I just wanted to make the point that a reassessment was completed about a year ago in Dutchess County which included Fishkill. The reassessment was done at the very height of local property values. Almost instantly after the reassessment, prices started to tank, so this May, just about everyone should "grieve" their tax bill. Unfortunately, it won't do any good for taxes already assessed (it's the law, they don't have to reimburse you for taxes paid, and they don't have to ammend current tax bills).

So homebuyers be aware, tax numbers can difficult to nail down at present, and impossible to predict if the assessed value is currently significantly higher than the actual sale price.

It's really guess work on my part, but sometimes there is a lapse between when the property was listed and when the town billed the taxes. In Fishkill, the school taxes are not available until early fall and the town/county taxes are available a month or so after January 1st. It is possible that the listing agent did not update the listing after they were billed.

It might also be possible that the information you received from the town did not deduct the STAR or any other exemptions. Some agents will show the net taxes after the exemptions, even though they should report the gross amount or disclose the exemption.

When representing buyers I will always verify taxes with the town as soon as my client indicates they want to make an offer. This way the buyer is making a fully informed decision.

Best of luck!

Catrina, it is possible that the homeowner has filed a grievance and the town lowered their taxes, but the tax records were not updated. Oftentimes the public records are not accurate. Most realtors, myself included, take the time to contact the town taxing authority to ascertain the correct taxes. Dawne Salamone