The King County Assessor’s office has mailed the 2014 property valuations to all residential property owners in Area 57, which includes Black Diamond and East Maple Valley. Area 57 residential property values generally increased by +12.8% but individual property values might vary. The Assessor’s Office will continue to mail out more than 600,000 residential and commercial valuation notices to taxpayers throughout the rest of King County between August and October.

Residential property is assessed each year at 100 percent of its true and fair market value in money, which is defined by Washington State law as the amount of money that a willing and unobligated buyer is willing to pay a willing and unobligated seller. Residential values are determined based on multiple sales of similar properties.

The King County Assessor’s Office annually revalues all properties and conducts a physical inspection on each property once every six years. The last physical inspection of the Black Diamond and the East Maple Valley area was conducted in 2011.

“Continuing the 2013 trend, property values are increasing across King County as we emerge from the Great Recession,” said Assessor Lloyd Hara in a press release. “In 2013, we saw a residential increase in 76 out of 86 residential areas in King County and we expect to see continued growth in residential values for 2014.”

Property owners can review property information online using eReal Property and review our Area Reports on the Assessor’s homepage at www.kingcounty.gov/assessor or with the Assessor’s staff to make sure an error has not been made. King County allows 60 days from the valuation’s postmark date to file an appeal with the King County Board of Equalizations.

If a mistake has been made in valuing property, it is recommended to contact the Assessor’s Office directly before filing an appeal at 206-296-7300 or assessor.info@kingcountygov.