The City Assessor is responsible for identifying, locating, and fairly valuing all property, both real and personal, within the city for tax purposes. The "market" value of real property is based on the real estate market as of the valuation date, typically the prior January 1. Finding the "market" value of your property means discovering the price most people would pay for your property in its condition as of July 1. Determining a fair and equitable value is the only role of this office in the taxing process.
What is important to remember is that the Assessor does not create the value. People determine the value by buying and selling real estate in the market place. The Assessor has the legal responsibility to study those transactions and appraise your property accordingly.
The Assessor also tracks ownership changes; maintains maps of parcel boundaries; keeps descriptions of buildings and property characteristics up to date; accepts and approves applications from individuals eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief; and, most importantly, analyzes trends in sales prices, construction costs, and rents to best estimate the value of all assessable property.
All this must be done economically - for less than a tenth of what it would cost you to hire someone to independently appraise your property. A progressive computer assisted mass appraisal (C.A.M.A.) system is used by experienced appraisers to ensure that fair values are set for all property owners.
Appraisers are also assisted by our Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) which helps us to provide detailed and up-to-date property ownership maps for field inspections. The G.I.S. system is updated to reflect new changes to the land in the City of Worcester. This information is also used to analyze property data and gives appraisers yet another tool for comparing similar properties.