It’s time to start calling it like it is – Good Government Does Not Do This

Yesterday, I shared a post about sold properties assessed at over 100% and the scare tactics used by assessing employees to keep owners from filing abatements. This results in these property owners paying very high additional property taxes. 

Let’s look at a specific case. 147 Tinker Rd is a 1998 Colonial home with about 3,000 square feet of living space. The property sold 8/3/2020 and is listed in the DRA sales data as a qualified sale. However, the property record card does not show that an assessor reviewed the property with any card notations. This property sold for $695,000 and is currently assessed for $559,400. So, the 2020 assessment to market value is 80%, just below what we expect the 2020 DRA calculated ratio to come in at. 

However, if you look at the MLS pictures, this property has a very nicely finished 1,400 sq. ft. basement. The Assessor never corrects the property record card using the MLS pictures for this feature. That size and finished basement would increase the assessment by about $35,000.  

https://www.movoto.com/nashua-nh/147-tinker-rd-nashua-nh-03063/pid_k7ruvi3nih/#popphotoview

Now, let's consider the property at 37 Cathedral Circle. This property is a 1985 Colonial with 2,600 square feet that sold on 2/21/20 for $408,500. It was assessed for $411,500, just above 100%. So, this property is really over assessed based on the anticipated level of assessment. An assessor can weakly argue that they do not have the 2020 value yet, the calculated ratio from DRA, however, the 2019 value was 88.8% so we know this home is over assessed and the real estate market prices have been rising

But what does the assessor do? They use the MLS pictures and discover additional features - hardwood, nicer kitchen, bigger deck and raise the assessment by $14,000. So, now the ratio is at 104%. This seems very corrupt. The sold price for this property already included those features and driving the assessment even higher is wrong. So this property sold in 2020 for $408,500 and is assessed for $425,400. 

https://www.movoto.com/nashua-nh/37-cathedral-cir-nashua-nh-03063/pid_20jzvi3nih/

Why do assessors almost never reduce homes that are over assessed? Why are obsolescence and blight conditions ignored? If an assessor job is to create uniform assessment, then clearly some properties need to go up and some down. I view this as a corrupt practice and a form of sales chasing.

In the 2020 sales data sent by the City to the DRA, there are about 200 properties assessed at over 95% of the market value. Only five of these residential homes had their assessments reduced based on MLS pictures. These reductions were insignificant. 

Here is the message to Nashua property owners - the Assessors are not setting fair and equitable assessment. The Mayor told the public in a Board of Aldermen meeting, we should trust our assessing office, the oversight agencies, the experts. We should not get too involved with how the numbers are determined.  

Do not believe what government tell you. Lazy employees “work hard” to keep property owners uneducated and confused. We need to understand that many people are being overtaxed by the system and the only way to fix this is through education and abatements. We should demand that our assessors stop adding value to already over-assessed properties. This assessing practices feels corrupt. Combine this practice with the staff practice of intimidating and scaring property owners who question these assessments, and you get unchecked, corrupt government control.