County appraiser explains valuation methods, MRA and why many properties show overrides

Deanna Aspinon, Sedgwick County appraiser, demonstrated how property records and valuation estimates appear on the county website and explained the different valuation methods available to the public.

"We actually went 95% of market or 95% of cost," Aspinon said, describing a deliberate decision to back off full estimates in certain cases to account for pre-sale repairs or incomplete listings. She listed four common estimates visible online: cost estimate, market (sales comparable) estimate, an MRA (multiple regression analysis) estimate, and a weighted estimate; an index estimate is present only where neighborhood sales data permit.

Aspinon explained how the system chooses comparables using an 18‑month sales window and neighborhood definitions; if a neighborhood lacks sufficient sales the model expands geographically (often by school-district boundaries) to find comparable sales. Industry guidance, she said, treats five sales as a minimum, 15 as good and 50 as excellent for robust market estimates.

When multiple indicators exist, Aspinon said county appraisers review the MRA, weighted, market and cost estimates and often choose the median value to reduce mass-appraisal variability. She said senior appraisers manually review properties with large increases (more than about 30%) to check for data errors or omitted sales details.

The presentation included practical guidance for property owners: to appeal, bring comparable sales, photos, or request a field check so appraisers can verify data characteristics such as finished square footage or recent updates. Aspinon also said the office is pursuing better MLS data sharing to reduce assumptions about concessions and other sale conditions.