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The roof, paint job, generator, etc. will not have any effect. The addition will be assessed at current square footage, but the actual addition is small. They don't assess finish. Adding hardwood and tile floors throughout had no effect 15 years ago. I'm expecting my property tax to go from $1600/year to $2200/year, quite affordable.
Community college? Continuing education? Vocational school? Job training programs? If nothing else, how about the military?
There are several options for people to acquire better skills. None are easy. None hand you a pass on life's bills and tribulations. You have to work at it.
20+ years ago, I got tired of driving trucks and working in warehouses. I went to a vocational sort of school for computers. I had to take out a hefty student loan, and after school I had to rush over to my evening job from a temp agency.
Not everyone is eligible for financial aid for college/education. You have to have money for education programs.
That brings up another question - it's much easier for a woman to pull that off because there are a lot more rooms available preferentially to women. e.g. your example
Where do poor old men end up when all they have is SS?
We have empty units here at disability/senior housing but you have to go through the process for subsidized housing.
The roof, paint job, generator, etc. will not have any effect. The addition will be assessed at current square footage, but the actual addition is small. They don't assess finish. Adding hardwood and tile floors throughout had no effect 15 years ago. I'm expecting my property tax to go from $1600/year to $2200/year, quite affordable.
I can see why you are staying put...
California Property Tax can be downright expensive...
My parents home consists of two parcels... the backyard parcel is very small and valued at $800 for tax purposes... the tax bill each year exceeds the total valuation placed on it by the Assessor...
They have 26 or so special assessments for street lights, landscape, midnight basketball... the Raider stadium renovation bond... etc...
Wow 120K seems like a lot to stick into a house. Did you consider selling and buying something already set up?
Not for a minute. Did you miss the part where I mentioned you swap money for lifestyle? I would have to nearly move out of my house, stage it for sale, pay closing costs and somebody would have to foot the bill for two realtors, plus moving expenses. It would rip up my life for six months minimum, and cost me well over $60,000 off the top.
Plus I'm an ex-contractor/project manager who has lived here for 23 years. I have revised the floor plan, added windows, done a complete energy efficiency upgrade and installed top of the line finishes throughout. The kitchen alone is a work of art. Then there's the 2400 sf. shop that includes a 240 sf. office, half bath, heated storage unit, electrical vehicle charging station and work areas. I set up a gravity feed water system, and with a wood stove the comfort level of the house does not change if the power goes out. The propane powered emergency generator is for convenience, not necessity. Finding anything anywhere that would be remotely comparable with a curb-free wheelchair accessible shower would be nearly impossible. I don't feel like spending months house hunting only to be disappointed.
A $120,000 remodel might seem like a lot of money in a low buck housing market, but around here you can't find a junk mobile home on 5 acres for under a quarter million.
California Property Tax can be downright expensive...
My parents home consists of two parcels... the backyard parcel is very small and valued at $800 for tax purposes... the tax bill each year exceeds the total valuation placed on it by the Assessor...
They have 26 or so special assessments for street lights, landscape, midnight basketball... the Raider stadium renovation bond... etc...
Didn't realize Oregon was so reasonable.
Oregon has little to do with it. The state does not assess or collect a property tax. All property taxes are local, and your bill depends on where you live. I live in a rural "do it yourself" county. If there is a big storm, the loggers and farmers get out their equipment and clear the roads themselves. People have resources not available to city dwellers. I have a neighbor with his own quarry. When a flood threatened to wash out the road, we fixed it ourselves. All it took was a dump truck, a backhoe and a couple of loaders. It beats paying taxes.
I'm the only one with tractors and equipment anywhere close to where I live too...
Not many city dwellers here in Oakland have a CAT Dozer, Deere and Kubota Backhoes, Trailers, Generators, Professional Sewer Cable Machines, Welders, Equipped Service Truck, Bridgeport Tape Mill... etc... sometimes I really think how did I get here?
Last time the power went many came into work late... they couldn't open their garage doors... never mind pulling the release would have done the trick.
Most of my Oregon friends live in three areas... Medford, Roseburg and Portland Metro... the ones in Portland seem not to enjoy low property tax...
All of those I know are from California and are either retired or soon plan to be and decided on Oregon... all on the 5 corridor except for one out near Bend/Sisters...
The widow of the family I bought my home just moved too... forgot about that one...
I have stopped in at Seven Feathers in route to and from Washington...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 01-07-2018 at 07:56 PM..
"For renters, the new normal: lower expectations and shrinking apartments"
Quote:
Daniela Richey has been stretching her cash and exercising her wits for going on two decades, always trying to stay a step ahead of the next rent increase.
She grew up in Mountain View, works in accounting and earns about $52,000 a year. In 2003, she moved into a modest apartment in a 64-unit complex in Sunnyvale, paying $850 monthly for her 500-square-foot, “junior bedroom” home. By early 2016, as the post-recession tech boom pushed Bay Area housing costs through the roof, her rent had jumped to $1,700 a month.
That year, she received notice that the complex had been sold to a corporate owner who was terminating all the leases — and gave her the option of signing back up at $2,700 a month. She already was running through her savings, “so on August 31st at 3 a.m., I went on Craigslist, looking for a room.”
We have empty units here at disability/senior housing but you have to go through the process for subsidized housing.
In my county you have to go through the process for subsidized housing, but there are NO empty units. First you have to wait up to five years for a one-week window just to sign up for a waiting list LOTTERY. If you miss this one-week window, you must wait another five years for the next one-week window. If you 'win' this lottery, you can expect to wait up to five years for a housing subsidy voucher. No guarantee you'll find a landlord willing to accept your voucher - many vouchers are returned unused if not accepted by a landlord within 60 days. If you 'lose' the waiting list lottery, you have to wait another five yours for the next lottery in order to try again.
"For renters, the new normal: lower expectations and shrinking apartments"
I've repeatedly downsized from 400-sf guest house to currently a 9x9 room and the rents keep going up and up. NEVER had a garage.
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Calling Freemkt!
