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Tax Assessor for Beaufort County, Lloyd Salter has spent the last week traveling across the county to host information sessions on the revaluation process. For those who could not attend sessions held in Belhaven and Aurora last week and who may not be able to attend the session on Wednesday evening, the Daily News has provided a recap on the information Salter provided to residents. 

 

A revaluation looks at the value of all properties in Beaufort County and determines the market value of each property or in other words, what it may sell for. In Beaufort County, this is done every seven years which means the last time this was done was in 2018. For that revaluation, sales from 2016 and 2017 determined comparison values, Salter said at an information session in Aurora on Mar. 13. This means for a 2025 revaluation, values from 2023 and 2024 were used to establish property values. 

 

In the last eight years, the housing market has increased by 75% in Beaufort County or about 10.72% every year, Salter said. “We saw a lot of increase around Washington at least and around parts of Old Ford and other places and Chocowinity; we were seeing an increase in 2020 and in 2021.” 

 

“People say, ‘well my house didn’t change.’ Never said it did. We said the market did. So when the market changes, even if the house doesn’t, that does not mean the house would not sell for more, even without change,” Salter said in explaining that even when people do not make major changes to their homes, the value of their home can still change depending on the existing housing market. 

 

Property values that do not change during a revaluation must be vindicated through surrounding sales, Salter added. 

 

Revaluations are calculated into the amount of money residents will pay in property taxes this summer. This number is based on the assessed value of real property. In North Carolina, every county is required by law to undergo a revaluation process every eight years, at a maximum and counties can choose how often revaluations are held. The goals of Salter’s office are to determine property values that align with fair market values so that property owners pay an equitable share of the tax

 

According to Beaufort County Government’s website, there are an estimated 47,000 parcels of real property within the county. For Salter and three tax assessors in his office, that is an overwhelming amount of parcels to cover. This is why they rely on an outside company to assist with revaluations who uses a mass appraisal system. The system determines the value of a property by using sales of surrounding properties. Large neighborhoods like Cypress Landing are divided into smaller subsections in mass appraisal systems. Homes not located in traditional neighborhoods are grouped together by proximity; the proximity is within a couple of miles. 

 

Tax assessors “try to put properties that are similar in a neighborhood or a market area,” Salter said.  

 

Homes that were built after 2018 were appraised based on what they might have been worth in 2018, Salter explained. 

 

This is why appeals exist. If a resident feels their property value is inaccurate, they can fill out an appeal form either online or on paper, and send it to Salter’s office. Informal appeals must be filed by April 16, and formal appeals must be filed by May 12. Online forms can be found at https://beaufortcountync.gov/433/2025-Property-Tax-Revaluation. 

 

“If you see something and you don’t think it was addressed in your revaluation, on your card…you need to appeal it,” Salter said. 

 

This is where residents can become confused, because the countywide tax rate is yet to be determined. The tax rate is set by the county commissioners in either late May or June before the county’s annual budget is approved in July.  While residents can appeal the property value listed in the notice they received, they cannot appeal a countywide tax set by the commissioners. Property values help county commissioners set the tax rate. 

 

To determine the tax rate, revenue-neutral property tax rate must be provided first which is required for counties to provide and make public. “The revenue-neutral property tax rate is the rate that is estimated to produce revenue for the next fiscal year equal to the revenue that would have been produced for the next fiscal year by the current tax rate if no reappraisal had occurred,” according to North Carolina General Statute 159-11. 

 

The Revenue-neutral property tax rate applies to more than real property; it also includes personal property like cars, boats, and trailers, Salter said. 

 

The revenue-neutral property tax rate is expected to be public after May 12. “That’s when you really got to pay attention, because that’s when your tax bill is going to be decided. The revenue-neutral rate will be the revenue-neutral rate for the entire county,” former Beaufort County Commissioner John Rebholz explained. He attended a revaluation info session in Aurora on Thursday, Mar. 13 at the Aurora Community Center.  

 

Property owners’ tax bill takes the property assessment and multiplies it by the tax rate voted on by county commissioners to determine how much property owners will be taxed based on the current market rate of their real property. 

 

In 2022, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners voted to have a revaluation in 2025, then start a six year cycle afterward. The next revaluation will be in 2031. 

An info session in Washington will be held on Wednesday, Mar. 19 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Beaufort County Community College Auditorium (Building 8) which is located at 5337 Highway 264 East.