Public records
What a property is assessed at, and taxed at.
Every parcel in New Brunswick has a public record: what the province assessed it at, what it pays in tax each year, and the last sale it registered. Most people never look, and the tax figure in particular is worth knowing before you make an offer.
Covers Saint John, Rothesay, Quispamsis, Hampton, Grand Bay-Westfield, Kingston and Fundy-St. Martins. Street names search better than full addresses, because the province records them in its own format. The tax shown is the current owner’s, and it changes once a property sells.
Reading these numbers properly
Assessments get misread constantly, usually in a way that costs somebody money. Three things worth being clear about.
Is the assessed value what my home is worth?
No. An assessment is the province's estimate for calculating property tax, produced in volume without anyone going inside. Real market value depends on condition, updates, layout and what comparable homes nearby have actually sold for. Assessments can sit well above or well below what a home would sell for today.
Would I pay the property tax shown here?
Not necessarily, and this one catches people out. The figure is what the current owner was levied. Two things change once a house sells: the province's assessment cap resets for the year after a transfer, and the residential property tax credit stays with the property only until ownership or occupation changes. So the same house can carry a different bill depending on who owns it. There is a full explanation on the property tax page.
Why does a property show no sale price?
Only a transfer that was registered shows up, and roughly half of parcels in Saint John have none on record. A home that has stayed in one family for decades, or passed through an estate, often shows nothing at all. A blank means no record, not that the property never changed hands.
Why is the last sale price so much lower than the assessment?
Usually because the sale is old. A house that last changed hands in 1998 sold at 1998 prices. Some transfers are also between family members or part of an estate settlement, so the figure was never a market price to begin with. Treat an old sale as history, not as evidence of what a property is worth now.
Where does this come from?
Service New Brunswick's property assessment records, published as open government data. It is the same information behind the province's own Property Assessment Online tool, searchable here for Greater Saint John.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - New Brunswick. Assessment and sale figures come from Service New Brunswick and are reproduced here as published. They are not an appraisal, not a valuation, and not advice. For tax questions specific to your situation, speak to an accountant. About NB property assessment
A record tells you the tax. It doesn’t tell you the price.
For what a home is actually worth today, someone has to look at it and at what similar homes nearby have sold for. That part I do properly, in person, and there’s no charge for the conversation.
