Assessors come knocking to value homes

John Howell
Posted 5/14/15

You may want to answer when a representative of the tax assessor comes knocking.

That knock has already come for about 20 percent of the city’s 26,285 residential properties as part of the full …

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Assessors come knocking to value homes

Posted

You may want to answer when a representative of the tax assessor comes knocking.

That knock has already come for about 20 percent of the city’s 26,285 residential properties as part of the full revaluation as of Dec. 31, 2015. Valuations set of that date will be used in the tax roll for the 2016-17 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016.

But visiting nearly 41,000 properties, of which more than 38,000 are taxable properties, in the data collection phase of the program requires a lot of time. An eight-member crew from Tyler Technologies Inc./CLT was out during the winter months measuring houses and doing interior inspections when they can get in, which is about 35 percent of the time, says Christopher Celeste, city tax assessor.

Conditions have improved remarkably since then and John Marks was wearing a short-sleeved shirt last Thursday when he pulled up to a house owned by Bruce Place in Norwood. Place and his wife Debbie were making renovations to the property in preparation to its sale and had no problem with Marks walking though the house. Their golden retriever, Buckley, was right at his side.

Tyler is performing the residential portion of the revaluation under an $830,600 contract. Vision Government Solutions Inc. is performing the commercial and industrial portion of the revaluation under a $220,500 contact. When data collectors visit a home they come on the property unless faced with a locked fenced-in lot or no trespassing signs. They will measure the footprint of the home to ensure it complies what is already on record and knock to gain access. They look to verify the number and types of rooms on record are correct and get a feel for the overall condition of the property.

If they can’t gain access on that initial visit, the property owner will receive a letter asking to call and schedule an appointment. An average visit takes 10 to 15 minutes.

“They should let us inside to get an accurate assessment,” says Celeste.

The danger is that without an interior visit, the appraisal could be based on dated and possibly inaccurate information. For instance, that could include a finished basement when, in fact, there isn’t one or an additional bedroom, based on similar houses, when there isn’t one. Both would have the effect of increasing a valuation.

So far, the Tyler team has visited the Greenwood, Norwood and Lakewood neighborhoods.

The house-by-house visits made for some questioning calls from residents who weren’t aware of the revaluation program. Discovering footprints in the snow circling the house as measurements were taken was the source of more than one call to the city. Field personnel are all identified and carry information about the revaluation.

As data from the field is collected, the Tyler team looks at recent sales within specific neighborhoods to arrive at comparable values. For example, a three-bedroom raised ranch selling in Norwood in the last year would be used as a guide to set the value for similar houses of the same vintage and condition in the same neighborhood. The land value is calculated separately and can be affected by such elements as whether it is waterfront property, on a dead end or abutting commercial property.

How a full revaluation, done every nine years, differs from a statistical revaluation that is done every three years is that the statistical revaluation uses recent area sales to arrive at a factor applied to similar properties. Under the full revaluation, each property is visited, measured and valued.

After the data is collected, the analysis and process of assigning values begins. That should be finalized by next year when property owners are notified of valuations and individual hearings are conducted with those who request them. Adjustments resulting from those hearings and additional review are finalized, which should happen about a year from now in order for the administration to complete the budget and set a tax rate.

The appeal process doesn’t end with a hearing.

Property owners have the right to appeal valuations to the assessor within 90 days of when the first tax payment is due. If still not satisfied, they can appeal to the Board of Assessment Review within 45 days of the assessor’s ruling. And if not satisfied with the board’s ruling they can appeal within 30 days to Superior Court.

The process of commercial revaluations differs from residential in that income is used to establish a value. Condition and location are also factors, but, for example, an office building where rents average $18 a square foot will have a greater value than a similar building where the rents average $12. The process of valuing commercial and retail involves not only visiting those properties but also reviewing revenues and expenses.

 

 

Comments

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  • falina

    More like they want to see if people have finished basements, extra bedrooms or high end kitchens where there are none listed to grab every last drop of potential additional tax revenue....

    Friday, May 15, 2015 Report this

  • allent

    feed the union beast. it's always starving.

    Friday, May 15, 2015 Report this

  • Notbornyesterday

    So much hate hepdog...

    Saturday, May 16, 2015 Report this

  • allent

    well, that's where all the new taxes go

    Sunday, May 17, 2015 Report this

  • Reality

    I understand the picture was taken at the do nothing former Council Pres. Bruce Place's home. Isn't he one those select few getting lifetime healthcare for only being on the council for 6 years ? So he raised taxes every year on the council but we still are paying for his uneventful service.

    So the house pictured is up for sale......he is selling his house in Warwick.......he doesn't like the taxes. That's Bruce.....talks a big game but it means nothing.

    Tuesday, May 19, 2015 Report this