Property owner disputes assessor's valuation at Oklahoma County BOE hearing

A property owner told the Oklahoma County Board of Equalization that the county's assessed value for a single-family home in an unincorporated area is far higher than neighborhood comparables and asked the board to reduce the value.

The appellant said the assessor's notice initially listed the property at about $953,000 and that an accurate market-based value is between roughly $700,000 and $800,000 when compared to similar neighborhood homes (including those with pools). The owner said county-assessed per-square-foot values in the neighborhood average much lower than the assessor's figure for the subject property and urged parity with nearby homes.

Assessor staff told the board the board had previously set the property at $900,000 last year and that the county's present valuation added new construction value for a recently permitted pool. The assessor's representative explained state rules for which sales the county lists as possible comps and said the Tax Commission inspects XM-1 accounts; the representative also said the county uses a mix of market and assessment data when selecting comparable properties.

Board members questioned how the county calculated the pool value and whether the online comp list reflects the same adjustments the assessor used. The board emphasized this session is an appellate review limited to evidence presented in the informal review unless the assessor agrees to accept new information. The chair closed the hearing and said the board will meet on Friday to determine the fair market value and notify the appellant by mail.

No final valuation was announced at the meeting.