How Do You Estimate Future Property Taxes in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County)?

[Valeria Dulce]

Hi all! My sister and I are currently analyzing single-family and small multifamily rentals in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), and we’re trying to get a more accurate estimate of property taxes for deal analysis.

We know that the current tax amount shown on the Cuyahoga County Property Search site is based on prior assessed value, and taxes don’t always adjust immediately after a sale. Since we want to be conservative with our underwriting, we found the county’s Property Tax Estimator tool: https://cuyahogacounty.gov/fiscal-officer/departments/budget...

Our current thought process:

• -Look up the correct tax district and current value from county records

• -Enter the property’s purchase price as the new market value in the estimator

• -Use the 2026 estimated tax amount for deal analysis, since that’s likely closer to where taxes will eventually adjust

For those of you investing in Cleveland:

• -Does this approach make sense? Would you use the 2025 or 2026 estimated tax amount if we're looking to close within December 2025 or January 2026?

• -Do you use the estimator tool?

• -Do you underwrite based on current taxes, estimated taxes, or something else?

Any insights or tips from people who invest in Cuyahoga County would be really appreciated!