert Collins, told WBOC that the discrepancies in estimates he saw between him and many of his neighbors on social media worry him.
"I thought their accuracy was maybe a little bit off," Collins said. "We have a neighbor, maybe a couple of streets over, who said that theirs was way overvalued. They were highly upset by the figure that they had received because their property tax payment might go up."
Kathy Cox, another homeowner in Laurel, said her home's estimate was overvalued.
Cox said her home's value was estimated at 366 thousand dollars. However, Cox said the assessment included an extra bedroom and a fireplace she does not have. According to Cox, neighbors with similar homes received estimates of around 180 thousand dollars.
Cox told WBOC, she's worried about what she believes is an inconsistency between assessments.
"It just puts a lot of pressure on you," Cox said. "It's like, the economy is not getting any better. I don't know where we're supposed to pull the money out of."
According to Sussex County officials, the letters sent out are tentative reassessments. Any discrepancies are encouraged to be reported to the county's vendor Tyler Technologies. Homeowners can visit their website, or call 1-833-703-4016 between the hours of 8:00 am or 4:30 pm, according to county leaders.
For property owners interested in a formal appeal of their reassessment after the informal review process above, county officials said appeal applications will be available in the Sussex County Assessment office, or online on the county's website.
Cox said her family plans to go through the appeal process. Another Laurel Homeowner, Verna Roper, said she found success in an informal review earlier in the reassessment process.
Roper told WBOC that she received a letter in July that showed her what would factor into her property reassessment. She said it included rooms and amenities she does not have and was able to get them removed by going through the review process.
"I said 'No I don't have half this stuff, like I don't have a full fireplace and all this kind of thing,'" Roper said. "I was able to fix all that kind of stuff, and they explained it to me when I talked to somebody. It was great."
According to county leaders, property tax rates will be readjusted, due to Delaware law, to reflect the new property values after final assessments are complete.
More information on the reassessment project can be found on the county's website.
