FAQ

Create a free account from the Watchdog property experience. Start your free account.

No. Public property lookup is available without an account. An account adds saved-property, watchlist, personalization, integration, Intelligence, and other plan-based features as applicable.

Start with a property you know, save it, review the assessment and tax context, then complete your profile so Watchdog can present the right account and professional features. Paid professional users can also connect supported CRM and newsletter providers from Account or the Integration Center.

You must be at least 18 years old to create a Watchdog account, consistent with the Terms of Use. Agent, Pro, Pro+, and Teams features are intended for supported professional and advanced-use workflows.

Free covers the public property experience and basic account features. Agent, Pro, and Pro+ add progressively deeper professional workflows, data and entitlements. Teams is designed for controlled multi-user enrollment. See Plans & Professional Intelligence and your Account page for the current catalog and included features.

Open Account & Billing to review the current catalog and supported plan actions. New paid subscriptions use Stripe Checkout. Supported subscription changes and billing management use Watchdog's secure Stripe billing flow. If a change is not offered for your current subscription state, contact Watchdog Support.

Open Account & Billing and use the billing or subscription-management action to enter the secure Stripe Customer Portal. The portal shows the subscription state and effective timing before a supported cancellation is confirmed. If you have a legacy subscription that is not managed by Stripe, Account or Support will route you to the correct management path.

Where the current subscription state supports an interval change, use Account & Billing or the Stripe Customer Portal. The current billing catalog shown in Watchdog is the authority for available prices and intervals.

Your account remains subject to the entitlement state reported by Watchdog's billing system. Features that require a paid plan stop being available when the paid entitlement ends. Saved account data is not automatically treated as public or transferred to another user. Review Account & Billing for your effective subscription date and contact Support if you need help preserving or exporting work.

Yes. The Account page includes self-service account-data controls, including data export and permanent account/data removal workflows. Use those controls carefully because deletion actions are intended to be irreversible once completed.

The name reflects the product's job: keep a watchful eye on property data, assessment changes, public records, and signals that can matter to homeowners and professionals.

Property data is scattered across agencies and systems. Watchdog was created to make those records easier to understand, keep source and limitation information attached, and turn raw property data into clearer context for homeowners and professionals.

The Watchdog Score is Watchdog's property-intelligence score. It organizes multiple governed signals into one easier-to-read property context. It should be read with its component dimensions, evidence and limitations rather than treated as a standalone fact.

The Watchdog Score is powered by the ROBUST Framework. ROBUST stands for Recourse, Overassessment Position, Burden, Uniformity, Stability, and Trajectory. The framework explains the six dimensions behind the Watchdog Score. The product is called the Watchdog Score, not the ROBUST Score.

The current framework weights are Recourse 10%, Overassessment Position 20%, Burden 30%, Uniformity 15%, Stability 15%, and Trajectory 10%. Watchdog can revise methodology over time as source coverage and validation improve, so methodology documentation should be treated as the current authority.

No. It is a Watchdog property-intelligence framework. It is not a consumer credit score, appraisal, automated valuation opinion, title opinion, insurance underwriting score or regulated lending decision. Professional users should review the underlying evidence and perform the verification required by their own role.

Current account connection work includes BoldTrail / kvCORE for CRM workflows and Kit for newsletter and email workflows. Watchdog is designed to add more provider connections over time rather than locking the product to one CRM or marketing platform.

Supported paid professional users can open Account or the Integration Center, select the CRM provider and save the required provider credential. For BoldTrail / kvCORE, Watchdog validates the API token server-side before storing the connection.

Open Account or the Integration Center and enter the supported Kit V4 API key. Watchdog validates and stores the connection server-side. Saving a Kit connection does not by itself grant Broadcasts access, marketing consent, or permission to message a contact.

No. Supported provider credentials are stored server-side and are scoped to the Watchdog account that connected them. The account implementation is designed so CRM contacts, email subscribers, credentials and sender identities are not merged across unrelated users.

The current account connection UI is available to Agent, Pro, Pro+, Teams and developer-authorized accounts. Free accounts do not receive these professional provider connections.

Yes. Additional providers are part of the product direction. New integrations are added only when Watchdog can preserve account isolation, permission boundaries, provider terms, auditability and a useful workflow rather than adding logos without a working use case.

Agents can use Watchdog for property research, assessment and tax conversations, farm and watchlist workflows, client-ready context, comparable-property research, change monitoring and supported CRM workflows. Watchdog complements MLS and brokerage tools; it does not replace licensed listing data or an agent's transaction duties.

Mortgage lenders and finance professionals can use Watchdog for property-tax and assessment context, municipal comparisons, public-record research, property-change signals and supporting due diligence. Watchdog is not a consumer credit report, appraisal, flood determination, title report or substitute for regulated underwriting and institution-required verification.

