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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What are your subscription services?
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A: VamaNet.members is a subscription service that provides additional tools and features to interested users. Typical subscribers include Realtors, Lending Institutions, Appraisers, and certain Government Agencies. Subscribers may choose from a wide selection of available localities.
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Q: A Locality used to be on VamaNet.com but now is gone. What happened?
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A: Localities are frequently added for the purpose of serving the General Re-assessment Hearings and are removed after the hearings. Sometimes a Locality will contract with VamaNet.com to continue publishing the information. Whether this is true or not the Data is typically available to interested parties through our subscription services.
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Q: Why is this information public?
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A: Free availability of Real Estate information is essential to a Free Market economy and any system of fair taxation. Without accurate representation of ALL related data, Comparable Market Analysis could not occur, thereby precluding fair and equal taxation. It is part of our shared history to supply a system of checks and balances and to do all that we can to insure equitable treatment of all of our citizens.
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Q: Why is it legal for you to publish this information on the Internet?
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A: To put it simply, all information published on VamaNet.com is considered "Public Information" under the Public Records Act and should be freely available under the Freedom of Information Act. More specifically, the State of Virginia Statute EXPLICITLY grants permission to publish this information on the Internet. For more information, see our Legal section.
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Q: What is an Associate Member?
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A: An Associate Member is a Locality that develops and maintains its own Internet web site for Real Estate Assessment information. VamaNet.com is in no way responsible for an Associate's data or Internet Web Site. Associate Members participate in order to provide another avenue of access to their Real Estate data for their citizens and foster a sense of Community.
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Q: How can my property be assessed when I am not home?
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A: The assessor who visited your property is a trained professional. Normally if no one is found at home, a questionnaire (door hanger) will be left which specifically addresses the items pertinent to the estimate of value. While on the property the inspector will use best judgement along with pre-existing property information provided by the locality to complete the assessment. It is the responsibility of the property owner to validate the information used to obtain the assessment.
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Q: What is the definition of an assessment sales price ratio and how is it determined?
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A: The assessment sales price ratio is the relationship between existing assessments and current sales prices. It is derived by dividing the assessment by the sales price. For example: a property with an assessed value of $95,000 is sold for $100,000. The resulting A/S ratio of 95,000 divided by 100,000 is .95. Therefore the assessment is said to represent 95% of market value.
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