最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS COUNTY 鈥� North 最新杏吧原创 County led the way in percentage increases in median single-family home values over the past two years, according to reassessment figures released by the county assessor鈥檚 office.

The hikes in median values since 2021 in three North County school districts 鈥� Jennings, Normandy and Riverview Gardens 鈥� were each more than double the 19.4% increase countywide.

Four other North County districts 鈥� Ferguson-Florissant, Ritenour, Hazelwood and Pattonville 鈥� had lesser increases, in the 20% to 30% range, but still above the countywide norm.

鈥淚t鈥檚 positive to see that the North County area has rebounded and is tracking better,鈥� said Rebecca Zoll, president and CEO of North County Inc., a booster group for the area.

She said the increases in North County 鈥� which followed valuation jumps in the area in the last biennial reassessment in 2021 鈥� amount to a correction from devalued housing prices about a decade ago.

County Assessor Jake Zimmerman said the numbers show home values are especially strong in more affordable neighborhoods like those in North County, fueled by the demand for quality housing and limited inventory.

But the statistics, he said in a statement, also indicate 鈥渢hat it鈥檚 getting harder to buy that first home. It鈥檚 a real concern when young people are getting priced out of their piece of the American dream.鈥�

Chris Krehmeyer, the president and CEO of Beyond Housing 鈥� a community development nonprofit focusing much of its work in the Normandy School District area 鈥� said he鈥檚 thrilled that housing values have gone up in North County.

But he said it鈥檚 important to also note that the starting point was especially low in the three easternmost North County districts 鈥� Jennings, Normandy and Riverview Gardens.

In the Jennings district, the median home value jumped 49.7% from $39,000 in 2021 to $61,100 this year. The median increased in the Normandy district by 44.3% to $72,200 and in the Riverview Gardens district by 42.1% to $80,100.

Those median values, while much higher than in 2021, are still far below the countywide median of $227,300.

And that, Krehmeyer said, limits the resources available for public education, public safety, health resources, infrastructure and other important things that make up the fabric of a community. 鈥淭he inequity is still stark,鈥� he said.

He said continued significant investment from philanthropy and the public sector is needed to supplement tax base growth.

Andreal Hoosman, a broker with Ferguson-based Haywood Hoosman Realty, said the increase in values 鈥渉as certainly helped our neighborhoods鈥� in North County.

鈥淓ver since COVID, it鈥檚 been a very limited inventory鈥� of houses available, she said, even as interest rates have increased.

Becky Harrington, a real estate agent with Re/Max Results who lists homes in the area, said even some properties that aren鈥檛 in great condition are seeing sharp increases in values.

鈥淪ome of them have doubled and they have no idea why,鈥� she said of the owners.

Demand for homes by investors who turn them into rentals also has affected North County. A Post-Dispatch analysis of real estate records last year showed North County as one of the parts of the metro area with a higher concentration of homes that are likely owned by investors.

However, Rory Schwartz, a vice president of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Select Properties and a Hazelwood resident, said the interest by investors in North County homes has lessened lately.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not seeing it like we did two or three years ago,鈥� he said.

Other districts

Elsewhere in the county, the statistics released by the assessor鈥檚 office also show the Hancock Place district, in the Lemay area of South County, to be above the countywide median, with home values going up by 22.6%.

At the other end was the affluent Clayton School District, which had a 7% increase in the median single-family appraised value. But in terms of dollars, the jump was among the largest 鈥� to $698,100 from $640,850.

Other districts on the low end of percentage increases were Brentwood, 12%; Kirkwood, 13.6%; Ladue, 14%; Webster Groves, 14%; and Lindbergh, 14.3%.

The 最新杏吧原创 County portion of the Meramec Valley district, most of which is in Franklin County, had the only decrease, 6.1%.

An increase in a home鈥檚 appraised value doesn鈥檛 necessarily translate into the same percentage increase in property taxes.

If a taxing district鈥檚 total assessed valuation increases substantially, it is allowed an increase in revenue only to account for inflation plus revenues from taxing new construction and improvements.

State law requires the district to then roll back its tax rate accordingly. Those rates will be set later this year, although taxing districts have released preliminary estimates.

County Councilman Mark Harder, R-Ballwin, pointed out that implementation of the rollback law is up to each individual tax district, most of which are headed by elected boards.

鈥淭hey have the power of the purse in all these organizations,鈥� said Harder, a real estate agent. 鈥淧eople need to pay attention to those. Elections have consequences.鈥�

Meanwhile, the Missouri Legislature last month passed a bill allowing counties to exempt senior citizens from property tax increases on their primary residences, beginning in 2024.

The state measure has yet to be signed by Gov. Mike Parson but Harder, in anticipation that Parson will do so, has introduced a bill to carry out the senior tax break in 最新杏吧原创 County.

Reassessment notices

Regarding this year鈥檚 reassessment, the assessor鈥檚 office late last month began mailing formal notices of new values to homeowners, which also include an estimate of what their property tax bill will be later in the year. The last batch of notices will go out this week.

The office expects to mail notices to commercial property owners in the next two weeks.

The assessor鈥檚 office is required by law to physically visit homes that may increase in value by 15% or more. As of May 23, about 146,000 of the 180,000 or so in-person visits required this year had been completed; an updated figure has yet to be released.

Sarah Siegel, the office鈥檚 director of external affairs, said the office鈥檚 goal is to do the remainder by the end of this month. It鈥檚 possible a home鈥檚 valuation could change based on the visit, she said.

She said a staffer visiting a home will leave a postcard explaining they have a right to a follow-up inspection of the exterior and, if requested, interior of their home if they want one.

Residents who want to contest the assessor鈥檚 figures can appeal to the County Board of Equalization but must do so by July 10.

Information about how to file an appeal can be found online at or by calling the board at 314-615-7195.

Information also is available in person from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the County Administration Building, 41 South Central Avenue, Clayton; or at county offices at 715 Northwest Plaza Drive, St. Ann, and 4546 Lemay Ferry Road, South County.

Jacob Barker of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.