Property owners in Barrington received their revaluation notices last week and some have already called the Barrington Tax Assessor’s office to discuss them.

Barrington Tax Assessor James Drew has some advice for residents as they review their new property assessments.

For starters, make sure you review your assessment card to see if there are any errors. 

Drew said residents would be wise to look beyond just their assessment increase. It is more important to ensure that the information on their card is accurate.

Drew also recommends that residents take a look at the recent home sales in town. That information can often paint a clearer picture of what the current market values look like, he said. 

And finally, the Tax Assessor suggests residents take a look at the new assessments for all the homes on their street, or in similar neighborhoods in town. 

“I’ve been doing this for over three decades,” Drew said. “It’s good advice.”

Drew said he followed his own advice when he recently received his new property assessment on his own home (he lives outside of Barrington). What he learned helped him better understand the current market values in his community.

He said he discovered his home was worth a bit more than he originally thought. 

Drew said that anyone with additional questions regarding their recent property assessments should contact the revaluation company — Northeast Revaluation at (401) 737-0300. 

The company can meet with property owners by appointment. Northeast Revaluation has detailed information on individual properties available through its website, www.nereval.com (search for Barrington).

Random sampling

Twelve houses chosen at random from a variety of neighborhoods in Barrington yielded property assessment increases between 36 and 54 percent. 

The newly assessed values are intended to reflect the current market values in Barrington. But property owners should know that the tax rate will be adjusted accordingly, as part of the normal budget process. 

“This State-mandated revaluation is designed to ensure tax assessments remain fair and accurate, based on the past two years of sales data within Barrington,” stated a recent press release from the Assessor’s office. “It is not an opportunity for the town to increase the tax levy; the purpose of a revaluation is to adjust and refine property values.”

The press release further explained that the tax levy must not exceed a 4 percent increase, as determined by state law.