Assessing Information
You will find a wealth of information at the Assessing Department. There are approximately 11,205 parcels in the Town of Merrimack representing approximately a net valuation $4,966,343,359 which the tax rate was computed on for 2023.
Property record cards are now available on line at: Assessing Database or under shortcuts on the home page. GIS maps are available at www.merrimackgis.org or by visiting our office. For a small service fee copies of small areas can be made.
Should you notice any errors on the property record card, please notify the office staff to schedule an inspection.
Due to the implementation of the statewide property tax, the Town of Merrimack has had to take a more proactive approach to property valuation/assessments. The Town's Assistant Assessor will be re-measuring and re-inspecting a portion of the community's properties, as well as taking photographs of those properties to ensure quality data exists. Should the staff find no one at home, a door hanger will be placed with instructions to schedule an appointment to view the interior. The Town would like to encourage the cooperation of the property owners throughout this process.
PROPERTY TAX
Property taxes are assessed to current owner, if known. The tax year runs from April 1st of one year to March 31st of the next year. Real estate tax bills are billed twice a year, due on or before July 1st and December 1st. Homeowners that purchased property after April 1st, should contact the Tax Collector's office to request a duplicate tax bill if the former owner did not forward the tax bill within a few days.
Currently, Merrimack’s equalization ratio is at 83.5% for 2022. The 2023 tax rate is $19.45 per thousand. The tax rate and the ratio change each year. The State of New Hampshire's Department of Revenue Administration sets the tax rate based on the Town’s valuation using budgets from the Town, School, and County. The new tax rate is usually set in October and available for the second billing.
The new ratio is available sometime in February or March after the December billing. The equalization ratio is based on sales over the past year. The State reviews real estate sales and information that is sent to the taxpayers along with assessment information received from the Town to determine the new equalized ratio.
Revaluation Questions
1. Why did the Town do a revaluation / update of value?
Answer: We are required under State Statute RSA 75:8-a to appraise all real estate within the municipality so that the assessments are at full and true value.
2. What was the purpose of the revaluation?
Answer: The Assessor’s responsibility is to estimate value based on what the buyers and sellers in the marketplace are buying and selling homes for. The Assessor’s office has no control over the tax rate.
3. How did the Town determine the values?
Answer: Buyers and sellers in the market create the values. The Assessor’s office studies the market and collects information about properties to estimate the value from valid sales. The Assessor’s develop tables to be applied to all properties uniformly so that proportionality exists.
4. When was the last time a revaluation was done?
Answer: The last value update was completed for 4/1/21.
5. The value of my land went up. The land around my house has skyrocketed yet my home has gone up by a much smaller amount. Why?
Answer: The model for the cost approach is MV=BV+LV MV = Market Value
BV = Building value and LV = Land value. The building depreciates in value over time. The land value is a non-wasting asset. Property owners should not focus on the components, as methodology is not an appealable item see Appeal of Town of Sunapee, 126 N.H. 214, 217 (1985) and as such taxpayers should be focused on the total market value of the property.
6. Why is the value of my friends 3.5 acres valued less than my 1.8 acres?
Answer: there are numerous reasons why this could happen – different zoning, use of property, topography and location or neighborhood.
7. I own a condo, why am I paying so much more for land? I do not own any land.
Answer: property owners of condominium units generally own just the inside of their unit and a fractional interest of the common land and the exterior of the buildings. This component is indicated as an amenity in the features section.
8. How much is an acre of land in Merrimack valued at?
Answer: Land values vary by neighborhood. Each neighborhood’s sales indicate what the land component should be, we have assessed accordingly.
9. How come other towns did not have the same valuation spike that Merrimack had?
Answer: The market continued to appreciate for all communities in the region. Not all towns or cities revalue the same year.
10. No one from the Assessor’s office has shown up at my house in the past three years. How can you do a proper valuation if you did not go in my house?
Answer: The Assessor’s office has one field appraiser who measures and lists the entire town over a 5-year period. This method is called a cyclical revaluation. Data is constantly being verified for accuracy. Value updates are done independently and only when the market dictates.
11. A) How do I file an abatement? B) What information do I need? C) What kind of research should I do?
Answer:
A) Abatement forms are available at the Assessor’s office, the Assessing web page under Forms or the website for the State of New Hampshire Department of Revenue under Property Appraisal Division.
B) On page 2 section E of the abatement application it states that an abatement may be granted for good cause shown. Good cause generally means: 1) establishing an assessment is disproportionate to market value and the municipality’s level of assessment. 2) establishing poverty and inability to pay the tax.
C) If claiming disproportionality list reasons regarding incorrect physical data, market evidence or the level of assessment.