It’s Time to Assess

The Board of Assessors have been valuating Norwood homes for the past six months.
An assessment is the value placed upon all real and personal property for the purpose of local property taxation.
“We are required by state law to do a full certification of homes every three years, which entails an in-depth exam on property values” Norwood Boards Chairman Timothy McDonough said. “From 2018 on, this full certification will happen every 5 years.”
On top of this, Massachusetts also requires a full measure and list every nine years, which should be a full measure and listing of the exterior and a demonstrated effort of interior inspections.
These two mandates explain the individuals at Norwood residents’ doors, and in their neighborhoods.
There are 5,847 single family homes in Norwood, and over 9,000 properties to evaluate, so the town utilizes Vision Government Solutions as sub-contractors to help with the project. In McDonough’s opinion, they are a good qualified company.
There are some who have hesitations due to the intrusion, but every owner is within their right to deny entry to their homes. However, those who choose this course of action could potentially lose their right to appeal their property valuations.
“The inspections only last about 15-20 minutes and are extremely beneficial, because they could be saving home-owners money in the long run,” McDonough stated.
For example, during the process, a Norwood homeowner came to the Board stating they were still being taxed on an-above ground pool that no longer existed. But, because the change was never reported to the town, there was no way for the board to know and have the corrections documented. By having their home evaluated, the individual in question could be saving money on their next bill.
While the Board of Assessors do not decide the property taxes, they determine how much the properties are worth. The information is then relayed to the Town Selectman, and they determine the property taxes for the town.
The values are based upon the analysis of the property sales from Jan 1, 2017-Dec 31, 2017.
Preliminary values for all properties are available for public inspection. To view, visit www.norwoodma.gov, click on Assessors, Click on Property Cards, enter your address.
“For the convenience of the taxpayers, the proposed values are available on the town website at www.norwoodma.gov. These valuation amounts will become final when the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) finishes its triennial review of the valuations and certifies the values,” McDonough said.
The new tax rate will be noted on December 4th, and the new values will be reflected in the third quarter tax bills, which are due to be mailed on December 31, 2018.
The full measure and list will continue on until the Spring of 2019, and run smoothly with the help of all the inhabitants of Norwood. Although these valuations can seem tedious, they keep tax payers up-to-date, and the town secure for the future.
The Norwood Assessors office is open Monday through Friday,8 a.m.-4 p.m. The telephone number is 781-762-1240