Investors can use Watchdog to research assessment and tax burden, sale history, permit and improvement context, municipal and revaluation signals, comparable properties and carry-cost risk where governed data supports those fields. It is a screening and research layer, not a substitute for physical due diligence, title, legal review or financial modeling.

Insurance and risk professionals can use available Watchdog property, permit, environmental, municipal and change context as research inputs. Watchdog does not replace carrier underwriting, catastrophe models, inspections, engineering, claims data, replacement-cost tools or regulated insurance requirements.

Tax and legal professionals can use Watchdog to organize assessment context, equalization, comparable-property research, appeal timing, evidence signals and source lineage. Legal conclusions and filings remain the responsibility of the attorney or professional using the controlling statutes, court rules and agency records.

These professionals can use Watchdog as a fast research layer for property identifiers, assessment, taxes, sales, municipal context and other available public-record signals. Appraisal, title and settlement conclusions must still come from the professional's required sources and procedures.

Yes. Watchdog maintains profession-specific resources for contractors and developers, accountants and CPAs, home inspectors, municipal professionals and other supported roles. The useful signals differ by profession, so the Professional Resource Library focuses on role-specific research and decision context rather than one generic dashboard for everyone.

Explore professional resources.

Watchdog combines governed New Jersey property sources. Core statewide records include the New Jersey Office of GIS parcel layer and the Division of Taxation's MOD-IV assessment data, joined through parcel and municipality identifiers. Other Watchdog features use additional authoritative or licensed sources where available.

Publisher schedules differ, so a local assessor, county, recorder, or agency can have a newer record before the statewide source refreshes.

The statewide public parcel source provided to Watchdog does not include owner names. Watchdog does not guess or fabricate a missing owner field. If ownership is material to a decision, verify it with the county clerk/recorder, municipal record, title source, or other controlling record.

New construction, condominium parent parcels, multi-lot billing, recent address changes, and source lag can all affect lookup results. Try the complete street address with town and ZIP, then try without a unit number. If it still does not resolve, report the address so the source match can be reviewed.

Not necessarily. A displayed amount can come from the most recent published source available to that Watchdog feature, while a municipal tax collector may already have a newer bill. Use Watchdog for research and comparison, and verify the exact current amount with the municipal tax collector when it matters.

MOD-IV is New Jersey's statewide property assessment data system. Watchdog uses MOD-IV as a key assessment source across New Jersey's 564 municipalities and joins it with other parcel and geographic data to make statewide research possible.

Not the underlying public record. Watchdog displays source-backed data and does not replace an authoritative property field with a user edit. If you find a discrepancy, report it to Watchdog Support and verify the controlling record with the agency that owns it.

Assessed value is the value used in the local property-tax system. Market value is the price a property would likely command in an open-market transaction at a particular point in time. In many New Jersey municipalities those numbers differ because assessment bases and market prices move on different schedules. Equalization ratios help translate between the assessment base and market-level context.

Public assessment records do not provide reliable live listing status. Live for-sale status usually comes from licensed listing feeds. Watchdog can show property and recorded-sale context where a governed source supports it, but current listing status should be verified through an MLS-connected real-estate professional or another licensed listing source.

A high tax bill by itself does not prove an assessment is wrong. Compare the assessment, implied market value, equalization context, recent comparable sales, deductions, and similar nearby properties. Watchdog can help surface those signals, but an appeal should be based on evidence relevant to the statutory assessment date and local appeal process.

Start with genuinely comparable properties, not just homes that are close by. Match property type, size, age, condition, location, and relevant sale timing. Compare assessment-to-market context and the municipality's equalization ratio. A pattern across multiple good comparables is more useful than a single neighbor comparison.

Yes. Most county tax appeals are due April 1, or May 1 when a municipality completed a revaluation or reassessment. Burlington, Gloucester, and Monmouth Counties follow an alternative assessment calendar and use a January 15 filing deadline. Always confirm the current deadline with the county tax board before relying on it.

An added or omitted assessment can have its own notice and appeal timeline separate from the regular annual assessment. Review the notice you received and confirm the applicable filing date with the county tax board or municipal assessor.

For valuation appeals, the county-board filing fee is $5 for assessed valuation under $150,000; $25 from $150,000 to under $500,000; $100 from $500,000 to under $1,000,000; and $150 at $1,000,000 or more. Other appeal types can use different fees or exemptions.

Comparable sales are a core form of valuation evidence. Strong comparables are recent enough for the relevant assessment date and genuinely similar in location, property type, size, condition, and other material characteristics. Recorded sale evidence and a clear adjustment story are more useful than an automated estimate by itself.

New Jersey law permits certain direct Tax Court filings when the property's assessed valuation exceeds the statutory threshold. For most residential assessments below that threshold, the county board process comes first. Verify the current statute and filing requirements before deciding where to file.

