• How is the value of my home determined?
• Do you have a survey of my property?
• How much will I pay in taxes?
• If I add a deck to my house is it taxable?
• How is millage rate determined?
• What is a Homestead property?

How is the value of my home determined?

The Assessor is responsible for determining two values for every property. The first is the assessed value, which is total value of your property when all components are taken into consideration.

The first component is the value of the land. That value is determined by the sale price of parcels of land that are similar. The old adage "location, location, location" is as true today as it ever was. We only need to look at a parcel of property with lake frontage as compared to the same size parcel on an undesirable busy street.

The next component is the structure that sits on the land, your home. Homes may be large or small, old or new, fancy or plain, but they all have value. Your home is classed regarding the quality of construction, it is measured on the outside to determine the foundation size, a per square footage rate is applied depending on the size of the structure and the story height. The bathrooms are counted along with all the amenities in your home. The number of bedrooms does not affect the per rate value.

The final component is any land improvement that you may have on the property such as an attached garage, shed, pool, etc. This value is added to the property but is not added as part of the home itself.

Factors, mandated by the state, are applied to the total value of the structure. That value is then added to the land and any land improvements to determine a true cash value.

The assessment of your property is 50% of the true cash value. This value should be the value that a willing seller would sell the property for to a willing buyer on the open market.

The second value on your property is the Taxable Value. This value multiplied times the millage rate is what determines your taxes. The taxable value is mathematical computation that began with the 1994 assessed value, the consumer price index is applied each subsequent year. When a property has a transfer of ownership the Taxable Value is adjusted to the Assessed value in the following year.

Example:

2000 Assessed Value = 100,000
2000 Taxable value = 80,000

Parcel was sold on July 21,2000

2001 Assessed Value = 110,000
2001 Taxable value = 110,000

Parcel was uncapped to the Assessed Value set for 2001.

Do you have a survey of my property?

The assessing department does not have copies of surveys of the parcels in the township. We may have a survey of a specific parcel if it has recently had a parcel division. We do have maps of all the areas of the township with dimensions. This includes acreage parcels and platted parcels. We have drawings of the footprints of houses. We do not have any document showing the placement of the house on the property. If you have a mortgage survey, this will give you a general idea of the placement of the structure but remember it is not a certified survey for boundary issues.

How much will I pay in taxes?

Taxes are determined by the multiplication of the taxable value times the millage rate. Example:

Taxable value = 100,000
Millage rate = 24.2284

100.000x.0242284 =$2,422.84
+ 1% administration fee = 24.222
Taxes would be = $2,447.06

If I add a deck to my house is it taxable?

YES. Any structure that adds value to your property is taxable. This includes decks, sheds, additions, detached garages, etc.

How is millage rate determined?

The millage rate on which your taxes are based is a composite of the amounts charged by the state, county, township, intermediate school and school district. Any requests for millage increases are voted on by the people.

What is a Homestead property?

In order for a property to qualify for a homestead exemption it must be your primary residence, the address that you use on your drivers license; the address on your voter's registration. This homestead exemtion exempts the millage amount for school operating from your taxes. In most cases this is a reduction of 18 mills. This form must be filed on or before May. Vacation homes or second homes are not eligible for this exemption.