Random Facts About You ....number 59

Property taxes everywhere are re-assessed on a schedule, 4 - 6 years depending on where you are, and if home prices have increased or improvements on the property were done taxes go up. Most places were last assessed somewhere at the bottom of the housing market slump which makes any recent assessment raise the taxed value.

You don't own a home, do you...

 

Actually, I'm in my 4th and final single family home! Our property taxes have never, ever doubled, never mind quadrupled, from one year to the next in any of our homes. I'd guess that the average annual rate of increase is 10% maximum! There have been many years where the tax increases have been at 5% or below.

Now, from our first home in the early 1980s, to our current home, yes, our property taxes have quadrupled!

So, yes, I find it strange to hear of a quadrupled property tax increase year over year.

I guess I should applaud our municipal politicians for keeping the budgets under control and not having to impose HUGE tax increases.

Oh, and, not trying to brag, but, our current and last home were located in upscale neighborhoods, which might be more prone to new tax assessments, and, increased taxes.

 

I don't think anybody is saying property taxes quadrupled every year... But they can when re-assessed, especially when the previous assessment would have been at a market low. Between those points they should stay the same, or nearly the same. If one purchases a home between assessments the taxes are based on purchase price which may or may not be "market value" for the neighborhood. Also, some people have property taxes rolled into their mortgage which smoothes out some variation but may have a "yearly increase" tagged on. My experience is with homes that are owned outright. Lynn's home has been in her family forever so I'm guessing is also owned outright.


Maybe your "upscale neighborhood" isn't increasing in value or never decreased... I donno.

 

Or here.

 

After the shock of those numbers wore off :bigcry: I went back carefully over the paperwork they have sent. Almost $1000 is going toward a DINGDANG school bond and related taxes specifically having to do with the new school built not far from here...but it wasn't just built this past year. It has been within the last 5 years. However, I do recall there being something on the Nov ballot last year regarding taking on the school bond.

I had no idea what it (what we voted on) meant and still don't - but apparently the people around here decided it was a good thing to do.

Good grief I need a grandchild in that school system if I'm gonna be paying that. smh

I also read where I can apply for the tax to be lowered to 4% - as opposed to the current 6% - since this is my "primary residence". Its my only residence! smh

I also don't understand the math here...if I multiply the assessment value times 6% it should be a LOT more than the awful amount I'm currently looking at...and that makes me want to really really shed some tears

 

I hope you didn't take that as "we don't want you here!!"

I just meant property taxes are a bitch here too

 

I find it humorous, yeah I have a warped sense of humor so bear with me for a moment.....

This property tax re-assessment thing began to show up toward the end of the housing bubble when properties that five-ten years before had been worth $25,000 were suddenly worth $100,000 so the municipalities decided they wanted part of that action and passed these laws requiring assessment every 4-6 years. Then 6 years later the bubble burst and property values dropped like a rock.

Oops...

 

well i don't own real estate. would love to. not for anything to do with ego or money, but so i could build crazy things on it,
which as long as i didn't claim to live in them, and built them small enough, maybe i could do.

if land can be property, taxing it to build schools, well without an educated populas, you have a third world country.
people say they don't want "squalor", but if you let greed get away with everything, and don't provide the means for people to escape ignorance,
that's what you get.

which is a million miles away from what i came here to say, or maybe not.

i'm just an old guy who makes pictures of a world no one wants to allow me, or themselves, to live in.
a world i couldn't force on anyone if i wanted to, and have no wish to force anything on anyone anyway.

maybe that first parts not entirely fair. maybe a lot of people want to allow it,
but get sidetracked into allowing instead, what benefits a few at the expense of everyone else,
and isn't even anything at all like what the think they want, if they even think about it at all.

well any more then that and i'll be rambling. those two sentences say everything i came here to.
this time.

 

I don't like paying property taxes...I feel like I'm being robbed....

 

what i hate is the snowplowing

they used to do it extra wide which left enough room for people to walk and there was more than enough space to park on the street while clearing our own driveways....and then they came up with this brilliant expensive plan to buy trackless machines to plow the sidewalks by themself....so now we get a narrow road with no room to park...and a sidewalk that is plowed....which means two giant snowbanks ...usually at different times because the sidewalk guy is so slow

so you go out after the road plow and clear up the bank he left...then 2 minutes before you have to leave the stupid sidewalk guy comes and leaves 2 banks....plus if youre neighbours an asshole they put their streetbank snow into the sidewalk so it all got pushed into your driveway by the sidewalk jerk...

and that basically explains why i have a 7 foot plow on my truck...so tired of shovelling and snowblowing..its a lot easier with a plow



...and the people that walk are always bitching about the ice on the sidewalk so they walk in the street anyway...its a complete waste of money

 

actually the property tax rates in California are not that bad in comparison to other states, thanks to Prop 13 passed in 1978 and incorporated into the state constitution, it's just that in a state with one of the largest economies, property values are a lot higher so the % equals a higher dollar amount.
But if talking the percentage rates, California isn't the worst.
Hawaii has the lowest, 0.27% New Jersey the highest, 2.35%.
California is 17th at 0.81%, BUT it has the third highest median home $$$ value.
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-property-taxes/11585/

and if your a really old fuck who bought their home prior to 1978, your property value was re-assessed and then locked in when prop 13 was enacted and the annual increase isn't as drastically impacted by other property values.
For instance the place we were renting before was originally purchased by the asshole I rented from in 1966 for $20K, re-assessed in 1978 at $40K and the rate "locked" in. the annual taxes as of last year were $1256.The house next door that was resold in ~2000 had property taxes of almost $5k a year.

 

I rent. My girlfriend bought her house three years ago. Each year, her taxes are going up, up, up..like Superman. Maybe that's actually normal. I don't know. I've never owned property.

I know it's based on percentages of worth, but if the worth goes up and up, so does the cost.

Maybe if they made more land to build more housing on, we'd stagnate.

 

I really dislike the portions of my taxes that are spent funding arts and entertainment projects. Municipalities should not be funding theaters or sports arenas/stadiums used for professional sporting events. Just my humble opinion.

 

I'm at work and not supposed to be on my phone right now.

 

Well, get off the phone and get back to work! I've done my time, worked hard for 36 years, plus my part time work as a student. Fully retired now!

 

I am doing my job. There isn't a lot of interaction with a shot mill.

 

ill probably be dead before i ever get to retire

 

God willing and the creek don't rise I will start drawing early SS retirement a year from now. :hurray:

Of course I won't be drawing as much as I would if I waited (until I was 67) but that's not going to happen. I haven't drawn a check (worked outside this house) since 6/2015...so I REALLY WANT / NEED some personal money!

 

Why is that?

 

because i cant imagine making it to 65