Rhode Island’s “Taylor Swift Tax”: What Coastal Homeowners Need to Know

Posted by Tim Bray on July 8th, 2026

Rhode Island Property Tax · 2026

It’s nicknamed for a pop star’s Watch Hill mansion, but Rhode Island’s new second-home tax reaches far beyond the ultra-wealthy — all the way to century-old family cottages on the shoreline. If you own, or are buying, a coastal property in Rhode Island, here’s what you need to understand.

What is the “Taylor Swift Tax”?

Officially, it’s Rhode Island’s Non-Owner Occupied Property Tax(R.I. General Law § 44-72). It picked up the nickname because Taylor Swift owns a roughly $28-million oceanfront estate in Westerly’s Watch Hill — but the law itself has nothing to do with celebrities. It’s a new state-level surcharge, separate from and on top of the property tax you already pay your city or town.

The…

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2026 Rhode Island Property Tax & Mill Rate Report

Posted by Tim Bray on July 8th, 2026

2026 Property Tax Report · Rhode Island

The list price tells you what a home costs to buy. It says nothing about what it costs to own— and in Rhode Island, that second number swings hard from one town to the next. The same home can cost three times as much to hold depending on which side of a town line it sits on.

$4.79 Lowest rate (Little Compton)

$21.52 Highest rate (Foster)

$12.70 Statewide median

39 Cities & towns in this report

The number most buyers never check

Everyone shopping for a home watches the price. Far fewer ask the question that actually sets the monthly payment: what’s the property tax? In Rhode Island, that answer comes from your town’s tax rate — the dollars…

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2026 Connecticut Property Tax & Mill Rate Report

Posted by Tim Bray on July 5th, 2026

2026 Property Tax Report · Connecticut

The list price tells you what a home costs to buy. It says nothing about what it costs to own— and in 2026, that second number is where Connecticut buyers get surprised. The same home, one town line apart, can carry a tax bill that differs by well over a thousand dollars a month.

10.85 Lowest mill rate
(Washington) 68.95 Highest mill rate
(Hartford) 28.39 Statewide
median rate 168 Towns in
this report

The number most buyers never check

Everyone shopping for a home watches the price. Far fewer ask the question that actually sets the monthly payment: what's the property tax? In Connecticut, the answer comes from the town's mill rate— the dollars of…

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Who Is Your Agent Really Working For?

Posted by Tim Bray on July 2nd, 2026

Changing Markets — Issue 13

Who Is Your Agent Really Working For?

The Quiet Cost of Pay-to-Play Real Estate

A Seaport Advisory perspective on lead-generation portals, misaligned incentives, and what it should actually mean to hire a real estate professional.

There is a business model quietly reshaping how most Americans meet their real estate agent, and almost no consumer understands how it works.

It deserves scrutiny, because the person you trust with the largest financial decision of your life may have been sold to you — literally — before you ever spoke.

The person you trust with one of the largest financial decisions of your life may have been sold to you before you ever spoke.

I want to be direct about my…

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Community Calendar: June 28 – July 12 Events Across New London County & South County RI

Posted by Tim Bray on June 28th, 2026

Seaport Real Estate Services | Community Calendar

Community Calendar: June 28 - July 12, 2026

A detailed shoreline guide to upcoming events across New London County, Connecticut and South County Rhode Island, including Independence Day traditions, fireworks, farmers markets, beach concerts, family programming, food events, theater, arts, and local summer gatherings.

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Your Two-Week Guide to Shoreline Summer Events

Welcome to the next Seaport Real Estate Services Community Calendar, covering the heart of early summer from Sunday, June 28 through Sunday, July 12, 2026.

This issue leans into the energy of Independence Day week while keeping the broader community calendar intact. You will find parades, fireworks, town concerts,…

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Town Meeting Minute • Issue #11: Infrastructure, Infill, and the Repricing of Land

Posted by Tim Bray on June 22nd, 2026

Town Meeting Minute • Issue #11

Housing Pressure Moves From Policy to Parcels

Across Southeastern Connecticut, local boards are moving from discussion to action — studying rezoning requests, updating subdivision rules, reviewing utility costs, and implementing state housing mandates that could reshape land values and development feasibility.

Real estate value does not usually change all at once. It changes first in meeting packets, public hearing notices, water-rate studies, subdivision regulations, zoning referrals, and long-range planning documents. By the time a shovel hits the ground, the value shift may have already started.

Top Story

Waterford’s 140 Waterford Parkway South rezoning request places a large industrial…

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The Working Waterfront Series

Posted by Gino Penasa on June 16th, 2026

Policy, Preservation & Community  |  The Working Waterfront Report

What Is a Working Waterfront? A Guide for Investors, Developers & Communities

A working fishing pier — the kind of commercial maritime infrastructure that defines a working waterfront.

When you stand at the edge of almost any harbor, you see two waterfronts at once. One is the version that gets the headlines — condominiums with water views, restaurant rows, hotel terraces, kayak rentals. The other is quieter, grittier, and increasingly rare: the working waterfront. It’s the same when you drive by a local marina: you see dozens of masts jutting up from sailboats and the shiny conning towers of yachts. But it takes a little closer look to see the charter boat that’s a…

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Community Calendar: Summer Events Across New London County & South County RI

Posted by Tim Bray on June 8th, 2026

Seaport Real Estate Services | Community Calendarr

Community Calendar: New London County & Washington County

A publication-style guide to upcoming events across Southeastern Connecticut and South County Rhode Island — including festivals, concerts, farmers markets, theater, arts, food, family fun, and coastal community gatherings.

Explore New London County Explore Washington County

Issue Focus

Summer events, local traditions, markets, music, arts, food, and family fun.

Coverage Area

New London County, Connecticut and Washington County, Rhode Island.

Community Resource

Built to include as many verified local events as possible.

Submit an Event

Email info@seaportre.com

…

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I Was Wrong About Housing Bubbles. Here's What Changed.

Posted by Tim Bray on June 7th, 2026

Market Analysis • A Correction

Why I Changed My Mind About Housing Bubbles

Revisiting an old theory in light of what the pandemic — and our own local data — taught us about prices, value, and the dollar itself.

By Tim Bray •  Broker / Owner  •  Seaport Real Estate Services

Editor’s Note

This article revisits and corrects an earlier piece published on this blog — “Housing Bubbles & Market Crashes: The Holy Grail,” originally written by Barry Neilsen and modified by Tim Bray. The years since have tested its central claim, and I’d rather correct the record openly than let an old argument stand unchallenged.

Years ago, I published a piece on this blog about housing bubbles, market crashes, and the idea of mean reversion —…

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Seaport Community Calendar — Issue 10: Strawberries, Sea Songs & Summer Nights

Posted by Tim Bray on May 26th, 2026

Seaport Community Calendar · Issue 10

Strawberries, Sea Songs & Summer Nights

June is opening the shoreline with strawberries in Mystic, sea songs in Essex, summer concerts in Westerly, gardens and sailing in Newport, arts in Norwich and New London, and classic New England nights outside. From Southeastern Connecticut to Rhode Island, the season is starting to feel alive.

Four Counties · One Coastal Community

Where June Comes Alive

This issue stretches across New London County, Middlesex County, Washington County, and Newport County — the coastal communities, river towns, downtowns, farms, parks, venues, and waterfront gathering places that help define our region.

⚓

New London County

Mystic, New…

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