Darien Oct. 1, 2013 Property Revaluation Project:
Initial Data Collection
The residential data collection phase for the Town of Darien revaluation 2013 project is underway. In fact the October 1, 2013 townwide update of assessments has been work in progress for some time.
Assessor Anthony Homicki has announced the signing of a contract with the Tyler Company.
These certified appraisers will assist the Assessor’s Office in reconciling a variety of information that is constantly maintained by the office including, but not limited to income and expense data of commercial parcels, sales validation, neighborhood analysis and blending this information within the variety of town software for use by other Darien town departments.
Data collection over the winter months will start with the updating of photos for all of Darien’s parcels. The second phase will be a town wide data mailer asking each homeowner to confirm the information that presently exists with the Assessor’s office.
Much of this same information can be found on our town website. The third phase of the 2013 revaluation will be follow up inspections when needed in concert with parcels that are actively for sale, parcels that have sold and or properties that have undergone renovation or might be newly built.
Local law enforcement officers and town administrative offices have been given the names and vehicle identification information for all of the field employees with Tyler Technologies, the company conducting the revaluation. In addition, each employee carries a town issued photo ID.
Along with asking questions about features such as the age of the home and the number of rooms, data collectors will ask to inspect the interior of each house when needed.
Residents are not required to allow them inside if it is not convenient; however, by seeing the inside of the property, data collectors can record accurate information on conditions that they may not be able to see from the outside.
If residents are not home, the outside of the home will be measured and a second visit made at a later date. If the inspection is still not completed after the second attempt, a letter will be mailed requesting that the property owner schedule an appointment for the interior inspection. These letters are scheduled to be mailed in late April to early May.
Data collectors are not appraisers. They collect information that will later be used by certified Connecticut appraisers in placing new values on properties. Data collectors will not be able to answer questions about taxes or values.
Residents may receive an additional visit as a part of the project’s quality control procedure. Approximately 10 percent of properties are chosen at random for this inspection during which the project supervisor verifies the accuracy of the data collected.
If property owners have questions or concerns, they may call the Assessor at 203-656-7310.
Editor's note: This announcement originally was posted on Monday. The time stamp has been changed for layout purposes on the Home page of Darien Patch.
