By Chad Taylor, the Taylor-Made Team
Many Johnson County homeowners had the same reaction when opening their mailbox recently: a quick glance at the new appraised value and a raised eyebrow, followed by the question, “Is that number right?”
Johnson County homeowners recently received their annual Notice of Appraised Value in the mail. For many residents, that letter is the first indication of what their property taxes may look like this year.
This year’s numbers showed continued growth in our local housing market. According to the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office, residential home values increased approximately 6 percent countywide for 2026. The average home value in Johnson County is now about $536,000, while the average selling price of homes in 2025 was $583,000.
That data reflects what many of us working in the housing market have seen over the past year. Johnson County remains a highly desirable place to live, and strong buyer demand continues to support home values across the area.
But it is important to understand that your tax assessment is not the same thing as a detailed real estate market analysis.
According to the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office, Kansas law requires property to be appraised at fair market value as of January 1 each year. Fair market value is defined as the amount a well informed buyer is justified in paying and a well informed seller is justified in accepting in an open and competitive market.
To comply with that law, the county must appraise homes within roughly 90 to 110 percent of actual sale prices across the county.
That sounds precise, but there is one practical limitation homeowners should understand.
The county does not enter or inspect the inside of individual homes when determining values. Of course, with more than 200,000 properties across Johnson County, it would be impossible for the appraiser’s office to physically inspect every home each year.
Instead, values are largely estimated using neighborhood sales data, square footage, and public property records. While this approach works well across large numbers of homes, it also means individual properties can sometimes be misjudged.
The biggest differences tend to show up inside the house.
A fully updated home with a new kitchen, renovated bathrooms, and modern finishes will often sell for a very different price than a home with original cabinetry, aging mechanical systems, or deferred maintenance. Yet from the county’s perspective, those homes may appear very similar on paper.
This is especially common with longtime homeowners who have lived in their homes for decades. The county may assign a value that reflects what an updated home in the neighborhood might sell for today, even if the property itself has not been remodeled in many years.
In situations like that, the assessed value may end up higher than what the home would realistically sell for in its current condition.
Fortunately, Johnson County does provide a path for homeowners who believe their property has been overvalued.
If you disagree with the value listed on your Notice of Appraised Value, you can file an appeal with the Johnson County Appraiser’s Office. The deadline to appeal is listed directly on the notice you received in the mail.
The process usually begins with an informal appeal where you provide information supporting your opinion of value. That might include recent comparable home sales, photos showing condition issues, or documentation of needed repairs. The appraiser’s office will review that information and determine whether an adjustment to the value is appropriate.
If the issue cannot be resolved during that informal review, homeowners also have the option to continue the appeal through additional steps within the state’s property tax appeal system.
The important thing to remember is that appeals must be filed within the timeframe listed on your notice. Missing that deadline usually means waiting until next year to challenge the value.
If you are unsure whether your tax assessment reflects your home’s true market value, a good first step is simply finding out what your property might realistically sell for today.
You can get a quick estimate here.
Having a clearer idea of your home’s market value can help you determine whether the county’s assessment looks reasonable or whether it might be worth exploring the appeal process.
After all, it never hurts to know what your largest investment might actually be worth in today’s market.
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