Lee County Property appraiser

Table of Contents:

Where do I file for Homestead in Lee County?

In Lee County filing for a homestead exemption is fairly simple. There are three different ways that one can file for an extension.

1. By Mail

2. By Phone

3. Online through the lee county website

When filing the exemption online you will need to carefully read through the eligibility requirements before filing for an exemption

To be eligible for the homestead exemption you need to be both the legal owner of a property and the person occupying the property. Before applying make sure that you fit the list of eligibility criteria listed below:

• Applicants have to have a valid Florida Driver’s License; this will be given as part of the application.
• At least one of the vehicles you own (if you own any) need to be registered in Florida
• Lee County Florida Voter’s Registration Card may also be required
• Social Security Number is required
• Date of birth
• Proof of ownership 
• Proof that you (or your spouse) are not getting exemptions from another jurisdiction
• Proof that you are a US citizen or that you hold residency. If you are not a US citizen, make visit the county’s website or contact them directly to find which documents will be required of you.

Are Lee County property taxes paid in arrears?

In Florida and by extension in Lee County property taxes are always paid in arrears. This means that you will need to pay your taxes at the end of each year for the previous year. This can help in your financial planning as you can use an estimate to determine how much money you will need to be putting away each month to be prepared to pay off your property taxes.

How to withhold information on the property appraiser in Lee County?

When dealing with property appraisers you will need to provide them with certain pieces of information. However, there may also be things that you are not wanting to disclose to a property appraiser. In this case, it is important to remember that appraisers will need to gain permission to gather information about your property. Much like they must abide by the law when gathering information about your property you will also need to be legally covered by answering many of their questions.

Withholding information from property appraisers is all about two things. Firstly, you will need to know what you are legally obligated to disclose. These are things that under no circumstance would you be able to not tell the appraiser. Once you know what those are, then you will need to carefully think about the information that you want to withhold and the situations that which those topics may come back. The only true way of withholding information from your appraiser is by having them not ask you the questions that would warrant those answers. Therefore, you may want to be strategic in your communications with the property appraiser in Lee County to avoid having those topics come up as much as possible.

Who is the property appraiser of Lee County Florida?

Matt Caldwell is the property appraiser in Lee County Florida. Caldwell was elected as the Lee County Property Appraiser in 2020. This is not the first public position that he has held. According to the Lee County website, Caldwell always advocates for taxpayers on local, state, and federal levels.

How often does the Lee County property appraiser update satellite images?

The Lee County Property appraiser website has a database of aerial photos of the county. These can be seen online on their database and you are even able to search through the area to find a specific place in the map or an address. These historic Aerial shots are updated annually and so far, the images extend all the way back to 1966. This means that once a year, new shots are added to the database. This is a great way for those interested in the development of the county to access and see images from the years of the county growing.

How do you find out the foundation of a house in Lee County property appraiser?

Probably one of the only ways of finding whether a house in Lee County has a foundation through the property appraiser website is by looking at the property records. Apart from the information regarding the owner of the property, there may also be house plans, plats, and maps available through the county office. By finding these plans you may be able to determine whether a house has a foundation.

How to withhold information on the property appraiser in Lee County?

When talking with a property appraiser it is important to remember that there are many things that you are legally obligated to disclose. Furthermore, you are also responsible for replying to the questions of the appraiser honestly. As such, it may at times be hard for you to withhold information from your property appraiser.

The only way to truly withhold information is by steering the conversation in a way where the details that you want to keep private do not come up in discussion. Depending on what the information pertains to you may not be legally obligated to disclose it from the start or if not asked. As such, always make sure to read on what your legal responsibilities are when talking with an appraiser. This will help you get a better idea of what things you need to disclose and what things you may be able to withhold.

Where are property dimensions located on Lee County property appraiser?

Normally information about the property is going to be on the backside of the property records. It is there that you will be able to see a description of the building and the sub-area details for it. This means that the dimension of the building will also be found among the building information. Depending on the area that you are in you may also have access to a sketch of the building.

Lee County how to read property appraiser?

To read a property appraiser’s records you will need to understand the two sides of the record card and all of the information that you can find on each of the two sides.

The front side of the appraisal card will have information on 11 different subcategories. These are

1. Map/ Lot/ Sub:

The map number and lot number will be disclosed in this section. There will also be a parcel identification number (PID). These numbers are usually used by the town as distinctive marks of the property.

2. Card Number

This will usually be card number 1 of 1, as most properties will have one assessment record card. However, there are occasions when many cards may be available for a specific property. As such, in those cases, you may see card 1 of 3 or 4. This will help you know how many cards there are and which one you are looking at.

3. Date and Value on file

This information relates to the time and dates it was originally printed.

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4. Owner Information

On the top left-hand corner, you will find information about the owner, their name, and even information about their address.

5. Sale history

Sale records are also reported on the right of the owner’s information. Normally, the 5 latest transactions are the ones shown on this page.

6. Visit Information/ Listing History

This information includes the initials of the person who visited the property, the reason for the visit, the actions taken, and the date of the visit.

7. Notes

These are general notes made by the appraiser that relate to the property

8. Photographs

Depending on the property you may also find some pictures on the record card. These will usually showcase buildings and features of the location.

9. Value Summary

On the right side of the card, you will also find the valuation of the property. This valuation will be based on the land and buildings of the property.

10. Extra features valuation

Anything that brings up the property valuation, such as fireplaces, sheds, detached garages, and pools will be displayed in this section. Notes on each of the items listed will also be available in this section.

11. Land valuation

The final thing that you will find on the front side of the record card relates to the valuation of the land. This information will relate to the zone, acreage, frontage, site, land type, driveaway, neighborhood code, topography, market value, tax value, and soil potential index. Depending on your area there may be more information displayed under this section.

On the backside of the appraiser records, you will find 8 subcategories.

1. Permits

This relates to any building permits issued for your property

2. Owner’s details

The owner’s information is the only piece of information that is available on both sides of the record.

3. Description of the building

This section will include your home’s features, style, year of construction, information about the building material, and size of the property.

4. Sketch

Depending on your area there may also be a building sketch of your property. This is not available in every area.

5. Taxable districts

This section relates to which towns you are obliged to pay property taxes to and the percentage that you are called to pay.

6. Sub Area ID and details

This relates to the sub-area ID and the actual area of each sub-area in your property

7. Market Value and depreciation

This area notes what your property value would be according to the building market cost if the property was built now. Depreciation will also be shown in this section.

8. Photograph

A photo of the property is also normally included in this section.

Lee County property appraiser: how is a property valued?

The appraiser will evaluate your property by looking at the current market value, as well as the improvements that you have made to the property. Buildings added will also be taken into account during the valuation process. Once the property has been valued, they will apply any exemptions you are eligible for, as well as any deductions that will bring down the assessed value. The result of these deductions will be the taxable value.

How does Lee County appraiser determine the value of the property?

In Lee County, the appraiser determines the value of the property by looking at the current market value and the depreciation of your property. They will also consider any buildings that were added as well as any improvements made to the property. Finally, to come up with the taxable value for the property they will apply all exemptions and deductions that you are eligible for.

Summary

In Lee County having a property appraiser visit, you may mean that you will need to provide them with information about your property. During the appraisal, they will determine the value of your property and the deductions and exemptions that you are eligible to get. The property records for appraisal records in Lee County can be accessed online through the database. Aerial shots of the area can also be found at the Lee County appraisal office.