homes in Austin (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: buy, living in, price)

[Need4Camaro]

Can’t wait to see where my property taxes go within the next 10 years >_>

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

I wouldn’t want to move back into the city limits of Austin even if I won the Powerball. Might buy a downtown condo for weekend entertainment visits though.

Seriously, being retired I’d go for Georgetown or Kerrville, possibly Wimberley.

I would love to live in Wimberly but I doubt I could find a place that costs less than what I can sell my property for and I don't ever want another house payment for the rest of my life. Georgetown is nice and I like the city but it's a little too far out and I don't want to live in Williamson County. I like to smoke marijuana too much. I use to live in Anderson Mill in Williamson County. I remember many nights driving home from work coming down Anderson Mill Road where it goes from Travis County to Williamson County and there'd be the Williamson County police checking drivers for insurance, drunk drivers and any other violations or infractions they might come across. I don't know if they still do that or not. I'd be surprised if they do. Anderson Mill Road is an entirely different kind of road today.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock

I would love to live in Wimberly but I doubt I could find a place that costs less than what I can sell my property for and I don't ever want another house payment for the rest of my life. Georgetown is nice and I like the city but it's a little too far out and I don't want to live in Williamson County. I like to smoke marijuana too much. I use to live in Anderson Mill in Williamson County. I remember many nights driving home from work coming down Anderson Mill Road where it goes from Travis County to Williamson County and there'd be the Williamson County police checking drivers for insurance, drunk drivers and any other violations or infractions they might come across. I don't know if they still do that or not. I'd be surprised if they do. Anderson Mill Road is an entirely different kind of road today.

One other thing, with your large lot

1) you can subdivide and sell each lot for as much as your individual lot is worth
2) you can build an adu and rent it out - I would position it so you could subdivide and sell it as a full home.
3) you could get another electrical service, and put another mobile home on the lot and rent it out.

Some of this could take a loan, but is probably not that hard to do.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Are you 65+? That is the age where school taxes freeze and it makes a big difference over time. Make sure you protest (if it makes any sense at all) the year before you turn 65 to get the taxes down as much as possible before the freeze. Also, the exemptions increase notably when you turn 65.

Having your trailer and land separate can be a good thing - usually, TCAD 'swaps' value from the structure to the land over time, so that even if your structure decreases in value, your overall taxes don't. That is a little harder for them to do if they are separate.

I'm 67. I forgot, you just now reminded me, the school taxes WERE frozen on the trailer but NOT the land because I CAN move the trailer off the land if I choose to. The city wouldn't freeze the school tax on the land. I went down there and asked them to but they didn't want to and said in a nice and polite way there's really nothing I can do about it. That's also why they wouldn't combine the taxes on the trailer and the land, because I can move the trailer off the land and the school tax would be frozen on a half acre of vacant land, and the city certainly can't be having that. But I do understand their point of view. Even though I have no intentions of ever moving the trailer, and the city is welcome to this property that I rent from them to do with as they please after I pass. I don't know when that will be. It might be 50 years if I should live to be 117, who can say? but whenever that time comes, the city can have all of this property for free. Just give me a good break on my taxes. I don't think that's too much ask for an almost old timer like myself.

[atxcio]

Sounds like your best move would be to pour a foundation, get your taxes combined and the exemption on both.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by atxcio

Sounds like your best move would be to pour a foundation, get your taxes combined and the exemption on both.

If you are not worried about the the value of the property after you die and you have no intention of moving, then I would (as atxcio indicates) convert the trailer to some permanent feature, however you do that. It might be as 'simple' as a property tax lawyer, or it might be a foundation, etc, but once you have done that, then you can defer your taxes and not pay a cent ever again. I am pretty sure it only applies to homestead exempt property, though, hence the need to convert/combine. The taxes will accrue over time (with 8% simple interest) but they will be paid out of the estate (if you die) or the sales price (if you sell).

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Y'all gave me alot to think about. I like the idea of sub-dividing the lot and the idea converting the trailer to a permanent. I'm gonna check into those ideas.

[ScoPro]

“Old timer”? Lol
Sonny, I’ve got 10 years on you.

[Dub D]

You never want to settle in the outskirts. Doesn't matter if its Austin or Boston. It's not what you're looking for. I've done it and regretted it. You think you'll get to 'the city' 1-2 times a week but you won't. 80%+ of the time you will be where you live and you won't like it. Because it's not what your really want. I moved to Round Rock and hated it real quick.

[Ivory Lee Spurlock]

Originally Posted by ScoPro

“Old timer”? Lol
Sonny, I’ve got 10 years on you.

I said "an *ALMOST* old timer like myself". 67 is middle age. It might be "late" middle age, but still "middle age", none-the-less. That's the way I see it