Woodstock CT Revaluation Update February 2021

Pursuant to Connecticut State Law, every municipality must complete a new town-wide revaluation every five (5) years. Woodstock last implemented a town-wide revaluation for the October 1, 2016 Grand List and therefore is required to implement a new town-wide revaluation for the October 1, 2021 Grand List which will be implemented in January of 2022. This new town-wide revaluation will establish a new fair market value as of October 1st, 2021 and will be reflected in the tax bills that become due in July 2022.

The Town of Woodstock, CT has contracted with Vision Government Solutions Inc (VGSI) to complete our state-mandated revaluation program in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes 12-62. The revaluation process and regulations are strictly governed by state statute and at least once every ten (10) years, each town must “fully inspect” each property. Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 12-62 defines “fully inspect” as “viewing the inside of each property’.

While state law requires each town to “fully Inspect” each parcel once every ten (10) years Woodstock implemented a plan more than a decade ago whereas we “fully inspect” 50% of the municipality during each five (5) year revaluation.

Because we do not wish to be asking to enter your home in the middle of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, the town and VGSI, have agreed to perform “exterior only” inspections along with sending out a Data Mailer Questionnaire (DMQ).

“Exterior only” inspections are defined as: the data collector will visit the property and note building sizes, condition, quality of construction, improvements, topography, utilities, and numerous other characteristics that affect value. Data collectors will be wearing masks, wearing reflective clothing, carrying an identification badge with updated photograph and a letter of introduction signed by the Woodstock Assessor. Their vehicles have “Assessor’s Office” magnet signs posted on the vehicles. The data collectors’ staff and their vehicles will be registered with the Town of Woodstock as well as the Connecticut State Police and will also be listed on the Assessor Department link on our Town webpage.

Pursuant to C.G.S. Sec. 12-62(b) (4) the Assessor may accept a DMQ in lieu of inspecting the interior of the property and, as part of this 2021 revaluation project, Woodstock will be sending out Data Mailer Questionnaires during the month of February 2021. We believe it makes the most sense to use the DMQ rather than asking to view & inspect the interior of homes during social distancing.

Once received, property owners are requested to review and compare what the current town data (regarding their property) is in comparison to what actually exists on site. After doing such, they must return the DMQ immediately.

For each property that fails to return the DMQ, the town will be required to send someone to the property and personally request to inspect the interior. Connecticut law only allows the town to skip inspecting the interior of the properties who turned in their DMQ. Therefore, we are asking our residents to return this DMQ with in five (5) days so that we can eliminate you from the list of properties that require an interior inspection.

There are five (5) phases of a revaluation. Data Collection, which includes the “full inspection” or "Data Mailer” process, is the first phase. The other four phases are: Market Analysis, Valuation, Field Review, and Informal Hearings.

During the second phase, Market Analysis. VGSI will be looking at all the “Sale properties” (those which have sold between October 2020 – September 2021). These properties will be used to determine the fair market value of every other property in town as of October 1, 2021. Since many times a new owner will make changes to the property they recently purchased, it is imperative that we get a snapshot of exactly what sold in close proximity to the sale date.

It is not uncommon for new homeowners to see someone taking a photo of their home in the six months after they purchase it. Many times, the Assessor’s office will want to drive by and look at the home but also independent real estate appraisers need to utilize “comparable sales” of recently sold properties when they are performing their appraisals. They too will drive by and take photos of comparable.

You can visit the Vision government Solutions website for information explaining each stage of the revaluation process as well as answer Frequently Asked Questions at this link.