Taxes? (Houston, The Woodlands, Spring: real estate, waterpark, HOA)

[carolineb]

Mom2Feebs - we pay on 2 drainages but the other Cinco Ranch subdivisions that only pay on one were about the same price as these 2 combined so I didn't think too much about it since it came out the same. The older Cinco Ranch subdivisions had slightly lower mud rates but no homes in our price range.

[observer]

Mom2Feebs,

When you mention 2.57% in the Woodlands, does it include all the taxes including the HOA tax rate. Because if it does, it is very reasonable considering the type of community that the Woodland is

[jfre81]

I like a tax system where the people who decided they wanted to live in a house in some subdivision they formed out of swampland, that they are the ones paying for the infrastructure (as opposed to general county/city/state funds) that was necessary because those people just had to have a new house. They have their own MUD and the rates are outrageous even by Texas standards (upwards of 4%).

Live outside an incorporated area and you will not pay a municipal property tax, and there are even incorporated cities that do not tax residential property (e.g. Stafford). There will still be HOA fees/taxes/whatever you want to call them where applicable - HOAs are not a universal thing either.

States with lower property tax rates get you in other ways that affect everyone, although coming from Florida you do not come here with the benefit of no longer having to pay state income tax.

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by carolineb

We bought a home in Cinco Ranch and it was appraised for $150,300 and the prior home owners paid $5,004 in taxes (total tax rate = 3.32974/$100). Our realtor provided the tax records on any of the properties that we were interested in. Hope this helps.

Cinco Mud 10 (.66) = $992
Fort Bend Co Drainage (.2340) = 35.17
Fort Bend Co General Fund (.49334) = $742
Fort Bend ESD #2 (.98) = $147
Katy ISD (1.815) = $2,728
Willow Fork Drainage (.24) = $360

OMG [ gasping ] $5,004 in property taxes on a $150,300 house? How do folks rationalize this? By the way, I hope Houston won't be impacted by the hurricane. I hate to see what that's gonna to do your home insurance.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by davidt1

OMG [ gasping ] $5,004 in property taxes on a $150,300 house? How do folks rationalize this?

I personally rationalize it as a moderator of suburban growth and a means to provide infrastructure to indulge people who wish to live 30 miles away from where they work. Some people will decide they can't deal with it among other things and go somewhere else. One less car to clog the Katy Freeway everyday.

[BearBranch]

Uhm, no. Taxes are also high inside the loop.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by BearBranch

Uhm, no. Taxes are also high inside the loop.

They are higher in the suburbs especially with the MUDs. They will tax more than the City of Houston.

I didn't say the taxes were low in the Inner Loop, did I? Did I infer that?

[BearBranch]

Kinda (BTW, I have no MUD for my home in Kingwood. I pay $4400 total taxes for my 3100 sf home):

"OMG [ gasping ] $5,004 in property taxes on a $150,300 house? How do folks rationalize this?

I personally rationalize it as a moderator of suburban growth and a means to provide infrastructure to indulge people who wish to live 30 miles away from where they work."

[jfre81]

Fair enough. My dad lives in Spring where he pays something like $1,500 after exemptions on a ~2,501 sq ft house. More house than I'd ever need.

Anytime I might say a place has *low* property taxes in the Houston area or Texas I would only mean it relative to elsewhere in the area or the state.

Most of the taxes go to the schools and this is how Katy ISD and others are able to churn out schools whenever they need them.

[BearBranch]

Your right about most of the taxes going to schools. That's actually a good thing.