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St. Louis County assessors meet with homeowners miffed over higher bills

House for sale
Paul Sableman | Flickr

The St. Louis County Assessor's office has started informal conferences with property owners concerned their taxes are too high.

Assessor Jake Zimmerman says the average county property value has gone up roughly 7 percent, compared to the last review a couple of years ago. He attributes the increase, in part, to a hotter real estate market, with properties selling faster and for more money.  

"Obviously that's not true in every neighborhood and it's not true for every property. But in general and on average, it's easier to sell your house than it used to be and it's easier to get a higher price that it used to be," Zimmerman said.

St. Charles County appears to be experiencing similar growth in property values. St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman says the value of properties has increased about 8 percent, compared to 2015.

"Most of it is just the rebound of real estate values in St. Charles County," Shipman told St. Louis Public Radio. "There's a lot more people moving in than there was year's ago. The foreclosures are down. The interest rates are pretty stable and actually there's a shortage of decent homes on the market."

Officials in the city of St. Louis officials are reporting an average increase of roughly 12 percent for residential properties, but it's much higher for some leading to property tax bill increases in the hundreds of dollars.

Wayne is the morning newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio.