Assessor
Responsibilities
The Assessor's Office is required by Massachusetts law to list and value all real and personal property as of January 1. All assessed values in Massachusetts are based on "full and fair cash value." The Assessors are responsible for meeting the certification requirements of the Department of Revenue. To meet these requirements, the Assessors are obligated to revalue all town properties yearly, and undergo a recertification audit from the state once every five years.
The Assessor's Office also administers the following programs:
- Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Abatement
- Personal Property Form of List
- Senior, Veteran, Blind, & Surviving Children/Spouse Real Estate Exemptions
- Chapter Land (61, 61A, 61B)
- 3ABC Exemptions
- Tax Deferrals
- Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Abatements
- Property/Parcel Information
- Abutter's Lists
- Name/Address Changes
- Registry of Deeds Information
- Property Map Data Updates
The Board of Assessors is an elected board made up of three members. One member is elected each year for a three-year term.
Why does my value change?
State law requires assessors to estimate the fair market of all properties within their jurisdiction. With this mandate comes the requirement that assessors conduct annual revaluations. Revaluations not only respond to the ever-changing real estate market, but are opportunities for assessors to improve the quality of property data and the underlying valuation methods used to estimate values.
If you observe a change in your valuation, the difference can be attributed to one or more of the following:
- Response to new legislative enactments and Department of Revenue guidelines
Assessed valuations are not intended to predict what a property might sell for in the future. Assessors are only concerned with what properties were worth on the assessment date - the January 1st preceding the fiscal year of taxation. Properties having sold in the 24-month period preceding the assessment date influence our valuation model. Our office monitors the correlation between assessments and sale prices on sold properties to ensure that all property owners are assessed fairly and that no class of property is over or under assessed.
Assessed valuations are estimates of market value. Many factors influence what a buyer might pay for a property, but only those that are readily quantifiable are used in estimating your valuation. For example, your assessment is based on features like location, land area, building area, type and grade of construction, age and condition, and amenities like garages, swimming pools and finished basements. Examples of property features not considered in your assessment include curb appeal, home décor, landscaping, and even annoying neighbors.
Assessors inspect the property for a number of reasons. Reason number one is that it is the law. According to the Massachusetts DOR we must inspect each property every 10 years and that inspection should be a full measure of the exterior and an attempt at gaining entry for interior information. Secondly, by inspecting the property, we are keeping our data accurate which helps us calculate assessed values that are fair and equitable.
BLANK QUESTIONNAIRE FORM
What does the inspection consist of?
Do I have to let the assessors into my home?
What is the benefit to me to let the assessors in?
Are you trying to raise taxes?
This program is not an effort to raise taxes. The amount the Town can tax is regulated by Proposition 2 ½ and the budget is voted annually at Town Meeting. The goal of Property Assessment is to ensure that we are treating all property owners fairly and equitably. If we are doing that, then each taxpayer is paying his or her “fair share” of the tax burden. Assessors main function is the valuation of property, taxes are the result of what the town needs to appropriate to fund the budget. Please attend your town annual meeting to be informed and have a voice in town spending.
*Please see below for Staff Contacts and Board Members.
Staff Contacts
Name |
---|
Rob Heckman |
Board Members
Name | Title | Term |
---|---|---|
John K Prentiss
| Chair | June 2025 |
Jeffrey A Young
| Member | June 2024 |
Albert Afonso
| Member | June 2026 |