Got a letter about your home’s value? Don’t panic. Let’s break it down.
Every year, property owners in Alaska receive a property tax assessment. This is how your local municipality estimates what your home is worth so they can calculate your property taxes.
Here’s the simple version:
1. What is a property tax assessment?
It’s the city or borough’s best guess of your home’s value as of a specific date. They use things like recent sales, size, age, location, and condition to come up with a number.
2. Why did I get a letter in the mail?
That letter is telling you what value they assigned to your home for tax purposes. This number directly affects how much you’ll pay in property taxes.
3. What if the letter asks YOU what your home is worth?
This surprises a lot of homeowners.
Alaska is a non-disclosure state, which means home sale prices are not public record. The assessor does not automatically know what homes actually sold for.
If you receive a letter asking you to state the value of your home or what you think it’s worth, you are not required to provide that information. You can respond, but you don’t have to volunteer a number that could work against you.
Because Alaska is non-disclosure, assessments aren’t always perfect
Since assessors are working with limited data, values can sometimes be higher or lower than reality.
Can you dispute it? YES.
If you think the assessed value is too high, you have the right to appeal it.
Common reasons include:
• Your home is assessed higher than similar homes nearby
• The condition of your home isn’t accurately reflected
• The value doesn’t match the current market
There is a deadline, so don’t ignore the letter.
4. What should you do next?
Before stressing or paying more than you should, it helps to:
• Compare your assessment to similar homes
• Understand what the market is actually doing
• Make sure the information they used makes sense
That’s where we come in.
At Top Homes Alaska, we help homeowners understand what these letters really mean and whether an appeal is worth pursuing — no pressure, no jargon, no confusion. Got an assessment letter or a value request in the mail and not sure what to do? Message us. We’ll help you make sense of it.
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Top Homes Alaska Team
Local knowledge. Real guidance. Alaska real estate made simple.
