Homeowners throughout Fort Bend County, with only a few exceptions, can expect their home assessments to show an increase this year, admits Fort Bend Central Appraisal District Chief Glen Whitehead. The increases are largely based on the increasing value of land in Fort Bend, he said.

Some residents admitted to feeling shell-shocked when they began receiving the preliminary assessments last week. One Richmond area resident told the Fort Bend Star their home had jumped in value $15,000 since 2007 and all of her neighbors and friends, who live elsewhere in the county, reported increases of that much and more.

Whitehead says residents have 30-days to appeal the preliminary finding before the CAD sets the final amount. “If someone can bring in documentation that their property needs a new roof or the foundation is cracked, we will look at adjusting the assessment to reflect that, but most of the increases stem from the land values going up,” Whitehead explains.

For instance, he said, while the national media is talking about the downturn in property values and the huge upswing in home foreclosures, Fort Bend County has been seeing land values skyrocketing and foreclosures showing only a modest increase.

“There are a lot of people who bought more house than they could afford when lending was lenient and rates were down and they are now in a bind. People are feeling the high gas prices, the increase in costs for groceries and everything else resulting from the high gas prices, but the land here is still increasing. We based this (assessments) on what was happening January 1. Now what is going to happen in the forthcoming year, we have no idea. If it looks like things are going to drastically change, we’ll have to look at that,” he said.

Whitehead admits that even the CAD can’t afford to purchase land adjacent to their facility for needed expansion because of this boost in value. “A few years ago we could have purchased the land for .50 to 75 cents a square foot. Today the going price is $3 a square foot per 40 acres. You can’t even get smaller parcels and we can’t afford $3 a square foot,” he added.

In the meantime, local homeowners grappling with the high cost of gasoline and almost every other necessity find it hard to swallow the contention that Fort Bend won’t be in the same shape as the rest of the country if it isn’t already on its way to being so now. “There are houses all over in newer neighborhoods that are in foreclosure—who is he trying to kid,” one resident noted.

And, with the prospect of increasing taxes due to higher valuations, many residents say they will find it very hard to swallow one more dose of bad medicine—when local politicians say they aren’t raising taxes. Another resident said he found it quite interesting that citizens throughout the county were getting these notices just two weeks before voters will determine if Fort Bend County can move forward with the plan to build a $75 million justice complex.