Fictional sample · not a real property
Guided Abatement Packet
12 Maple Street, Newton, MA · FY2026 · Generated automatically
1. Executive summary
This property's assessment may be worth a closer look. The automated review compared this home against recent valid sales and the assessments of similar neighborhood homes from public records (MassGIS), and against user-provided comparison sales — both of which read modestly below the current assessment — and identified possible property-card items to verify. None of this establishes that the assessment is wrong; it identifies topics that may warrant further review with the assessing office.
Informational score: 68/100. This score is informational only and does not predict legal success, abatement success, market value, or tax savings.
| Assessment vs. purchase / comparison information | 18 / 25 |
| Possible property-card issue identified | 20 / 25 |
| Documented or reported condition issue | 10 / 15 |
| Estimated tax impact appears meaningful | 12 / 15 |
| Supporting documents uploaded | 5 / 10 |
| Comparable sales provided | 3 / 10 |
2. Important limitations
This automated report is based on public assessment records (MassGIS) and user-provided information. It does not determine market value, provide an appraisal, provide legal advice, provide tax advice, represent the homeowner, file documents, or predict any outcome. The indicated value range and per-square-foot comparisons are informational statistics from public sales data, not an appraisal. Deadlines, forms, and filing requirements must be verified with the city or town.
3. Property summary
| Address | 12 Maple Street, Newton, MA |
| Fiscal year | FY2026 |
| Valuation date | January 1, 2025 (the assessment date for FY2026) |
| Property class | Residential — single family |
| Assessed value | $1,250,000 |
| Land / building (reported) | $520,000 / $730,000 |
| Annual tax (estimated) | $12,113 |
| Information reviewed | Public assessment & sales records (MassGIS), tax bill, property record card, 2 user-provided comparable sales |
4. Assessment and tax calculation
Estimated using assessed value ÷ 1,000 × tax rate. The rate is the town's latest residential rate from Massachusetts DLS (approximate — verify your actual bill). If a rate is unavailable, it is estimated as annual tax ÷ assessed value × 1,000.
5. Property record card checklist
| Item | Reported | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Living area | 3,180 sq ft | Verify on card |
| Lot size | 0.34 ac | Consistent |
| Finished basement | Full (counted as finished) | Possible issue |
| Bedrooms / bathrooms | 4 / 2.5 | Consistent |
| Garage | 2-car attached | Consistent |
| Outbuildings | Shed | Verify on card |
| Condition rating | Good | Possible issue |
| Quality grade | B | Verify on card |
6. Possible factual issues to verify
- Finished basement: The record reportedly counts the basement as finished living area. Verify whether the finished area and its treatment are correct.
- Condition rating: A "Good" condition rating may not reflect reported wear or deferred maintenance. Verify how condition was determined.
- Comparable context: Both the public-records analysis and the user-provided sales read below the current assessment, and the home is assessed at a higher rate per square foot than comparable neighborhood homes — worth a closer look.
These are topics to verify, not findings that the assessment is wrong.
7. Comparable sales and properties
Assessor neighborhood 2C Neighborhood-weighted: 12 recent in-neighborhood sales plus 41 elsewhere in town, weighted toward the neighborhood.
Overassessed MA comparable sales — from public records
Recent arms-length sales of comparable single-family homes drawn from public assessment and sales records (MassGIS), after excluding nominal family/trust transfers and statistical outliers.
Sales we set aside, and why — a sale must be a genuine arms-length transaction to inform value:
| Nominal family / trust / $1 transfers | 19 |
| Sales outside the recency window | 7 |
| Sale-to-assessment ratio out of range | 3 |
| Statistical $/sq ft outliers | 2 |
| Total set aside | 31 |
An indicated value range is an informational estimate from public sales data. It is not an appraisal or a determination of market value.
Overassessed MA comparable properties — assessment uniformity
How similar nearby homes are assessed per square foot. Being assessed at a higher rate per square foot than comparable homes is the basis for a disproportionate-assessment argument.
| Property | Living area | Assessed value | Assessed $/sq ft | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Maple Street | 3,240 sq ft | $1,205,000 | $372 | 0.2 mi |
| 25 Maple Street | 3,050 sq ft | $1,075,000 | $352 | 0.2 mi |
| 7 Cedar Road | 2,980 sq ft | $1,090,000 | $366 | 0.3 mi |
| 14 Walnut Terrace | 3,360 sq ft | $1,350,000 | $402 | 0.4 mi |
| 12 Maple Street — this home | 3,180 sq ft | $1,250,000 | $393 | — |
Comparable properties are similar-sized homes of the same use class from public assessment records. They are not certified comparables and do not determine market value.
