The Kootenai County Assessor's Office is receiving between 500 and 700 calls a day since property assessment notices were mailed out this week, said Assessor Mike McDowell.

Some reactions are a little bummed out, he said, with many assessed values dropping to reflect the still struggling housing market.

"(Questions) run the gamut," McDowell said. "Some think it should have gone down more, some think it shouldn't have gone down as much."

The impacts of property assessments can vary.

For those firmly settled in their homes with no plans to sell, it's really just a number on paper.

But a lower assessment could affect the asking price of homes for sale, McDowell pointed out.

"Certainly lower values are going to make that a little more difficult for mortgage purposes, refinancing," he said. "And those looking to sell, it certainly has an impact on that."

Property owners gave mixed reactions about the digits on their assessment notices on Thursday.

Jan Sturges had zero complaints about assessed values dropping roughly 5 percent on both her Hayden home and the Coeur d'Alene building her family uses for a physical therapy business.

Neither property is on the market, Sturges explained, so what harm can it do?

"I'm actually happy," she said. "That's great for the long-term if you're planning on staying with the property you own, and not selling right now. I think the market will end up bouncing back."

Sturges hopes the lower assessments will bring down her property taxes, she added.

Property taxes are determined both by assessments and taxing district levies.

"I don't want (the assessment) to be higher," Sturges said. "It would be completely different for someone invested in property and who had property on the market."

Larry Shmura said assessed values on all but one of his 15 rental properties across the county decreased this year.

He isn't disappointed, he said, adding that he actually fought the county last year when one property was assessed for much more than he had bought it.

"It wasn't a shock. I knew this was going to happen," he said of the dropped values.

It's both a blessing and a curse, he added.

On one hand, his property taxes might decrease, he said.

But on the other, his plans to eventually sell his properties will have to wait until values come back up.

"Fortunately I purchased everything quite a while ago at very good prices, so it's not going to affect me very much," he said. "The individual homeowner who took out a mortgage paying more than he should for a house when the market was booming a couple years ago, it's going to hurt them immensely."

Virginia Shawver said she simply doesn't pay attention to changing assessments on her Athol home.

Granted, she knows it went down this year. And she knows the value has been decreasing for years from the $190,000 she and her husband paid for their home five years ago, at the height of the housing bubble.

"We paid too much for our house," Shawver said. "But it's cute. It's a nice house. That's why I'm not too disappointed."

She still thinks they could get the same price for it, she added, though that wouldn't include the years of improvements they've invested.

No matter, she said. They don't intend to sell.

So she doesn't pay attention.

"You wish the numbers were better, but I mean, it will change," the Athol artist said. "Everything comes up and everything goes down. It's just a matter of timing."

Folks wanting to dispute or clarify their assessments can contact the Assessor's Office, either by calling 446-1500, or emailing kcassr@kcgov.us.

Individuals can also challenge assessments in front of the county Board of Equalization this summer.

"It's a lot easier for them, and a little less formal process for them to contact our office," McDowell said. "We'll explain the basis for the valuation and give them the information we used to arrive at our estimate."

Although the assessed value of David Larsen's Cougar Bay home rose by about 10 percent, he said, the land value dropped 15 percent.

It is the first time in years that he has seen his property assessment decrease, he added.

But it isn't wrecking his day.

"For my wife and myself, it doesn't mean a heck of a lot of anything," Larsen said. "We're planning on continuing to live here, so from that standpoint, a number is a number."