Atlanta Tax: Looking at property, need clarification (Decatur: real estate, 2009)

[peet111]

I live in the Atlanta area but outside 285 and I was looking in the city just to see what was there.

I found a property and then referenced the tax filing in Dekalb county which I thought we would be a plus because it's not Fulton County.

For 2007 and 2008 there were 2 seperate fees for:
Atlanta Tax
Deakalb County Tax

And the Atlanta tax was about 3 times that of Dekalb county. But then for 2009 there is only Dekalb Co. Tax listed.

So is this really the case that inside the city you pay county and then Atlanta Tax too? I mean the tax form did not say Fulton, it said Atlanta Tax. And maybe the 2009 Atlanta Tax hasn't assessed yet?

Any insight appreciated. Pete

[nb1968]

In Florida you will pay higher taxes in the Cities, BUT the property tax bill ONLY comes from the County. (they collect on behalf of the City as well)
In Tennessee, if you are located in a city, the County sends you their tax bill (usually due in Nov), AND the City sends you a SEPARATE tax bill, due whenever they damnwell please.
I too am curious as to how it works in GA. Do they build it into the same bill, OR send 2 separate bills (City AND County)??

[shalc]

If you live in city of Atlanta you have to pay the city taxes and the county taxes for the county you live in. When looking at properties in Dekalb, look for "unincorporated" if you want to avoid those City of Atlanta (or Decatur depending on where in Dekalb) taxes - they can be pretty steep unless you're looking at a more economically depressed area of town.

[peet111]

That helps thanks. The bills run in different quarters from what I could learn.
For the specific property I was researching, the fees came out to $4200 when it was valued around $190k. A little steeper than I imagined, about double where I live.

[flag8rphan]

While we're on the topic, can anyone comment on the different between assessed and appraised value for Fulton Co taxes? If you get the 15K homestead exemption, is that deducted from the assessed or appraised? And does the property get reappraised/assessed every time it's sold? TYIA, I'm new the area and looking to buy a home.

[shalc]

To get a home loan, the property will be appraised by the lending company prior to loaning you the money for the house. The company will only lend you up to the appraised value of the home. So, say you want to buy a $200,000 house, and it assesses for $195,000. You'll have to cover that extra 5K up front (if the sellers wont negotiate). There have been a lot of changes in the appraisal process since May 1 due to the mortgage crisis to make it a more even playing field, but a side effect of that has been that a lot of properties are appraising at below their asking price, which has caused a lot of deals to fall through.

The county does their assessments for property taxes every few years, I think. Go and look around on the fulton county tax assessor's website. The 15K homestead exemption is taken off the top of that. This website explains how it works: Real Estate Taxes* Figure Your Monthly Property Tax

One more thing: the appraisal done by the lending co. is much more in depth than the one done by the county. The actually go in the home and can assess if you've done renovations, etc, to get a better idea of the value, but the county does not.

I hope this helps.