Is the Ridgewood Property Inspection Real? What the Appraisal Systems Inc. Letter Means for Your Taxes
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ — If you recently opened your mail to find a letter from Appraisal Systems Inc. (ASI), you aren’t alone—but you might be worried. The Village of Ridgewood has officially launched a town-wide revaluation, and representatives are now knocking on doors to inspect every property “inside and out.”
While some residents initially questioned if the notices were a scam or “not real,” the program is very much in effect. However, the real story isn’t the inspection itself—it’s how the Village Hall’s spending habits might turn this reassessment into a major tax hike.
Why is My House Being Inspected?
The Village has contracted Appraisal Systems Inc. to perform a full forensic valuation of all real estate. The goal of a revaluation is typically to ensure that property tax burdens are distributed fairly based on current market values.
What to expect from the ASI Inspection:
-
Interior & Exterior Access: Inspectors will ask to see every room in your home to note finishes, bathrooms, and finished basements.
-
Data Verification: They are checking that the Village’s “property card” matches the actual structure of your home.
-
The “No-Entry” Risk: If you refuse entry, the appraiser will often estimate your interior condition at the highest possible grade, which could lead to an over-inflated assessment.
The Big Misconception: Assessments vs. Spending
A common fear is that “if my home value goes up, my taxes go up.” This is a half-truth. In a vacuum, if everyone’s home value doubles, the tax rate should theoretically drop to keep the total collection the same.
The real danger lies in the Village Budget. As some local critics have pointed out, your tax bill will rise primarily because the Mayor and Council are constructing a larger spending budget.
“The tax rate will go up because of the Village creating a larger spending budget, not just the increased assessment value,” says one local observer.
Where is the Money Going?
Tensions at Village Hall are high as residents point to what they call “unnecessary appropriations.” Key points of contention include:
-
The Fine Arts Center: A significant financial commitment that has divided the community.
-
Capital Projects: Various “tax and spend” initiatives that many argue should be paused amid the current economic climate.
-
Increased Municipal Staffing: Rising costs that must be covered regardless of what your home is worth.
The Verdict: Fact-Check
Is the letter real? Yes. Will it raise your taxes? Not necessarily by itself—but it provides the “valuation floor” for a Mayor and Council that appear committed to a high-spending agenda. If the budget grows while your assessment is updated, a higher tax bill is almost inevitable.
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: [email protected]
-
Tags: #RidgewoodNJ #PropertyTaxes #NJRealEstate #AppraisalSystemsInc #VillageHall #TaxAlert #BergenCounty
I heard that the houses under 1m increased in value a lot more than the 3m homes
LOL. What could possibly go wrong?
When the AS inspector visits your home, accompany them throughout. Tell them all of the bad things. Emphasize the weaknesses. You are not selling the house, don’t give them the reason to conclude to the upper end of the range. They are visiting multiple properties a day, hope they are lazy and write down the bad things, or give you a lower rating. Or give them the grand tour and literally pay the price.
This assessment is needed. Look at the sales prices of homes that have been sold in the past 2-3 years, the price far outweighs the current tax value. If a person bought a house in the past year, for instance, for $1.2 Million, it would be hard for them to argue that their house wasn’t worth that price, because they just recently bought it for that. If the tax assessed value for that home is $800K, and there is an increase in the tax value, that may or may not result in an overall increase in the property taxes for that individual property. Neighbors who have not recently purchased their homes will also see an increase in assessed value, because the comps based on the recently sold homes will move their value upward. Long story short, all the values will go up but how much will be determined by this assessment. Everyone in town will pay more in taxes because the budgets for school and municipal spending are higher, that fact has already been determined. Best to just wait until the assessment moves forward and deal with it at that point.
getting what you voted for = higher and higher taxes to support higher and higher spending
Poor municipal management, increased municipal spending, and misaligned municipal policies always results in higher taxes. And what do we have here in the Village of Ridgewood? Higher property taxes for you is a realistic view of our futures based on evergreen tax increases of the past. Death, we cannot control, but taxes can be managed by understanding the value of our voting preferences. Staff additions at Village Hall and a never ending ask by the Board of Education will take you down financially and has undermined Village home values. Could this could be tolerable if there was a value tradeoff given the higher spending? No, as there is an absence municipal fiscal accountability and as a result, the quality of life in this town continues to decline. So when the assertion that your taxes may not increase due to your property’s revaluation reveals itself as the fantasy we know it is, reflect on the choice you made at the ballot box.
Ipsi nobis inimicissimi sumus or we are our own worst enemies should be the banner that hangs above all voting stations.
Very wasteful council with no real financial background. They just love to spend other peoples money until there is none left. They waste so much everyday.
This is a money grap in the county. Twp of Washington same bullshit but the AS guy refused to come in. Walked around outside, left. Received letter in January double prop tax! Figures on property records card was completely off. Plus I didn’t sign anything yet my card was signed! illegal! appeal everybody. Democrats do not care about people only about power and money
💋the kiss of your tax bill
I will point the assessor to my location adjacent to slobs who dont maintain their yards, thus lowering my property value
While the math of; “In a vacuum, if everyone’s home value doubles, the tax rate should theoretically drop to keep the total collection the same.” is true. However, the other side of that coin is; if everyone is paying 2.8% on a 1,000,000 assessed value and the town increases your value to 1,100,000 and does not change the rate, you are paying 2.8% on the increased value assessed 100,000 = 2,800 more per year which is what I would expect. I think the biggest driver of all of this is the health care costs of village and school employees. The average US family health insurance premium increased from $5,790 in 1999 to $25,572 in 2024. That’s a 342% cumulative increase, which is nearly 4x higher than overall CPI inflation during this period (88%). I also know that the past 2 years the trend of premium costs for my employee healthcare costs have continued to increase faster than inflation (around 7% per year). It is an unsustainable situation.