Bernalillo County assessor says 15‑year study links crime, homelessness and market shifts to property values; explains appeals process

Bernalillo County Assessor Damian Lara interviewed Chief Appraiser Fabian Montoya on the office's Value Added segment to summarize a 15‑year historical review of property values and explain how owners can contest valuations.

"It's no secret that like in other parts of the country, real world issues like drug addiction, crime, and the unhoused epidemic affects property values here in Bernalillo County," Lara said, framing the study's purpose as ensuring fair and equitable treatment across neighborhoods. Montoya said the research confirmed that markets fluctuate and that factors such as documented crime, loitering, homelessness and supply‑and‑demand shifts influence market values.

Montoya described the study's uses and methods, saying assessors use three approaches to value and rely on sales‑ratio studies. "We perform a sales ratio study. So currently, right now, we're working for…