Baltimore City Property Taxes (for sale, foreclosure, lender)

[BMWZ4RUlz]

I wanted to get some experience from the board. Considering looking at places in the city, but the property taxes are just insane. Not even reasonable from what I can see and a BIG deterrent to purchase anything in the city.

Question-are board members that live in the city having any success on apeals? What is happening currently?

Places in fed hill for sale for 210K with 6.5K in taxes? Come on. Who is gonna buy that?

[BMWZ4RUlz]

Found this on google from the very same message board. I think Jason on this thread has it right on:
Baltimore City Taxes High?

Imagine how many people might move to the city if the property taxes were adjusted downward.

[jonjj]

It looks like property taxes are going to be brought to the limelight in the next mayorial race. The present mayor now has two opponents who want to seriously lower them.

[Bong477]

Yes... they are high and it makes the effective price of the house about 15-20% more than the suburbs. You need to account for taxes in your housing payment. Unfortunately, city services, including schools, aren't great either so you don't get a very good value for your money.

[davecj]

After you close on a home you have 60 days to appeal the assessed value to the city. Says so right on the offer contract. Your lender can tell you more about it. Generally all that is required is the closing price information and the appraisal. We went through a 3rd party to do ours in canton when we bought a foreclosure. Dropped the value from around 150k to our purchase price of 87 for about $1500 in tax savings.

[mrboltonman]

There is more to the 60 days:

SDAT: Assessment Appeal Process

[KennyP]

Originally Posted by jonjj

It looks like property taxes are going to be brought to the limelight in the next mayorial race. The present mayor now has two opponents who want to seriously lower them.

I think it's a great idea, but I wonder where that money will come from. I'd expect a ghost tax in the form of traffic cameras.

[bmoregrimey]

Originally Posted by KennyP

I think it's a great idea, but I wonder where that money will come from. I'd expect a ghost tax in the form of traffic cameras.

in the short term the city will lose money if they lower property taxes, but the city will make up for it in a very short period of time as the population of tax paying homeowners increases

[(-)]

it's one of the reasons why i chose to move outside of the city for my primary residence. it's almost like the city penalizes you for wanting to live in a nicer area, although even property taxes in the poorest neighborhoods are high as well. it's just one of those things that unfortunately baltimore city think tanks don't understand. you'd gain more on increased home owner populations than you would on higher property taxes. if you are going to have high property taxes, give the people something for their dollar. not many will want to pay 6k taxes on a 210k house when you can get a house for double that price in the surrounding counties with an equal tax rate.

[atariwhizkid]

Originally Posted by KennyP

I think it's a great idea, but I wonder where that money will come from. I'd expect a ghost tax in the form of traffic cameras.

So be it. There is more logic to handing out traffic tickets to people who run red lights and speed than there is to charging property owners egregious tax rates for terrible city services.