Revaluation 2026

The Town of Bowdoinham has contracted with RJD Appraisal out of Pittsfield Maine to conduct a full property tax revaluation of all properties in the Town of Bowdoinham. This project began in 2021 when representatives from RJD Appraisal performed on-site inspections of each property. Those visits were completed in 2024. 

What is a Full Revaluation? 

According to Maine Revenue Service, “Revaluation” means the development of new property valuations by a firm through the introduction of new grading and pricing schedules, the updating of existing grading and pricing schedules, or the maintenance of an existing valuation system. 

A “Full Revaluation” includes measuring and listing all properties to verify existing assessment data. The end goal is for assessments to be adjusted to reflect market value as of April 1, 2026. This creates equity and ensures a fair distribution of the tax burden across all property owners. 

Why is a Revaluation performed?

A revaluation is done to equalize the values within a municipality to ensure a fair distribution of the tax burden. Property values change over time, but they do not all change at the same rate. Market value may have increased more for some neighborhoods and property types than for others, while others still may have decreased in value. A revaluation is done to make sure assessed values reflect changes that have occurred in the real estate market.

Will a Revaluation increase taxes?

Although a Revaluation may result in an adjustment to nearly each individual assessment; it does not mean that property taxes will increase. Please remember, assessments are only the base that is used to determine the individual tax burden of each and every taxable property. The Town, School and County budgets determine the amount to be raised via taxation, regardless of the change in property values. Revising valuations ensures that the property tax burden is distributed according to a more accurate estimate of value.

Stages of a Full Revaluation 

RJD Appraisal will be updating existing grading and pricing schedules for property valuations and maintaining the existing valuation system by performing a Full Revaluation of assessment values. To accomplish this, Dirigo Assessing Group will complete five phases: (1) Data Collection, (2) Sales Review/Validation, (3) Market Analysis/Valuation, (4) Field Review, and (5) Informal Hearings. During these phases, many tasks will be completed to ensure the Full Revaluation is successful. Below is a general outline and explanation of each phase of the project. 

Phase 1: Data Collection: The first phase, Data Collection of all property, was performed over the past 4 years. During this phase "Data Collectors" went to each property in the Town to measure the exterior of each building and attempt to inspect the interior if the owner is available at the time of the visit. These Data Collectors note the buildings’ location, size, age, quality of construction, improvements, topography, utilities, and numerous other characteristics both inside and out. They may also ask the homeowner a few questions regarding the property. The data collected is subject to verification by the town assessors. 

Phase 2: Sales Review/Record Validation: During this phase, RJD’s Assessors will field review each property that sold between April 1, 2023, and April 1, 2026, and review the information on the property record card for data accuracy. The appraiser will make notes regarding the property location, size, condition, quality of construction, and numerous other characteristics that may affect value. The goal is to gain a clear understanding of what sold and for what price. In conjunction with the Assessing Office, RJD will begin the process of qualifying sales as “arm’s length”. Only sales with market exposure between a willing buyer and willing seller (in other words, an “arm’s length” sale) will be used in the analysis. 

Phase 3: Market Analysis/Valuations: A variety of resources are used to analyze the real estate market. RJD Appraisal will be analyzing property sales that occurred between April 1, 2023, and April 1, 2026, to determine which market factors influenced property values. They will gather and use information from the Maine Multiple Listing Service (MLS), property managers, developers, and local real estate professionals. Once all the data is collected and reviewed for accuracy, the appraiser will determine land values and delineate neighborhoods, which rate the desirability of locations throughout the town as determined by actual market activity. 

Valuation is done using one of the three recognized appraisal methods: Cost Approach, Income Approach and Sales Comparable Approach. Mass appraisal uses a market adjusted cost approach to generate assessments. 

During this phase, individual characteristics of the buildings are analyzed using information gathered in both phases 1 and 2. Each property is compared to other comparable properties with similar characteristics. Then the market values of the improvements are added to the land value that was previously determined. This value is the final estimate for each parcel of property, building and land. 

Phase 4: Field Review: Field Review is the method used to implement the finding made by the Assessors throughout the Sales Analysis. During this phase, land values as well as any other adjustments from the sales analysis will be applied to the records. This phase is performed by  experienced appraisers to ensure that the appraisal methodology established from the sale properties is consistently applied to the entire population of properties within the town. 

Phase 5: Informal Hearings: Once the Field Review is completed and the values are approved by the Assessor’s Office, a notice stating the proposed value will be mailed to each property owner. This notice will have a new tax estimate and information on when the informal meetings will occur. The goal of this phase is to give the taxpayers an opportunity to meet with a member RJD Appraisal’s staff and questions concerning the revaluation process or the value established for their property.

After all five phases are completed, all data, files, records, etc. used in the revaluation will be turned over to the Assessor’s Office for retention.