Understanding the value of your home is critical to determining your net worth, how much money you can expect to get if you decide to sell, and the health of the local real estate market. Taxes levied by the state and local governments on your home are directly proportional to the value of your home.

It’s possible to see wildly different values depending on where you look. There are a variety of ways in which values can be utilized, and each one has a distinct meaning. Market value and assessed value are the most common categories.

The worth of your home in the current market is determined by the projected price that prospective purchasers are willing to pay for it. Your home’s market worth is established through an appraiser, who is often engaged by your lender when selecting how much money to provide in the loan or when you are setting your home’s list price when selling it.

Instead, the ‘assessed value’ of your home is based on its current market worth. Many counties in the United States base property taxes on an assessment of a percentage of the market value of the property in question. So the assessed value is usually lower than the appraised market value of a property.

Market Value

The market value is based on the expectation that the property would sell during the period the value is calculated, according to Danielle Hale, chief economist for realtor.com. There are several ways that individuals think about home values: “This is the price I could receive for it today if I were to put it up for sale,” “This is the price I would get for it today if I went to the bank and applied for a home equity loan or refinance my mortgage,” she adds.

Market values can be difficult to determine since it’s hard to tell if a person would pay what you think they should for your home based on current market conditions or what you think they should pay.

Since recent sales of similar properties are the best indicator of current market worth, doing so is critical to getting an accurate estimate. Professional appraisers play a critical role in assessing a property’s value by analyzing prior transactions in the area, as well as other factors that may increase or decrease interest in a property.

There are occasions when a lender hires an appraiser, and it’s preferable if they’re local to grasp the subtleties of the area that may not be obvious to an outsider, but sometimes an algorithm is used to assess valuations more rapidly.

In order to grant a mortgage for a house purchase, refinance, or issue a home equity loan, a lender can have the property valued. In the event that a homeowner is contemplating selling their house but is unsure of what to ask for it, or if they simply want a clearer idea of their net worth, they can also request a self-appraisal. It costs between $300 and $400 for a home appraisal, according to Angie’s List, and it’s paid by both buyers and sellers.

Assessed Value

Even the market worth of your home is taken into account when determining your property’s assessed value. Margie Cusack, research manager for the International Association of Assessing Officers, adds that because the assessed value is used to calculate how much you owe in property taxes, the assessed value is also based on the rules of your state, county, and even city.

It’s up to the legal structure in that country to determine the assessed value, she explains. According to the law in several states, the property may have a predetermined market value. As a result, “it becomes quite localized” because of the law’s allowable assessed value.

Depending on where you live, the process of determining the value of property varies. Predictive algorithms may be used by some assessors’ offices in order to quickly calculate assessed values for a larger number of properties, while others may prefer to do assessments on an individual basis, Cusack explains.

It is possible to view information about the history of your property, such as prior deeds and information used to calculate its value, in many assessors’ offices’ internet databases.

The Phenomenon of Value Difference

Homeowners often dispute the value placed on their property by an appraiser or assessor. In both cases, the valuation can be challenged. When it comes to market value, a homeowner or buyer may be able to request a second appraisal with new information the appraiser may not have known previously — for example, a finished basement can change the worth of a home if it can be included in the square footage.

It’s possible that an appraiser may be willing to revisit a property for free, but it’s also possible that you’ll have to pay for a thorough reevaluation if something was overlooked.

However, if the appraisal is being provided by a lender, you have little prospect of getting the lender to change his or her mind about giving a loan or refinancing.