Fairfield homeowners contest steep revaluations at Board of Assessment Appeals hearing

Peter Rupert, one of nine members of the Board of Assessment Appeals, heard a series of property valuation appeals during a March 2 session in Fairfield.

Owners across the town asked the board to lower recently issued appraisals they said overstate their properties’ market value as of Oct. 1, 2025. Appellants relied on recent private appraisals, purchase prices, condition reports and sales of nearby comparable properties to support reductions ranging from modest adjustments to several hundred thousand dollars.

Andre Belindo, who said he is the owner of 10 Naps Park Drive, submitted a March 18, 2025 private appraisal valuing his half‑duplex at $435,000 and told the board ‘‘they concluded with a value of 435,000’’ while the town had appraised the home at $463,562. Belindo said the dwelling is in "average" condition, noted that some of the assessor’s comps appear to be single‑family homes rather than half‑duplexes, and argued that the roughly $30,000 gap was not justified.

Several other appellants made similar arguments. Nathan Charles Nasser, trustee for a trust that owns a property at 150 Robertton Crossing, told the board he purchased the house in April 2025 and described deferred maintenance — aging heating and cooling equipment, plumbing and cosmetic damage — he said reduce the market value. Owner statements routinely included copies of sales data, appraisal notes and photos of conditions they said were not reflected in the town field cards.

Owners pressed two consistent lines of challenge: that the assessor’s mass appraisal process used generalized market parameters rather than parcel‑specific, arms‑length comparables; and that specific physical or zoning constraints — such as unbuildable sections of a lot, flood risk, or private‑road status with no municipal maintenance — materially reduce market utility. The board repeatedly explained the appeals process: each petition will be presented to a majority of the board at a later deliberation session, appellants will be notified by mail of the decision within seven days of a vote, and parties may refile next year or appeal to court if dissatisfied.

The session was primarily testimonial; no action or vote was taken at the hearing. Board member Rupert said he would include submitted documents in each appellant’s file and present those materials to the full board for deliberation.

The board has a large caseload this revaluation year; the clerk noted there are 992 appeals in process and that the board has requested an extension into May to complete deliberations. Appellants should expect mailed notice of outcomes after the board’s deliberations are complete.