For most people, their homes are their most valuable possessions. Now it’s easy to compare the value of your home with others in the Kansas City metro area.</p><p><em>The Kansas City Star</em> is providing home values for Jackson, Johnson, Platte, Clay and Wyandotte counties on one site for the first time. <em>The Star</em> obtained the appraised values from county officials, who determine a home's value by examining sales of similar properties and evaluating its location, condition, living space and other factors. </p><p>County authorities use a home's appraised value to determine its assessed value, which then is used to compute the homeowner’s tax bills. Missouri authorities assess homes at 19 percent of their appraised value, and Kansas authorities assess homes at 11.5 percent of appraised value. </p><p><em>The Star</em> obtained 2008 values for Johnson and Wyandotte counties, where properties are appraised every year. In Missouri, counties appraise homes every two years, and Jackson, Platte and Clay counties provided information from 2007, the most recent available.</p><p>The databases include owners, who often live in the homes. But the listings also include rental properties, so people living in the homes may not be the owners. Some people listed as owners could be acting for the owners, or could represent partnerships that own the properties.</p><p>Besides homes, the databases also list some vacant land, farm land and a few commercial properties. Also, some counties provide more detailed information about properties &ndash; such as a home’s number of bedrooms &ndash; than others.</p><p>All of the data is based on public records provided by the counties and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The appraisals reflect home values at specific points in time and may have changed. For example, some homeowners who think their appraisals are too high appeal those appraisals to authorities and may receive a reduction. Appraised values can increase when a property owner builds a home on vacant land. Ownership changes also may not be reflected in the databases. </p><p>These county web sites may have more up-to-date information about individual properties:</p><p>Clay County: <a href="http://www.claycogov.com/county/county.php" target="_new">http://www.claycogov.com/county/county.php</a> (click on assessor)</p><p>Jackson County: <a href="https://ascendweb.jacksongov.org/ascend/(gyoedc55lasvul45hjgsso45)/Login.aspx" target="_new">https://ascendweb.jacksongov.org/ascend/(gyoedc55lasvul45hjgsso45)/Login.aspx</a></p><p>Johnson County: <a href="http://land.jocogov.org/default.aspx" target="_new">http://land.jocogov.org/default.aspx</a></p><p>Platte County: <a href="http://maps.co.platte.mo.us/" target="_new">http://maps.co.platte.mo.us/</a></p><p>Wyandotte County: <a href="http://appr.wycokck.org/" target="_new">http://appr.wycokck.org/</a>