County workers may be outside your house. Here’s how that impacts your next tax bill

You may notice some Horry County staff members walking around your property soon, but don’t worry, they’re with the Assessor’s Office, according to a Wednesday news release.

Starting this month, Horry County will be updating real estate values based off their worth in December 2018 for the 2019 tax year. They will be looking for improvements like pools, sheds, garages, water features and other things that could affect the value of your home and how much it can be taxed.

Remember, the crews do not set your tax rates. They’re only there to make sure your property is properly valued for when the state determines your property taxes for the coming years.

The county is required to access property values every five years under South Carolina law.

“This new value will be used for calculating property tax bills issued by the Horry County Treasurer’s Office during October 2019,” according to the release. “The Assessor’s Office is responsible for determining property values, but they do not set tax rates.”

The Assessor’s Office uses an appraisal tool to determine the worth of the home; the crews go out to make sure the appraisals are accurate. Using changes in the real estate market and changes to your property, you will be notified by September if your estate value increased by more than $1,000.

Your car, boat or other personal property will not be taken into account in this assessment, but still change year to year based on value through the Auditor’s Office.

This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 10:15 AM.