The seller generally pays New Jersey's Realty Transfer Fee at closing. Current law also imposes a graduated percent fee on certain transfers over $1 million. Exemptions or reduced rates can apply in qualifying situations, so use the current state schedule for a closing-specific calculation.

Eligibility depends on the program and tax year. For the 2027 Stay NJ program tied to the 2025 tax year application, eligible homeowners age 65 or older must have income of $200,000 or less. The maximum annualized Stay NJ benefit is $6,500 for income up to $100,000, $5,000 for income over $100,000 through $150,000, and $4,000 for income over $150,000 through $200,000. Stay NJ is coordinated with Senior Freeze and ANCHOR.

Use the NJ Property Tax Relief benefit estimator for an educational estimate, and verify eligibility with the Division of Taxation.

Senior Freeze reimburses eligible seniors and disabled homeowners for eligible property-tax increases above a base-year amount. For the 2025 program, the income limit is $168,268 or less for 2024 and $172,475 or less for 2025. ANCHOR and Stay NJ use different eligibility and benefit calculations.

Applicants use the combined PAS-1 application for Senior Freeze, ANCHOR, and Stay NJ. The 2025 PAS-1 filing deadline is November 2, 2026.

New Jersey provides property-tax deductions and exemptions for qualifying residents, including certain veterans, senior citizens, disabled persons, and surviving spouses. Eligibility is specific to each program. A qualifying 100% permanently and totally disabled veteran may be eligible for a full property-tax exemption.

Farmland Assessment allows qualifying actively devoted agricultural or horticultural land to be assessed under special farmland rules rather than ordinary market-value treatment. Acreage, use, income, filing, and timing requirements apply. Verify the current FA-1 requirements with the municipal assessor and Division of Taxation before relying on an estimate.

Affordability depends on income, debts, rate, down payment, taxes, insurance, HOA costs, reserves, and the loan program. New Jersey property taxes can materially change the monthly payment between two similarly priced homes, so compare the full housing payment rather than purchase price alone. A lender can calculate your actual qualification.

There is no single New Jersey score requirement. Loan programs have guidelines and individual lenders can apply stricter overlays. FHA, conventional, VA, and USDA programs can all use different credit and underwriting standards. Get a current lender review before treating any score threshold as guaranteed approval.

It depends on the loan program and borrower. Some qualifying conventional buyers can use low-down-payment options around 3%, FHA can start at 3.5% for qualifying borrowers, and eligible VA or USDA borrowers can have zero-down options. Closing costs and reserves are separate from the down payment.

Terminology varies by lender, but a pre-qualification is generally a preliminary estimate while a pre-approval typically involves more document and credit review. Ask the lender exactly what was verified, what conditions remain, and how long the approval is valid.

Private mortgage insurance can apply to conventional loans with lower down payments. Cancellation rules depend on the loan and federal requirements; FHA mortgage insurance works differently from conventional PMI. Ask your servicer for the requirements that apply to your specific loan.

Yes. Earnest money is a contract deposit held as part of the transaction. At closing it is generally credited according to the contract and settlement statement. Whether it is refundable depends on the contract, contingencies, timing, and facts of the transaction.

Closing costs can include lender charges, appraisal, title, legal, recording, prepaid insurance, tax escrows, and other transaction-specific items. A rough percentage is not a substitute for a Loan Estimate and closing disclosure from your lender and settlement providers.

A professional inspection can identify visible defects and conditions that are not obvious during a showing, even in newer construction. What to inspect and what rights you have depend on the contract and transaction, so discuss the inspection scope and deadlines with your real-estate and legal professionals.

Yes. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency offers homebuyer and down-payment assistance programs subject to current income, purchase-price, lender, occupancy, and program requirements. Program amounts and rules can change, so verify current terms directly with NJHMFA and an approved lender.

Compensation is negotiable and should be spelled out in the written agreement with your real-estate professional. Buyer representation practices changed nationally in 2024, but who ultimately pays a particular brokerage fee still depends on the agreements and negotiated transaction terms.

A licensed agent can provide market access, comparable-sale analysis, offer strategy, negotiation, transaction coordination, deadline management, and local process knowledge. The value depends on the professional and transaction, so ask how they handle pricing, inspections, appraisal problems, financing issues, and contract deadlines.

A sale does not automatically mean the property is reassessed to the purchase price. Assessments can change through revaluation/reassessment, added assessments for improvements, appeals, corrections, and other statutory processes. Verify the local assessment record and any current revaluation activity for the municipality.

Unpaid municipal property taxes can accrue interest and eventually become subject to New Jersey's tax-sale process. If you are behind, contact your municipal tax collector promptly to understand the balance, deadlines, and available options. Watchdog is not a substitute for the collector's current account record.

Account and paid-plan features can include saved-property, watchlist, change-intelligence and related monitoring workflows as supported by the current product. Availability depends on the property, source coverage, plan and the type of change being monitored.