As a former President of the United States once said "Trust but Verify."

 

Property Record Card data and calculations are often inaccurate. Every taxpayer has the right to ask for and receive a copy of his Property Record Card. The data will reflect the property as of the current value.

 

Most New Hampshire and Massachusetts Towns contract with Vision Technology or Patriot Properties to maintain a user friendly online database including what they "claim" is the property record card . This online information is not a substitute for the property record card. The mysteries of the property card are known only to assessors. All fields are not included on the card. Some of these fields can greatly impact the value.

 

Your municipality will most likely not help you to reduce your property tax values.

 

Assessment value is not the same thing as current market value. For example, the value for your FY2009 valuation is based on the calanday year 2007 real estate market.

 

The process for appealing your assessment is quite complex and designed to wear you out!!.

 

Most municipalities do not have the time or resources to place an accurate value on every parcel.

 

They employ mass appraisal techniques that have inherent weaknesses.

 

Properties are often reviwed from the desk rather than from the field.