Tuftonboro preliminary assessment
 

We just received our assessment in the mail and the new total value (land + building) decreased by %15. Does anyone know what is behind it? We are lakeside.

Thanks

I don't but we had one on the lake increase and two decrease. It doesn't matter if most of the valuations went down, the rate will go up.

Property values have taken a pounding in Tuftonboro over the last five years but as noted if all properties fell on average by 15% then the tax rate will need to rise by a like amount to keep tax revenue stable.

My evaluation likewise went down in Moultonboro. I think we all know the reason, I hope we remember it in 2016..

Mine went up about 5%. Abatement will be filed.

I know. I can't figure out why one of ours went up?? We didn't improve anything. And the market has certainly not improved that much.

I think these guys put on a blindfold and throw darts at a board. My two properties went up a combined $61,600.00. I called the Town and asked where I can find the assessments on line, but they are not posted. They said that they will try to post them in the next few days.

My understanding
 

Back in the days, evalauation was based on full time or seasonal residency, where the full time took the hit because they use the services such as schools etc. The state education mess change all that and it is the seasonal folks that are paying for the services whether they like it or not.

Now seasonal properties took a big hit in evaluation and the tax burden is shifted to the full time residents. Where it should be.

What ??
 

There is no distinction or flag (in Moultonboro) that taxes one group of owners more (or less) than another. Where did you get this understanding from ??

I agree
 

There is no distinction about how the property is occupied. There is no "view tax". There is no tax based on the amount of lake frontage that you have. I have heard these statements from the uninformed for many years.

Your taxes are based on the value of your property. Yes, they add to the value for out buildings, docks, frontage etc., but so would any potential purchaser.

Your taxable valuation is based on the actual market value of the property if it were to be sold. There are no other specific taxes added because of anything else.

we just got ours back too...
 

We just purchased our house in June. Our assessment decressed 20K. Still well over what we paid for it.

Looks like you were not around back in the 80's when the state took over property evaluation to help equalize education payments among towns. This concept is still a mess today and the legislature is still scrambling after the NH Supreme Court shut down the current distribution structure.

Before this whole mess, the towns would appraise properties according to present use, residential, agricultural, commercial, unimproved etc. It made sense to tax the year round residence because they use the schools etc. And the seasonal will get a break.

When the state took over, appraisal is based on the actual RE value of the property, regardless of use. Farmers took a big hit and so did folks with unimproved lots and well as seasonal residents. That is why there was substantial sale of properties in the late 80's and 90's. Many folks could not afford their properties after seeing their property taxes quadrupled and more! Hence the 'view' tax debate by NH farmers in the days. One farmer in Gilford saw a six fold increase in his property tax only because the location of his property has substantial view of the Belknaps, Ossipee and White Mountains.

So Commercial properties and full-time residence who are also the tax payers are happy campers. They saw a big reduction in their property tax.

This is one reason why the current property tax structure is unreasonable. There is growing sentiment of a broad based tax such as the value added tax.

I don't know about Moultonboro, the town is unique as it has more lakefront properties than any other town. Back in the days, Moultonboro had substantial unimproved properties. Now there are very little,

Actually, I was around in the 80's, having both a summer house and a residence. There was nothing, on my bill, that taxed one place more than the other. No one bill raised or lowered more than the other one.

I remember well the view tax debate, but it wasn't residence vs non resident owners, EVERYBODY got hit. There was an article of a selectman in a town being hit by a large "view tax", but he was blind... a big uproar.

Broad based taxes based on the old notion of a view tax or on the thought that taxes are unfair.... taxes will ALWAYS be unfair to someone, no matter how you slice the cake. We don't need the government taking a larger slice, which will happen with any tax law change.

Sorry, this probably needs its own thread, apologies to the OP.

I disagree too, Broadhopper. I don't know where you got the idea that year round people were taxed differently than seasonal. I never heard of that. When the state took over the school tax, the towns on the lake-the so called rich towns -got hit a lot harder because they had to pay more than the poor towns.

It seems that the assessments on land values on the islands have jumped significantly. I don't know where they get the justification for this. I've had discussions with several Tuftonboro island residents about this, and everyone is a bit irate. The town will have some explaining to do....

FYI: I use Attorney Phil Broulliard out of Laconia for my abatements. He does all the work and his fee is 1/2 of the first year of any tax savings that the abatement brings. It's really a no-brainer. No savings, no fee.