By Chance Swaim/The Wichita Eagle

If you learned that something you own is actually worth substantially more than you paid for it, you would usually celebrate that as good news, Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Ryan Baty said.

But that’s not how homeowners are responding to the latest property valuations from the Sedgwick County Appraiser’s Office, which uses complex modeling to mass appraise properties across the county for taxing purposes.

“The fact of the matter is people like it when their assets appreciate,” Baty said. “The only time it’s not a good thing is when the asset is appreciating for the cause of taxation, and that’s when people feel the tension.”

Baty and other county officials said the appraiser’s office is unfairly blamed for property tax increases each year. Elected officials for the state, city, county and school district set the tax rate.

Still, home values increased for 9 out of 10 homeowners across the county this year, at a median rate of 9%, meaning half of the properties that increased in value did so by more than 9% and half increased by less than 9%. How that will translate to property tax increases won’t be determined until August, when cities, school districts and Sedgwick County commissioners vote on their budgets and mill levy rates.

But it’s a strong signal that property taxes will increase, and higher appraisals are likely to prompt a flurry of appeals by homeowners hoping to keep their property taxes at a minimum.

Appeals are due by March 31.

“I’m 78 years old, and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to afford to live in my damn house,” Gary O’Neal of Bel Aire said. “It’s been paid for for years, and there’s just no end to it (rising property taxes). It just keeps going and going and going.”

O’Neal owns two houses across the street from each other in Bel Aire. The one he lives in went up 18.5% while the one his daughter lives in went up 13.2%. Combined, they appraised for $72,000 more than last year. He said he didn’t make any improvements to either property. He plans to appeal the appraisals.

How much money could your 2025 valuation cost you?

Why are values increasing?

Several factors are driving up housing prices and, by extension, property valuations, county officials said.

Interest rates have jumped substantially in recent years while the cost of building materials has also skyrocketed, leading to a low supply of both new and used homes. Those who bought a house with a low interest rate don’t want to sell because it would mean taking out a new mortgage with a higher interest rate.

As first-time homebuyers enter the market along with new residents and investors, they compete for fewer available houses, leading to bidding wars that drive up housing prices.

Why did land value increase?

Jake Milford of Wichita is also planning to appeal his property valuation after the land value on his 1.5-acre residential property increased 74%, with no explanation on his valuation notice or on the county’s public website.

Milford’s land value jumped from $42,200 to $73,600 in one year while the valuation on improvements to his property went down from $273,100 to $266,900. The total value increased 8%.

He said he spoke to an official in the appraiser’s office seeking an explanation and was told it was primarily driven by recent comparable sales of similar properties in his neighborhood.

“When I said, how — how do you determine the land portion of the sales, he couldn’t really share much with me, so I’m not sure if I completely understand that part yet,” Milford said. “My main concern was about the land value that jumped 74%, but I don’t understand. I’m learning more as the days go by.”

Ronald Tidwell, chief deputy appraiser, explained to The Eagle that the land portion of an appraisal is generally calculated in a computer model as a percentage of the overall estimated market value if you were to sell your property. The appraiser’s office is required to “re-calibrate” land values in its system every three years, leading to some increases this year.

“For the vast majority of residential properties, the land value should represent somewhere between 15 and 20 percent of the total value,” Tidwell said. “There’s always exceptions to every rule.”

Tidwell said land values in some neighborhoods — including Oaklawn, Planeview and Hilltop — are closer to 7% to 12%. Other areas, such as The Oaks in northeast Wichita, will have land values between 20% and 25% of the total value.

How to appeal your valuation

The Sedgwick County Appraiser’s Office encourages property owners who disagree with their valuations to appeal.

Owners who saw changes in their valuations should receive a notice in the mail this month with detailed instructions on their options for appealing. You can also check online at sedgwickcounty.org/property-taxes.

Residents can visit the Appraiser’s Office in person at the Ronald Reagan building, 271 W. 3rd St. in Wichita, or call 316-660-9261 to find out more about how to appeal or how your valuation was determined.

Tidwell said the appraiser’s office will provide property owners interested in appealing more detailed information than is available online, including a full comparable sales report, a sales and value book that shows all of the sales in the neighborhood and all of the values and data characteristics of every property in the neighborhood, a full cost report on their property and other information.

“If they don’t want all that, they can tell us not to give it to them,” Tidwell said. “That’s their choice. Some people tell us that they don’t want everything, and that’s fine.” Once a property owner has all of the information used for the valuation, they should be prepared to “do their homework,” Tidwell said. The onus is on property owners to show why the valuation is inaccurate.