Moultonborough Home Inspections for Assessments!

[ACME on the Broads]

Not sure if anyone else recently received letters from the assessor's office in Moultonborough but, these usually terrific people working for the town have either become totally deaf or are incapable of keeping up with the daily news of the last 11 months concerning Covid-19.

It's incredulous that they want to come into homes now during the pandemic to perform inspections due to the 20% town review quota; I ask, has the assessor or her people heard, seen or read about the human suffering, impact on our economy, job losses, small business closures, restaurants shutting down, sadly and probably most troubling the thousands of deaths associated from Covid-19? Is now a time when the town should add to that risk?

Given state and federal guidelines suggesting no/minimal exposure to others, the town should not be asking for entry into our homes and residents shouldn't allow inspections until Covid-19 is clearly in the rear view mirror for all; is it smart timing for the town to introduce additional risk to its residents while the pandemic remains deadly? Why risk exposing so many Moultonborough residents to the pandemic????

Moultonborough Selectmen, Assessor and Town Managers, you're far better than this; I would respectfully suggest in these still very uncertain times, you consider pushing this process back for at least a year.

Merry Christmas, and here's to a Happy, Healthy and Safe 2021

[camp guy]

Well, ACME, beside posting to this Forum, I certainly hope you sent the same letter to the actual officials involved. You are 100% correct in your thoughts, and I can't imagine the elected Town officials seeing it differently.

Enjoy your holidays.

[Susie Cougar]

I don’t recall anyone ever coming into our home in Moultonborough. Is it something that is required only if you contest your tax bill?
I can’t imagine too many people that got a notice would let anyone in their homes.

[ishoot308]

You have the right to refuse anyone access to your home...If your not comfortable with them performing an inspection, simply refuse their access.

I can tell you that I have never let an assessor in any of my homes over the years.

Dan

[WinnisquamZ]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

You have the right to refuse anyone access to your home...If your not comfortable with them performing an inspection, simply refuse their access.

I can tell you that I have never let an assessor in any of my homes over the years.

Dan

Fully agree with ishoot308. If no permitted upgrades or repairs were completed you have no legal obligation to allow them in or walk your property. Have experienced this twice here in Laconia over the past few years. Just ask them to leave.


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[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by WinnisquamZ

Fully agree with ishoot308. If no permitted upgrades or repairs were completed you have no legal obligation to allow them in or walk your property. Have experienced this twice here in Laconia over the past few years. Just ask them to leave.


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And you only have to let them in for purposes of inspection, right, not evaluation?

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[Sue Doe-Nym]

I think what they are attempting to do is to make the assessments more accurate, and there’s no question that many of the assessments are way off in both directions. However, I agree with those who object to having the assessor inspect their home, particularly right now. I wouldn’t permit it either.

[ACME on the Broads]

Originally Posted by camp guy

Well, ACME, beside posting to this Forum, I certainly hope you sent the same letter to the actual officials involved. You are 100% correct in your thoughts, and I can't imagine the elected Town officials seeing it differently.

Enjoy your holidays.

Thanks Camp Guy.

My comments were meant to illustrate lack of sensitivity, poor timing and a lack of general common sense given CV19 by Moultonborough's usually talented town team.

BTW....I realize you don't need and aren't obligated to let anyone into your home, however, these letters are asking to verify measurements and general condition. As Dan says, he's never let anyone in his home, he's right.

Unfortunately, it has been my experience and that of some I know, post inspections most often and usually not long thereafter evaluations historically head north, to be fair, I suppose some evaluations may go down but I haven't heard of many.

Camp Guy, as you note, I did in fact send a letter to the town assessor yesterday, I'll keep the group apprised should I receive a response.

Thank you all for reading.

Good health to all!

[Descant]

Right. If my assessment went down, I'd likely just be quiet and change the subject to the life expectancy of a septic system.

[WinnisquamZ]

Please, let’s not talk septic systems. I am entering that 25 year lifetime. But, we can discuss a neighbor that still has a leach field and tank!


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[FlyingScot]

Agreed with the crew that you definitely should not let them in in you're not comfortable.

One funny thing about this is that something like 75% of the assessed value in Moultonborough is waterfront, and very few waterfront owners are available to let them in now. So if the 20% of homes they enter are not waterfront, they are only going to capture a small fraction of 20% of the value

[dpg]

My family got a letter oh maybe a year ago from the town how they swung by and tried to come in for an appraisal but nobody was there so please call us blah, blah, blah. I threw the letter away and haven't heard anything since.