The people tasked with gathering information on Bangor homes so residents’ tax bills are fair are off to a somewhat slow start.
Bangor launched its first citywide property revaluation in nearly 40 years last year. The two-year process requires data collectors from Massachusetts-based KRT Appraisal, which the city hired to conduct the revaluation, to inspect the more than 11,000 homes, industrial spaces and commercial properties in the city.
The purpose of a revaluation is to ensure people are being taxed fairly for what they own and the city’s tax burden is divided equitably. The value of a person’s home does not impact the city’s tax rate, but it will determine how much that person pays.
When the city launched the revaluation last year, Rob Tozier, vice president of KRT Appraisal, said typically one-third of residents will see their tax bill remain about the same, one-third will have their taxes decrease and the remaining one-third will have to pay more.
Data collectors inspected 444 properties in December 2024, the month the inspections began. Only 71 properties — roughly 17 percent — had interior inspections, according to KRT Appraisal.
During a physical inspection, which takes no more than 15 minutes, data collectors gather information on the size and condition of the home. They’ll document details such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, if the attic or basement is finished and what type of heating and cooling equipment the building has, the city’s website states. Inspectors will also make a note of any deferred maintenance or renovations and what materials were used in those updates.
In most instances when the collectors couldn’t enter a property, it was simply because the residents weren’t home, the firm said. In some cases, however, the property owner wouldn’t let the inspector inside.
“After talking to the data collectors, it appears that the area they are working in has a high number of rental properties,” KRT Appraisal wrote in a statement. “Tenants are less likely to let us in without the owner’s approval.”
Bangor resident Pete Lee said he didn’t allow a data collector into his home mostly because he was embarrassed about home renovation projects he hasn’t completed yet. As an alternative, Lee said he answered a series of simple questions about his home.
However, Lee said some of his neighbors are wary of letting data collectors into their home, either because they’re uncomfortable with welcoming a stranger inside or they’re resistant to the revaluation altogether.
“I understand many of my neighbors’ reluctance to let strangers into their homes and [those] afraid of skyrocketing taxes, but I have also seen many reports of cordial interactions like I had,” Lee said. “We all have reservations about this, and hope Bangor doesn’t try to make billions on this and squander it on things that don’t help all of us.”
Faith Griffith, a resident in Bangor’s Fairmount neighborhood, said she generally supports the revaluation process, though has some questions about how KRT Appraisal will determine her new home value.
While Grifith expects her assessment to go up because she added another bathroom to her home in recent years, she said she doesn’t mind the revaluation. This, she said, is because it’s important for residents to pay their fair share in taxes.
“I think I pay a lot, but I’ve never complained about it,” Griffith said. “I think we get good services here in Bangor. Every time you leave your house, you’re benefitting.”
While a physical inspection is the best way for data collectors to get an accurate idea of the value of a property, residents aren’t required to let them inside the home if they’re uncomfortable. Instead, residents can answer a series of questions about their home, the city’s website states.
Home inspectors will also carry identification and their vehicles will be marked. Bangor residents can also check the inspectors’ profiles, which are posted on the city’s website.
Residents who weren’t home the first time a data collector knocked on the door will receive a letter in the coming months to schedule an inspection day and time, according to KRT Appraisal. After that, the firm believes the percentage of interior inspections will rise.
If a data collector isn’t able to engage with the property owner at all, they’ll have to make an assessment using the information on property tax cards the city keeps and other “credible sources,” according to KRT Appraisal.
The revaluation process is expected to wrap up in June 2026 and residents’ new property values be reflected in their 2026 tax bills.
