Alford · Berkshire County
What Does It Cost to Own a Home in Alford?
~$70,132/year
An illustration for the town's median single-family home ($1,066,450, fiscal 2026) bought today with 20% down: property tax plus twelve mortgage payments at this week's national average rate, before heating. A season of heating oil adds its own figure below. Not a quote, the assessor and the oil truck have the last word.
Property Tax
$4,340/year on the median home
At $4.07 per $1,000 of assessed value (fiscal 2026). The tax page carries the rate year by year, the bill history and every town in the county.
The residential rate, FY2003 to FY2026
$4.07per $1,000, FY2026 · a falling rate on rising values can still raise the bill
The average single-family assessment, FY1988 to FY2026
$1,275,435FY2026 DLS average · assessments lag the market by design
Heating
No Gas Main
No natural-gas main serves this town, homes here heat with oil, propane, wood or electricity, and heating cost follows the delivered-fuel market below.
Heating oil: about $4,462 a season
800 gallons, a planning figure for a typical New England single-family home, in line with federal winter-fuels estimates, at $5.58/gallon (New England average, week of 2026-03-30). Your house, insulation and thermostat set the real number. Prices are surveyed only in heating season, so this is the season's last reading, not today's street price.
The full fuel picture, who heats with what, and every tracked price, is on the heating page.
The Mortgage, Illustrated
$5,482.64/Month Principal & Interest
On a $1,066,450 home with 20% down, at 6.66%: the national average 30-year rate for the week of 2026-07-30 (Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, via FRED). An illustration for a borrower with good credit, not a quote: your rate depends on credit, points and lender.
Want different numbers? The calculator lets you set the price and the down payment for any town.
More on Alford
Alford Compared
Side by side with the towns people weigh it against, on tax, prices, utilities and commute.
What It Costs Nearby
The nearest towns, each with its median home and annual tax.
From the Desk
RE413 News: how a Massachusetts tax bill is actually calculated. Built from the same public record as the figures on this page.
Sources
- Massachusetts DLS Municipal Databank. The tax rate and its history since FY2003, the average single-family assessment since FY1988, and the CPA surcharge, fiscal 2026.
- MassGIS standardized parcels. The median single-family assessment the headline is computed on.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration. This week's delivered-fuel prices behind the heating season figure. Figures through 2026-03-30.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, via FRED. The national average 30-year rate in the mortgage illustration. Figures through 2026-07-30.
"Figures through" is the period the publisher's data describes; "checked" is only when we last asked. The full sourcing: sources and method.