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Scorpions, rattlesnakes and #@%$*&! property taxes
06-03-2008, 08:49 AM
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#1
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 16,468
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No, this is not another "Why you shouldn't move to Texas" rant - OK, maybe it is...
I just received a "Notice of Appraised Value" from the property Appraisal District. The nice folks down at the county tax office think my house is suddenly worth 24%  more than last year! Looks like the vaunted state property tax reform passed three years ago is coming back to haunt us. The basic premise was to increase taxes on businesses in the state which would then be passed on to school districts allowing them to reduce the oppressive property taxes traditionally used for school funding. Here's how it's working out for me:
Year: Yr-over-yr tax increase
2000: 4.9%
2001: 3.2%
2002: 4.1%
2003: 1.6%
2004: 0.8%
2005: 0.6% Property tax reform passed
2006: -3.5%
2007: -6.5%
2008: 10.5% (projected)
2009: 10.5% (projected)
2010: 3.0% (projected)
The reason my 2008 taxes aren't increasing the full 24% in 2008 is due to a 10% per year limit on the amount your appraised value can increase. And yes, I will protest the increase, but living in a rural area with few comparative sales is a handicap - especially when most of the recent sales have been high dollar 3,500+ sf mini mansions in the upscale adjoining neighborhood. 
/rant off/
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Numbers is hard...
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06-03-2008, 08:58 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,990
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Cry me a river. If you want real fun, come on up to "God's country" (AKA NJ). Home of the 10% property tax increase every year.
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"And Jesus spake, 'Become thou now fishers of adjustable rate mortgages'" - New Conservative Bible
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06-03-2008, 09:02 AM
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#3
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 16,468
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
If you want real fun, come on up to "God's country" (AKA NJ). Home of the 10% property tax increase every year.
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How can she afford to live there?
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Numbers is hard...
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06-03-2008, 09:02 AM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 10,395
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Sorry to hear about your rising appraised value for taxes. It would be bad enough in most states, but in Texas (where the property taxes are staggering to begin with) a few percentage points increase y/y is quite a blow.
Maybe you need to invite the tax assessor/collector over for dinner. Oh, I forgot - - that may be how things get done in Louisiana, but "Texas is a whole 'nother country". 
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"Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harborless immensities." - - H. Melville, 1851
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06-03-2008, 09:04 AM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: minnesota
Posts: 11,726
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REW, what you need is a state income tax.
We had an increase in assessment of about 25% as well. We contested the assessment based a purchase agreement for the sale of our place, which did not close. That was handy and we easily got it reduced. Of course, the bad thing is that our place is not worth as much as we would like.
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Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.
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06-03-2008, 09:19 AM
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#6
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,141
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Yeah, like DC at 9%  I guess that could be my safety plan if the economy gets bad enough -- move to a low tax state.
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Every man is, or hopes to be, an Idler. -- Samuel Johnson
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06-03-2008, 09:24 AM
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#7
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,990
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
How can she afford to live there?
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Can God create a property tax bill that even she can't afford to pay?
__________________
"And Jesus spake, 'Become thou now fishers of adjustable rate mortgages'" - New Conservative Bible
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06-03-2008, 09:33 AM
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#8
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Moderator
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,431
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50 percent increase in assessed value (and tax) plus 3 percent state income tax near Chicago.
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06-03-2008, 09:33 AM
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#9
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 16,468
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brewer12345
Can God create a property tax bill that even she can't afford to pay?
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I can't answer that, but I'm suspicious that may be one of the reasons she doesn't live in Texas.
__________________
Numbers is hard...
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06-03-2008, 09:34 AM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 4,733
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And then there is Florida home to the truly bizarre property tax situation .
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06-03-2008, 09:45 AM
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#11
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,165
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
How can she afford to live there?
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Religious institutions don't have to pay taxes. That is why my dad founded his religion.
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Angels danced on the day that you were born.
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06-03-2008, 09:48 AM
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#12
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 275
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Tell me about Florida property taxes, please.
We're toying with the idea of buying a condo down there for winter stays, I understand that non-residents pay different property taxes than residents. Details?
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06-03-2008, 09:57 AM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,990
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gearhead Jim
Tell me about Florida property taxes, please.
We're toying with the idea of buying a condo down there for winter stays, I understand that non-residents pay different property taxes than residents. Details?
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Just to cut through the chase:
Residents get to grit their teeth and write checks.
Non-residents, well, put it this way: bend over, grab your ankles, and try to relax.
__________________
"And Jesus spake, 'Become thou now fishers of adjustable rate mortgages'" - New Conservative Bible
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06-03-2008, 09:59 AM
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#14
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,143
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gearhead Jim
Tell me about Florida property taxes, please.
We're toying with the idea of buying a condo down there for winter stays, I understand that non-residents pay different property taxes than residents. Details?
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It's a long story but the bottom line is that Florida is one screwed up state for property taxes.
The longer you live here the less property taxes you pay with a 3% annual cap. So if you buy a house for lets say 300K and your property taxes are 6K your neighbor with the same house that's been there for lets say 5 years could be paying 3K.
Now since it's only a winter thing you can't homestead because you have a primary home in another state. This allows the state to readjust your taxes every year to what ever they deem necessary.
Last edited by 73ss454; 06-03-2008 at 10:10 AM.
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06-03-2008, 10:02 AM
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#15
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,143
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REW be nice, we all have to pay our fair share. (heh)
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06-03-2008, 10:05 AM
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#16
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Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 16,468
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 73ss454
REW be nice, we all have to pay our fair share. (heh)
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Translation: Misery loves company...
__________________
Numbers is hard...
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06-03-2008, 10:09 AM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,143
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That's one thing about you, you catch on quick. 
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06-03-2008, 10:10 AM
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#18
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Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Texas Hill Country
Posts: 7,253
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My appraisal notice -- also in Texas and not all that far away from REW -- also just came a few days ago. Our assessed value is up 4.7% from last year. I haven't decided whether to challenge it or not.
It's amazing how assessed values can keep rising when housing is supposed to be in the tank. Granted, the housing market in TX isn't nearly as bad as on the coasts, but still...
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"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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06-03-2008, 10:18 AM
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#19
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Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 10,395
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
It's amazing how assessed values can keep rising when housing is supposed to be in the tank. Granted, the housing market in TX isn't nearly as bad as on the coasts, but still...
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We are having the same problem here. Our tax assessor sent out a letter saying to expect higher taxes, and claiming that property values here have risen substantially. Yeah, right? I'd really love to get the same price for my house that I could have received in 2005, and I have repaired almost all the hurricane damage.
But, overall our taxes are very low so I have no complaints (other than basing a tax increase on something illogical). I paid only $550.81 property taxes for my median priced house last year, which was maybe half of what I paid before Katrina. They lowered the appraisals in flooded areas en masse to help returning residents. It will be interesting to see how high our taxes become this December.
__________________
"Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harborless immensities." - - H. Melville, 1851
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06-03-2008, 10:19 AM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,404
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Guess I wont complain about California property tax after reading these issues.
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If your gonna be dumb you gotta be tough
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