Bay City Tribune

The average Matagorda County residence showed little change in appraised value from the previous year, said Vince Maloney, chief appraiser, Matagorda County Appraisal District.

Breaking down the property appraisals by school districts, Maloney said the net average increase for Tidehaven and Van Vleck ISDs was 1.6 percent and the low was in Boling at no change.

Bay City, Matagorda and Palacios ISDs were at less than 1 percent.

While the volume of sales decreased during 2008, the sale prices have held steady, Maloney noted.

Overall, the appraisal work revealed some positive economic trends locally.

Maloney said that new construction has started to pick up and a few new subdivisions have broken ground.

"We have been lucky that the local economy has faired better than the national economy.

"While we have not witnessed significant appreciation, we have also not had properties lose value and the average foreclosure rate is steady at a handful per year," the chief appraiser added.

Mineral and industrial values for 2009 will be set in late June.