Property taxes: Henry

Typical residential property undervalued by: 12%

2013 residential property appeals: 1,986

How the county stacks up: Two years ago, Henry County's typical residential appraisal was 12 percent over market value, the AJC found. This year it's 12 percent under market value.

Chief Appraiser Charles Reddoch said the newspaper’s findings mirror his own analysis. The reason his assessments are low, he said, is a real estate market that’s started to take off. Reddoch is seeing properties auctioned at the courthouse for 8 percent to 15 percent above the opening bid. He said investors are buying hundreds of properties, and hundreds of new houses are selling, sometimes before they’re even built.

“It’s just pushing the market up,” Reddoch said.

One question is whether residents will believe that when Henry County raises values in response to market activity next year. Reddoch said many residents will be happy their home is worth more, but they won’t like the bigger tax bills that could result.

“We already figure it’s going to create a bunch of appeals,” Reddoch said.