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No. Getting a private home appraisal does not raise your property taxes in Virginia Beach. Your private appraisal is confidential. When you hire me directly, I prepare the appraisal for you and deliver the report to you. Virginia’s appraisal regulations require me to protect your confidential information and appraisal results under USPAP’s Ethics Rule. Your report is not automatically sent to the tax assessor or added to your property’s tax record simply because you ordered an appraisal. [1, 2, 3]
What I tell homeowners who worry about higher taxes
I get this question regularly. A homeowner wants an appraisal but worries that finding out the home is worth more will mean a higher tax bill. I usually explain that this is a private appraisal prepared for the client and the purpose of that assignment.
Then comes the follow-up: “Are you sure it doesn’t go into some file?” I explain who receives the report and how it is used.
If you hire me directly for a private appraisal, you are my client. If a mortgage company hires me, the mortgage company is generally my client. That is why I explain who the client is when someone asks whether the report is just between me and them.
Your private appraisal does not automatically replace the city’s tax assessment. I follow confidentiality requirements when sharing the report with my client or other authorized recipients. Those rules also allow certain disclosures required or permitted by law or professional standards. [1, 2, 3]
That does not mean the report is never kept in a file. A lender may keep it in its records or submit it to an appraisal database. Fannie Mae, for example, requires lenders to submit certain mortgage appraisals through its appraisal data portal. That is part of the lending process; it does not automatically change your city assessment. [1, 4]
How a private appraisal differs from a tax assessment
I separate the appraised value, the assessed value and the tax bill when explaining this to homeowners. They serve different purposes, even when all three relate to the same house. [1, 2, 5]
Swipe or scroll horizontally to compare both columns.
| What matters | Private home appraisal | Local tax assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Answers a specific valuation question for a client, such as a refinance, sale or assessment appeal. | Establishes the property value used for real estate taxation. |
| Who prepares it | An appraiser engaged for the assignment. | The local government’s assessment office. |
| How the property is evaluated | Focuses on the individual property and the scope of that assignment. | Virginia Beach uses neighborhood sales analysis and mass appraisal, accounting for property features; field visits may also be part of the process. |
| Valuation date | Uses the effective date identified in the appraisal report. | Virginia Beach assessments take effect July 1, using data available through the preceding December 31. |
| Connection to your tax bill | Does not automatically reset the city’s assessed value. A report submitted for an appeal becomes evidence for that review. | The taxable assessed value is used with the adopted tax rate to calculate the tax bill, subject to applicable relief or adjustments. |
For the individual home appraisals I’m describing here, my work includes inspecting that home and developing my own opinion of its value. That property-specific attention is what I’m explaining when a homeowner asks why my appraisal can differ from the assessment.
Virginia Beach describes its neighborhood reassessment method as mass appraisal. Staff analyze sales and apply the resulting information to similar homes, accounting for features such as living area, amenities and the site. The city also describes field visits to sold properties. Both processes involve appraisal work; their scope, purpose and relevant dates can differ. [5]
The city says its assessments take effect July 1 and use data available through the preceding December 31. A private appraisal must identify its own effective date. I would check those dates before treating a difference between the numbers as proof of an error. [2, 7]
What actually can change your property taxes
Your assessed value and the adopted tax rate can change independently. Virginia Beach considers market evidence and property characteristics, including improvements, when determining assessments. City Council sets the tax rate. A renovation or rising neighborhood values may affect the city’s assessment process even if you never order a private appraisal. [1, 6]
Here is an illustrative example using an imaginary tax rate of $1 per $100 of taxable assessed value. These are not an actual assignment or Virginia Beach’s current tax rate.
| Situation | Taxable assessment | Annual base tax |
|---|---|---|
| Before a private appraisal | $400,000 | $4,000 |
| Private appraisal concludes $450,000; city assessment unchanged | $400,000 | $4,000 |
| City later raises its assessment to $420,000 | $420,000 | $4,200 |
The calculation is assessed value ÷ 100 × the rate per $100. The private appraisal does not automatically substitute its value into that calculation. This example excludes exemptions, relief and other adjustments. [1]
Will a refinance or home equity appraisal raise my taxes?