Your comparable sales — user-provided
| Address | Sale date | Sale price | Living area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 Oak Road | 09/2025 | $1,165,000 | 3,050 sq ft | Similar age; user notes smaller lot |
| 9 Birch Lane | 07/2025 | $1,140,000 | 3,210 sq ft | User notes updated kitchen, no basement finish |
User-provided comparison properties supplement the public-record analysis above. The report does not certify them as comparable or determine market value.
8. Assessment comparison
The current assessment of $1,250,000 sits above both read-outs: the public-records indicated value range of $1,120,000–$1,205,000 (Overassessed MA), and the user-provided comparison range of $1,140,000–$1,165,000. On a per-square-foot basis the home is assessed about 7% higher than comparable neighborhood homes. These are informational comparisons of public and user-provided figures, not an opinion of market value.
9. Estimated tax impact
Estimated tax impact, not guaranteed savings. This applies the difference between the assessment and the public-records indicated midpoint to the town's tax rate; it does not predict that any assessment or tax bill will change.
10. Evidence checklist
- Current property record card
- Current and prior tax bills
- Photos of condition or defect issues
- Repair estimates, if any
- Recent purchase documents, if any
- Recent appraisal, if any
- Comparable-sale information
- Notes on any record-card discrepancies
11. Questions to ask the assessor
- How was the living area for this property measured, and does it include the basement?
- How was the condition rating determined for this fiscal year?
- What comparable sales or valuation method supported this assessment?
- Are the lot size and outbuildings recorded correctly?
- What information would the office need to review a possible record-card discrepancy?
- What is the deadline and process for requesting a review or abatement in this town?
12. Official resources and filing links
- Newton assessing departmentnewtonma.gov — Assessment Administration
- State Tax Form 128 (abatement application)Included pre-filled in your packet; the official blank form is published by Massachusetts DLS.
- Abatement deadline (FY2026)File with the Board of Assessors on or before the due date of the third-quarter actual tax bill — typically February 1 (the third-quarter bill is mailed at the end of December). Verify with the Newton Board of Assessors.
13. Suggested next steps
- Confirm the property record-card facts with the assessing office.
- Gather the documents in the evidence checklist.
- Review and sign the pre-filled State Tax Form 128 included with your packet.
- Verify the applicable deadline and process with your city or town, then file Form 128 before the deadline.
- Decide whether a conversation with the assessing office, further review, or professional guidance is worthwhile.
14. Limitations of report
15. Form 128 preparation
Your packet includes a pre-filled State Tax Form 128 (Application for Abatement), ready to review, sign, and file. The grounds are pre-selected from this report's findings — confirm them before signing.
| City / town | Newton |
| Fiscal year | 2026 |
| Property location | 12 Maple Street, Newton, MA |
| Assessed value | $1,250,000 |
| Applicant's opinion of value | $1,150,000 (public-records indicated value, median) |
| Land area | 0.34 ac |
Part C — Reason(s) abatement sought (pre-selected from the findings above):
| [X] Overvaluation | Indicated value ($1.12M–$1.21M) is below the $1,250,000 assessment. |
| [X] Disproportionate assessment | Assessed ≈7% higher per sq ft than comparable neighborhood homes. |
| [ ] Incorrect usage classification | Not indicated by this review. |
| [ ] Other | — |
Below is that form, pre-filled with the values above — the Part C reason boxes are checked to match, with Exhibit A (a relief-requested summary and charts supporting both the overvaluation and disproportionate-assessment grounds on page 1, then the comparable sales and the rules used to derive the sale-indicated value range on page 2) attached after the form and referenced in the Part C explanation. Review every entry, then sign and file it with your city or town by the deadline.
Download the fillable Form 128 (PDF) — the editable version, so you can adjust fields in a PDF editor before signing. (The preview above is flattened so it displays in the browser.)
Fictional sample. In your packet this form is filled from your own inputs; you are responsible for verifying every entry, choosing the grounds, signing, and filing. Overassessed MA does not file anything for you.