Visitors are not out of the ordinary at this time of year. Candidates are knocking on doors and come later this month there will be witches, goblins, princesses and pirates to name a few. You may also get a visitor from the tax assessors asking to look around the house.

Such visits don’t come as a surprise. Since early this summer the city has been sending letters to property owners requesting them to schedule a “brief inspection” estimated to take 10 to 15 minutes. The inspections are not mandated and as Tax Assessor Neal Dupuis pointed out in an interview, those performing the inspections will do everything to protect the property owner’s rights.

After receiving a letter about inspections, property owners can make appointments online or by calling 888-844-4300. So far about 70 percent of owners of 26,000 single family homes have received letters. He could not say how many inspections have been completed.  Overall the city is comprised of 38,000 taxable properties.

The inspections, Dupuis explained, are helpful in assessing the value of the property. In some instances information the city has on file is inaccurate or less than complete. For example the house may have been listed as not having a finished basement when in fact the basement has been finished since the last revaluation. Conversely, Dupuis observed, as a result of the 2010 floods a homeowner may have eliminated, but not replaced a finished basement.

Either way, Dupuis recommends taxpayers opt for the interior inspections as they assist in making an accurate assessment.

Inspections are not limited to single family homes. The city has about 2,000 condominiums. Since many condo developments offer units of similar size and with similar amenities, Dupuis said the effort is to conduct multiple inspections on the same day.

Dupuis said property assessments are based on the exterior dimension of a structure. Eagle View technology is used to arrive at those dimensions.

Interior inspections are part of the “field view” process where personnel from either Vision Government Solutions that has been retained for the “full” revaluation or members of the assessors’ department visit the property.  The use of city employees to conduct some of the interior inspections is part of the “hybrid” revaluation being used for a first time this year. The hybrid is projected to save taxpayers about $1.1 million. Dupuis said 100 percent of the values will come from Vision and that he sets the values which only happens when valuation hearings are completed.  While rare, Dupuis said, something could surface not included in the valuation methodology prompting an overall revaluation. As an example he cited legislative action impacting assessing methods.

A full revaluation is required by state law every nine years. Statistical revaluations that also cover all taxable properties, however, do not include the review of every single property. Values in both a full and statistical revaluations use the most recent market sales. Statistical revaluations are done at three and six years following a full revaluation.

Since the citywide revaluation is of December 31, the assessor’s office will look to get the most current third party sales of property before the end of the year as a means of establishing values.

Property values have soared since the last revaluation with the Rhode Island Association of Realtors reporting the median price of a single family home in the Ocean State hitting $494,000 as of June. Since the pandemic Dupuis points to a transition from office to in-home work, which he feels has enhanced Warwick as a bedroom community to Boston. “The city has improved dramatically,” he said citing the improved condition of roads and overall appearance of the city. And despite the high cost of housing, he called Warwick houses still “a bargain at entry level.”

 Dupuis recognizes the escalating cost of housing, but is not focused on that. Rather, he’s intent on seeing that properties are accurately valued. The revaluation is not a matter of applying statewide statistics and adjusting them for Warwick, or applying a multiplier to the prior valuation.

 “We throw out all values and don’t look at that [the last valuation],” Dupuis said. With the data collection phase of the revaluation nearing completion, Dupuis anticipates the program will be completed by April 2025 when property owners will be notified of valuations. Taxpayers will have the opportunity to question valuations online and in person. If not satisfied with the finding, they can appeal to the Tax Review Board. Additionally, if there remains a difference in opinion, the next avenue of appeal is Superior Court.

Dupuis doesn’t see any reason the revaluation won’t be completed on time.

“There’s a light at end of tunnel,” he said.