Money Matters
FutureMrsMerati
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Home Revaluation/Assessment
We just received notice of a town real estate revaluation which includes an exterior and interior tour. This comes right after we completed all of our interior renovations which greatly impact the appearance of our home's interior but do not add any square footage or number of beds/baths. I know you're not legally obligated to let the assessors in but I have also heard that if they are not allowed in, assessors are forced to estimate the home's value based on the exterior and are more likely to assess the highest value possible for your home because they weren't allowed inside. Of course, you can dispute that assessment with the town but that creates a whole other issue that we don't really have the desire or capacity to deal with.
Has anyone had experience with home revaluations? Encountered any negative impacts of not letting the assessors in, as we are inclined to do?
Re: Home Revaluation/Assessment
Wow!!! I have never heard of an interior tour for an assessor. That sounds creepy and disconcerting...very Big Brother-like. But then, interior assessments aren't done in my area, so its already a foreign concept to me.
It's nice to see you on the MM board again, though I wish it were for a better reason!
Even weirder reading some of the posts where there isn't even a letter sent and an assessor just knocks on the door!
If I'm not expecting someone, I don't answer my door. Period. If I did and some random person tells me they are from the "assessor's office" and need to walk through my home, I'd be slamming the door and calling the police. Even if it was a known thing in my area.
I'm not side-eyeing anyone who did, but I live in a high crime city. I don't care how many badges or "pieces of paperwork" they show me. So easy to fake that kind of stuff. I don't know them, I'm not expecting them, no way they are coming into my home. Their office can call me or send me a letter and make an appointment with me...like a CIVILIZED organization.
Where I live they only evaluate the exterior, and it's strictly for tax purposes. So I'm glad they don't come inside because if they saw the nice counter tops and some of the other updates, it could increase the value of our home and we would have to pay more property taxes.
If you look at online property records all they list is the square footage (possibly the finished square footage separate from the total) and the number of beds and baths. They also usually have a photo of the front included in the record. They also list the plat size (1 acre, .5 acre, etc.).
For tax purposes this is all they should need.
There are too many interior facets to cover in a community to make any fair assessment on what an interior of a home looks like. To be fair, an assessor would have to take detailed measurements of how much carpet, versus hardwood, versus tile a home had. And, how would s/he know the quality of that stuff? Besides, a homeowner has likely already paid taxes on the interior finishing of the home.
The only way to do an apples to apple assessment for homes in a community or neighborhood is to look at the land size, the home size, and number of beds and baths.
The only time the interior of a home would be evaluated is if an APPRAISER is coming to a home to assess it for a loan or for sale. That person would need to be able to valuate what the interior character and quality is.
So, an appraiser and an assessor are different jobs.
That's true also. You know those people only work 9-4...on a good day.
In regards to @MommyLiberty5013's post...now that you mention it, the letter I get from the assessor's office each year in regards to my property taxes has a picture of the front of my house on it. Even that creeps me out, lol! But, yes, where I live the assessors only look at the area the home is in and its square footage. I don't even think they care about number of rooms/bedrooms.
Even for an appraisal...not be confused with an assessment...a bank requires for a loan, they don't really add/subtract value for nicer finishes or anything like that. Though they do for just general interior/exterior condition.
A bit off topic, but for NOLA, my H stumbled on an interesting page on the assessor's website. You can zoom in on the map for any street/small area of town and it will list the name of the person/entity who owns that lot/land.
Yes, the detailed map is very common in my area. I don't know if people know it's there. Our county has an interactive map. I can view the property owner name, mailing address, date of sale, price of sale, who the previous owners were, etc. It also links to the property tax current and history. So if my neighbors are behind on their taxes, I can see the past due amount, etc. All public knowledge.