Property tax when buying a home in Carlise, Cumberland, or Harrisburg (Pittsburgh: real estate, school districts)

[military spouse]

Hi,
We were looking at relocating to the Pittsburgh area, but were surprised by the amount that property taxes can be reassessed, and increased, when purchasing a home. Apparently, it is colloquially referred to as a "newcomer's tax." Does anyone know what happens if a property is purchased in this area? If I see property taxes listed at $5,000, is it likely they will go up substantially after I purchase the home? In Pittsburgh, everybody we asked remained highly non-committal, which is too hard on our budget.

Any insight would be appreciated!

[North Beach Person]

Many times assessments lag behind market price. When you buy a house your price becomes the new taxable assessment, so it rises.

In Pennsylvania adjoining areas can have wildly different tax rates and assessments. That's driven by the school district where the house is located. Unlike some states Pennsylvania does not generally have, except a couple exceptions for very rural Counties, a County based school system, school districts are based on a town or township (EX: Carlisle Area School District and Big Spring Area School District, to name just two of the nine in Cumberland County)

https://www.k12academics.com/nationa...nia/Cumberland

The property tax rates will vary between all of them.

[military spouse]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Many times assessments lag behind market price. When you buy a house your price becomes the new taxable assessment, so it rises.

In Pennsylvania adjoining areas can have wildly different tax rates and assessments. That's driven by the school district where the house is located. Unlike some states Pennsylvania does not generally have, except a couple exceptions for very rural Counties, a County based school system, school districts are based on a town or township (EX: Carlisle Area School District and Big Spring Area School District, to name just two of the nine in Cumberland County)

https://www.k12academics.com/nationa...nia/Cumberland

The property tax rates will vary between all of them.

Thank you! So, if we buy a house in mechanicsburg and the current taxes are $4,000, will the taxes we pay go up prior to everyone else being reassessed in the area?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by military spouse

Thank you! So, if we buy a house in mechanicsburg and the current taxes are $4,000, will the taxes we pay go up prior to everyone else being reassessed in the area?

Probably. Your purchase price, if it's higher than the assessment, will become the new assessable base.

Don't count on regular reassessments in much of Pennsylvania like many other states do (Maryland reassesses every three years), some jurisdictions haven't had a reassessment for over sixty years. They count on rising prices on sales, which kicks the number up, and tax rate adjustments to increase revenues, as well as local income and other taxes.

Clarion County is now doing its first reassessment since the 1970s and the screaming has already started.

[RetireinPA]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

Clarion County is now doing its first reassessment since the 1970s and the screaming has already started.

and my shop and 3 outbuildings now sit there.....I cant *wait* <-- dripping sarcasm


I take it you have property up there?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by RetireinPA

and my shop and 3 outbuildings now sit there.....I cant *wait* <-- dripping sarcasm


I take it you have property up there?

No "property" but coal rights under property someone else owns. Convoluted reason why. My family, especially my mother's side, never did anything the easy way.

[Jessie Mitchell]

I had this exact same question when we bought a house a couple years ago. We moved here from out of state and I was trying to get a handle on how it would go for us. We bought a house from a contractor who bought it cheap (it was in bad shape when he bought it!) and spent a year doing a top to bottom, inside out renovation of it. (He did a great job, btw!) Because it was a distressed property when he bought it I wondered what would happen to the property taxes after such a huge renovation and upgrades. I had very little success in getting any light shed on this. Not from real estate agents, not from the local taxing authority. The taxes in its old state seemed manageable ... but what about next year and the next year? ........

We just went ahead and took our chances. We bought the house. In our experience (like others have said, this will probably vary from place to place) we did get a re-assessment for the property having been improved but it only increased the base for taxing valuation by about $10,000. That increased the property taxes by a very modest amount. I don't remember the actual dollar increase in property taxes, but I'm thinking it was in the $300 range. It turned out not to be a problem.

Not sure if that's helpful for you, but it was our experience in Lancaster PA.