Buying a home in Stoneham was probably the biggest financial decision your family ever made. Years of saving for a down payment. Decades of mortgage payments ahead. The hope that this decision would provide security and maybe help fund retirement or your kids' education. That decision wasn't just about the house itself—it was a bet on Stoneham.

Here's something most homeowners learn from their tax assessment: a significant portion of your property value comes from the land, not the building. Patriot Properties evaluates every home in Stoneham, and for many of us, the land value represents a huge chunk of what our home is worth. Why? Because location matters more than square footage. The value is in *where* you are, not just *what* you own.

And what makes a location valuable? The town around it. Families pay premium prices to live in communities with strong schools, responsive emergency services, and well-maintained infrastructure. Your land is worth more when it sits in a desirable town. When Stoneham's services decline, that location premium disappears—and with it, your land value.

Families touring homes will compare Stoneham to Reading, Melrose, and Winchester. They'll see our schools offering fewer programs. They'll hear about understaffed police and fire departments. They'll notice reduced library hours and deteriorating roads. The calculation is simple: why pay Stoneham prices when other towns offer more? Your home competes with every listing in every surrounding town. Fall behind, and values follow.

Balancing short-term costs against long-term value is genuinely difficult, especially for residents on fixed incomes. The challenge is real, and the concerns are valid. But some voices in our community actively mislead these vulnerable populations, telling them that voting no will protect their finances when the opposite is true. Seniors who worked their entire lives to own a home in Stoneham deserve honest information about what declining services will do to their property values. Young families stretching to afford Stoneham deserve to know that "saving" on taxes today could cost them far more when their home value stagnates or drops. The groups pushing against the override aren't protecting anyone's finances—they're sacrificing long-term home values for short-term talking points.

Your family made a huge financial bet on Stoneham. The override protects that bet. It ensures the town services that make this location worth the price you paid. It maintains the community quality that attracted you here. When Stoneham thrives, your land appreciates. When Stoneham declines, your biggest financial decision loses value. That's what's actually on the ballot.