By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Revaluation may be officially a couple of years away, but the work is already under way.
County appraisers have begun the job of checking out some of the 80,000 properties.
Appraisers review sections of the county looking at houses, sales data and other factors. Data collected will be used in developing the schedule of values for all county property.
Jerry Rowland, tax administrator, said appraisers look at building permits, changes in houses, accessory buildings and if anything has been added or torn down.
Appraisers looking at properties around High Rock Lake take additional factors into consideration, including piers and water levels.
“We visit the properties. We go out and redefine the neighborhoods,” Rowland said.
Over time, appraisers will check out all the county’s residential and commercial property.
Rowland doesn’t expect to see any substantial value changes. He noted most of the drastic drops in value elsewhere have been in areas that saw rapid property increases, such as Union County.
Based on past trends, Rowland said he expects the southern and western parts of the county will easily sustain their value.
The county industrial base has dropped drastically over the years. Rowland said large facilities that were once appraised at $50 a square foot are now down to $3 to $6 a square foot.
As an example, he cited the former Cannon Mills Swink Plant on U.S. 29, once the jewel in the crown of the world’s largest textile company. After the bankruptcy by Pillowtex, the Cannon Mills successor, the plant sold for $7 a square foot. It is now empty and on the market.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.