A higher appraisal for a refinance or home equity loan does not itself reset the city’s assessment. I would separate the lender’s valuation decision from the city’s tax process. Ask your lender which valuation it requires and who must order it before paying for a separate report. [1, 4]
If your monthly mortgage payment changes, check the statement’s breakdown. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains that changes in property taxes or homeowners insurance can change escrow payments. A larger payment alone does not establish that the appraisal caused a tax increase. [8]
When an appraisal can help challenge an assessment
I also complete appraisals for property-tax appeals. I’ve had homeowners contact me after a similar nearby home sold for less than the value shown on their assessment. Sometimes the conversation starts between neighbors, and that leads the owner to question what the assessor has the home valued at.
In one assignment, my appraisal came in about 10% below the assessed value. The assessment was ultimately reduced.
That is a different use of an appraisal: the owner presents valuation evidence for a review. A lower appraisal does not guarantee a reduction. The Board of Equalization can lower, affirm or raise an assessment, and an increase requires notice and an opportunity for the owner to respond. [10]
What I recommend checking before paying for an appeal appraisal
I usually tell homeowners to start with the tax record and make sure the property information is correct. Check the bedroom and bathroom counts. Look at the square footage and whether the record includes areas that should not be included in that category. Check the lot size, too. Those are the basic facts I tell people to look at before assuming the assessed value is right.
Ask the assessor what a recorded area figure includes before calling it an error. Assessment records may categorize space differently from an appraisal. An accurate correction can affect value in either direction, or leave the value unchanged. For more detail, see my guide to checking Virginia Beach property assessment records.
Sometimes homeowners come to me with their own comparable sales. They’ll say, “I found these homes that are like mine,” and send them over. I go through those sales and see whether any are useful. I still develop my own opinion of value. Giving me a list of sales doesn’t mean I automatically use them or adopt the value the homeowner has in mind.
I explain the selection process in how appraisers choose comparable sales. The sales and the appraisal’s effective date need to address the valuation question being reviewed. [7]
The other thing I tell homeowners is to watch the deadlines. These inquiries tend to arrive around the same time, and there can be several dates to keep track of. Bring the notice and the deadline to the conversation early, rather than leaving the appraisal until the end of the filing period.
| Virginia Beach review | Published annual filing deadline |
|---|---|
| Internal appeal to the Assessor | April 30 |
| Board of Equalization appeal and documentation | June 30 |
These are Virginia Beach’s published annual deadlines, checked October 21, 2026. They are not new filing windows opening now. Confirm the instructions for the year you are appealing, including evidence deadlines. Other localities have their own procedures. Taxes remain due while an appeal is pending. [1, 7, 9]
My Hampton Roads property-tax appeal guide explains the full process. My property-tax appeal appraisal service page explains what to send me and how to discuss the assignment.
Talk with me about the appraisal you need
If you’re putting off an appraisal because you’re worried about higher taxes, tell me what you need the appraisal for. I can explain the client relationship and the assignment’s purpose. If you’re questioning an assessment, send the notice, the specific concern and your deadline.
Sources
Official sources checked October 21, 2026. The anonymized assignment and descriptions of my usual advice come from my own experience.
- Virginia Beach Request for Reappraisal. Who sets the assessment and tax rate; April 30 internal appeal deadline; taxes remain due.
- The Appraisal Foundation Practicing Appraisers. Mortgage clients, confidentiality and permitted disclosures, and inspection scope.
- Virginia Standards of Ethical Conduct. Virginia appraisers must comply with the USPAP Ethics Rule.
- Fannie Mae Appraisal Data and Submission Requirements. Required lender submission of applicable appraisal reports through UCDP.
- Virginia Beach Reassessing a Residential Neighborhood. Neighborhood mass appraisal, sales analysis, property characteristics and field visits.
- Virginia Beach How the Assessor Determines Property Values. Valuation factors, market changes, improvements and the distinction between value and taxes.
- Virginia Beach Board of Equalization Appeal Information. Assessment timing, burden of proof and tax payment obligations.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Mortgage Payment Changes. Escrow payments can change when property taxes or homeowners insurance changes.
- Virginia Beach Board of Equalization Application Instructions. June 30 application and documentation deadline; applicable year and submission instructions.
- Virginia Code Section 58.1 3381. Board authority to increase, decrease or affirm an assessment, with notice before an increase.
- Virginia DPOR License Lookup. Joseph Thomas Ellington Jr., license 4001012919; active Licensed Residential RE Appraiser. Search by license number.