Property values are going up statewide, and Becker County is no exception.

Property owners shouldn't be surprised to find valuation increases ranging from 10% to 40% when they receive their valuation statements for 2022, which started going out in the mail on Thursday, according to Becker County Assessor Lisa Will.

About 34,200 property valuation notices are being mailed to Becker County property owners, she added.

Fortunately, the increase in property values does not necessarily mean that taxes will rise 10-40%.

“That’s probably the most scary part for people,” Will said. “They see a big increase in value and think ‘oh, my gosh,’” she said. But if the 2023 budgets of cities, townships, and the county stay the same, or minimally increase for 2023, “then taxes paid by property owners will not rise at the same rate as the value,” Will said.

This year, it’s not lakeshore property that is rising the most in value, it’s actually hunting land and self-storage units — based on especially strong sales in both categories, Will said. All valuations are based on actual sales of comparable property.

Hunting land usually consists of parcels that contain a rough 50-50 split between tillable land and woods. The property owner often plants a food plot on the tillable land, and the woods provide shelter, Will said. “This type of property will probably go up the full 40%,” she added.

City houses, on the other hand, will likely increase in value 10% to 20%, depending on the city, and the value of lakeshore property is also expected to increase 10% to 20%, depending on the lake.

“Because (valuations) in Becker County have been steadily going up the past few years, lakeshore has been keeping up and won’t see the big jump — it will be maybe 5% higher than in previous years,” Will said.

Mini-storage buildings and metal warehouse-style buildings “are seeing a pretty substantial, 20% increase,” she said, adding, “Those bigger Foltz-style steel buildings seem to be very popular. They’re just selling quickly. It’s been a very, very strong market.”

The valuation notices give the estimated market value, and property classification, for taxes payable next year — based on property sales from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021, Will said.

The valuation notice will explain how to appeal and whether your appeal will go before a local Board of Appeal or directly to the Assessor’s Office. Local boards of appeal begin meeting on April 12 and run through April 28.

“This is the time of year to appeal your value and classifications for taxes payable in 2023,” Will said. “Once you receive your tax statement in November it will be too late to appeal.”

If you have questions about your value and classification or wish to appeal, call the Becker County Assessor’s Office at 218-846-7300.

”It would be nice if people would call before the meeting,” she said, adding that often, issues can be resolved by the Assessor’s Office without having to go before the appeals board.

Actual tax assessment notices aren’t sent out until the fall, after property tax levies are set by Becker County, cities, school districts, townships and special taxing districts, Will said.

The real estate market has been extremely strong in Becker County due to high demand, record low interest rates and a low inventory of properties.

“It’s been a seller’s market,” Will said.

Homes are selling quickly and sometimes for more than the listing price. These sales can be found on the county’s website at co.becker.mn.us, using the online services tab and selecting sales search.

Values are going up on most property types, including recreational land, agricultural land, commercial-industrial and residential-seasonal.

“It’s definitely a statewide issue,” Will said. “It’s not just here or Otter Tail County — we’ve had a lot of discussion with the Department of Revenue about it.”