Local

Company now revaluing Mecklenburg County homes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A private company is now reviewing every home in Mecklenburg County to fix the botched 2011 property revaluations that for many homeowners were too high.

Eyewitness News cameras went along with Pearson's Appraisal to get a look at the process that might have some getting a refund and others writing a check.

The company is now in the process of re-evaluating 385,000 properties.

Fred Pearson said there are more than 1,300 neighborhoods in the county and his company has done their homework.

"We've already done some analysis on the neighborhood to see the sales and what percent of the market they're at," he said.

Pearson showed Eyewitness News exactly what they're looking at to determine whether owners paid too much, too little or enough in property taxes.

"We're looking at the house. We're looking at the condition of the house, and we're looking at the quality of the construction and the workmanship. We're looking at the effective age," he said.

Assessors are also watching for aspects of the property that may have been missed.

"We try to make sure everything is consistent when we go through and we see things that are not listed," said Pearson. "If somebody has a garage that's not listed on the property record card, we note that for the county staff."

Many are hoping the second look will lead to savings.

Pearson's Appraisal has re-assessed 5,500 properties since January. They'll be working for the next 18 months on this county-wide project.

Residents can find more information online: click here.