Residential Real Estate Assessments - best actions when appearing before town Board of Appeals

[MaximumMini]

Good follow up.

Proof you never really own anything - you simply rent it from the government.

Florida's governor, Ron Desantis, portends to be pushing to eliminate property taxes.
Not sure it will ever come to pass.
That said, I'm 100% positive that even if they do, the municipalities are busy as we speak coming up with schemes to milk you for the lost revenue one way or the other.

 

[nickaluch]

Good follow up.

Proof you never really own anything - you simply rent it from the government.

So true when I paid off my mortgage did a 15 year on my first house in my mind I thought I was done extra $2000 in my pocket a month. Totally forgot about property taxes and insurance needed to be paid it was included in my mortgage payment. With that not the savings I dreamed about so yes I don't truly own my house

 

[SC Maintenance]

Florida's governor, Ron Desantis, portends to be pushing to eliminate property taxes.
Not sure it will ever come to pass.
That said, I'm 100% positive that even if they do, the municipalities are busy as we speak coming up with schemes to milk you for the lost revenue one way or the other.

I am unaware of any local government that has ever cut spending so your correct in that they will get their money somehow. However there still is a giant benefit to de-linking it to your home because they can no longer use property value as the benchmark. If they want to charge a "street cleaning fee" it will need to be either flat tax or linked to something else - like number of people or something.

 

[alarmguy]

Florida's governor, Ron Desantis, portends to be pushing to eliminate property taxes.
Not sure it will ever come to pass.
That said, I'm 100% positive that even if they do, the municipalities are busy as we speak coming up with schemes to milk you for the lost revenue one way or the other.

Yeah, it's a scam. I cant believe people fall for the "no state income tax" too.
Fact is government runs on taxes so if you're not paying taxes on something, you are paying it someplace else. Critical thinking is a must.
Not to say not paying state income tax doesnt benefit some but it depends on the individual. No government services are free, so if there is a service or a park, somehow you are paying for it.

BTW Florida real estate taxes are not cheap. Let's not forget CDD fees (unique to Florida in communities with nice amenities (pools etc) in those fees you also paid for the roads and sewer systems to go in. These fees are paid over a 30 year period. So let's say if you have HOA fees of $150 a month, you also will have an additional $200 a month in CDD fees for the development of your development!

So as an example:
HOA fees $150 a month
CDD Fees $200 a month
Equals $350 a month
PLUS real estate taxes of $475 a month

Total cost of fees and taxes on your new home = $9,900 a year
However when looking at new home listings in Florida, if it is a new community with amenities all they will show you in the listing is the HOA fees. So make sure to ask if there are any CDD fees and how much they are. Typically you dont find out until you're serious about a house.

(dont ask me how I know all this, oh wait, I still have contracts in my inbox for a new home in Florida that we never bought and settled here in the land of the free = Coastal North Carolina. (SC is also great)

 

[SC Maintenance]

Yeah, it's a scam. I cant believe people fall for the "no state income tax" too.
Fact is government runs on taxes so if you're not paying taxes on something, you are paying it someplace else. Critical thinking is a must.
Not to say not paying state income tax doesnt benefit some but it depends on the individual. No government services are free, so if there is a service or a park, somehow you are paying for it.

BTW Florida real estate taxes are not cheap. Let's not forget CDD fees (unique to Florida in communities with nice amenities (pools etc) in those fees you also paid for the roads and sewer systems to go in. These fees are paid over a 30 year period. So let's say if you have HOA fees of $150 a month, you also will have an additional $200 a month in CDD fees for the development of your development!

So as an example:
HOA fees $150 a month
CDD Fees $200 a month
Equals $350 a month
PLUS real estate taxes of $475 a month

Total cost of fees and taxes on your new home = $9,900 a year
However when looking at new home listings in Florida, if it is a new community with amenities all they will show you in the listing is the HOA fees. So make sure to ask if there are any CDD fees and how much they are. Typically you dont find out until you're serious about a house.

(dont ask me how I know all this, oh wait, I still have contracts in my inbox for a new home in Florida that we never bought and settled here in the land of the free = Coastal North Carolina. (SC is also great)

CDD is just a different name, its not really unique. Its really no different than paying both a city and county tax (that usually come on the same bill). The CDD is simply a privatized version of a "town". Like the villages - which has a CDD but many different HOA's - I think?

The master planned private communities on Hilton Head call themselves POA - which is really same as CDD. They have their own security, maintain their own roads, etc.

But yes, you need to know what your paying for - no amenities are free.

On the flip side the property I grew up on has essentially no services - its on a gravel road, own well and septic, no fire department, etc. But the taxes are still high relatively speaking - several thousand a year for really nothing.

The government will get their money, and they target those they know can pay.