Committee debate spotlights why Buncombe County and Urban3 report different sales-ratio trends

A debate over how to measure assessment accuracy dominated a May 18 Buncombe County property appraisal committee meeting, with outside analysts and county appraisal staff sharply disagreeing over which sales-ratio method best reflects the county’s housing stock.

The committee heard presentations from consultants who said comparing sale prices to assessed values after updating property characteristics on sold properties produces a more favorable ratio for those parcels, but that approach may mask broader data gaps. County appraisal staff said those gaps—unpermitted interior renovations and incomplete property records—are the primary cause of the discrepancy and must be fixed before drawing broader conclusions.

Why it matters: the committee must recommend whether the county’s sales-ratio study shows assessment performance is equitable across neighborhoods. Consultants argued the post-sale corrected sample shows high accuracy when data are complete; county staff said a study that excludes or reclassifies flawed sales may understate inaccuracy across the rest of the tax roll.