Hartford — Earlier this month, property owners in Hartford began receiving letters notifying them of the outcome of a yearlong revaluation project that could impact their tax bills, and tell them more about their home’s potential value on the open market.

“The question that most people are asking is, ‘How are the numbers calculated, and why did my value go up or down?’ ” said Pat Stark, information specialist in the Hartford Town Assessor’s Office, which is overseeing the revaluation.

It’s been 10 years since the town has done a large-scale revaluation, and some property values have changed dramatically during that time.

The office has been receiving calls and visits from residents who want to learn more about the process, or who want to dispute the new assessed value assigned to their home.

“The deadline to file an application for a grievance appeal is at the close of business on June 1st,” Michelle Wilson, Hartford’s assessor, said in an email to the Valley News. “We will set an appointment once that is received.”

The two-page application form is available online, or in Wilson’s office, and it asks those who fill it out to specify the basis of their dispute.

“People who are appealing need to bring evidence as to what their dispute of the value is, not just the complaint,” said Wilson.

For example, a homeowner might find that the property tax card that was used to generate the valuation contains an inaccurate description of their house’s physical features, like size, age or number of bedrooms.

Much of the information on the property tax cards came from a team of inspectors from Vision Government Services, who were hired under a $277,000 contract with Hartford in 2016 to go door to door throughout the town.

The inspection reports are combined with three years of sales data for comparable homes in the neighborhood, which is used to calculate the new valuation.

The real estate market might behave differently in different villages, which could mean that the value of some homes were more out of whack than others.

For example, Quechee’s second-home condo market experiences more fluctuations than the typical neighborhood, while properties in White River Junction might be affected by the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area.

If the total value of property in the town — the Grand List — is increased, the end result will be a lessening of pressure on the tax rate. Wilson declined to release preliminary totals.

“I will not give out these numbers until formally posted,” she said. “We are currently meeting with people and correcting the data which in turn adjusts the values. I will have good numbers once grievance is done.”

She said she didn’t anticipate a large impact on the Grand List.

“Potential growth will be modest overall, if there is growth,” she said.

If the inspectors weren’t able to gain access to a home, they were only able to see the exterior, which increases the potential for errors.

Applying for a grievance appeal gives the town another chance to inspect a property, and fix those errors.

“If it is determined that the property in question did not get inspected, inspectors will be on hand to do such,” Wilson said, “Therefore, anyone grieving should be prepared for a potential inspection.”

Those who have questions about their property appraisals can call the Lister’s Office at 802-295-3077.

Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.