Are there areas in Northwest Houston with lower property taxes? (Tomball: HOA, first time home buyer)

[Surfertx]

New to Houston and first time home buyer.

A realtor for a new build told me that the border between Cypress and Tomball (near the 99) has a lower property tax. I want to know if there are other areas with the same, thanks.

[crone]

Property taxes are contingent on many taxing agencies.
School districts
Utility districts
City and/or county
Fire and emergency

IIRC,there are more than 20 special purpose districts in Harris county.
It depends on where you land.

[trbstang]

I know the Lakes of Fairhaven area has lower taxes due to them not having a MUD district. Before the Homestead exemption it is about 2.34%. Cheryjohns on here said they have septic systems and pay a water access fee to the neighboring MUD for water. That would be the only way you can get lower taxes is to find the area with the lowest MUD taxes or no MUD taxes, since the school and county taxes are basically the same everywhere in the Houston area. Of course Cy-Fair does give you the 20% Homestead exemption other school districts do not offer, so that makes a difference too.

I'll send you the file tonight, since it is on my home computer. And I do need your email address!

[haudi]

Lower taxes, but higher utility bills for water. You have to pay for that infrastructure somewhere.

Originally Posted by trbstang

I know the Lakes of Fairhaven area has lower taxes due to them not having a MUD district. Before the Homestead exemption it is about 2.34%. Cheryjohns on here said they have septic systems and pay a water access fee to the neighboring MUD for water. That would be the only way you can get lower taxes is to find the area with the lowest MUD taxes or no MUD taxes, since the school and county taxes are basically the same everywhere in the Houston area. Of course Cy-Fair does give you the 20% Homestead exemption other school districts do not offer, so that makes a difference too.

I'll send you the file tonight, since it is on my home computer. And I do need your email address!

[trbstang]

Originally Posted by haudi

Lower taxes, but higher utility bills for water. You have to pay for that infrastructure somewhere.

Very true! No idea what the extra fee is, but it is certainly less than a regular MUD district tax in that area. Plus I bet they paid more for the lot than people in other areas to offset some of the cost.

I ran our former neighbor's new house out there and their taxes after Homestead are 1.87% of the appraised value. If they had a MUD with the same tax rate as ours, 0.50%, then they would be paying about $3K in MUD taxes alone, or $250 a month. Most new MUDs are no where near that low and are more in the 1%+ range for taxes.

I'm happy with my little $250K house and the taxes on it!

[pc50]

Lakes of Fairhaven does not have a septic system or get water from a MUD. It has a privately owned utility that provides both water and sewer. Yes higher bills, as the previous poster noted, as the infrastructure does get paid one way or another and it gets paid by the end user (the homeowner). So the question is do you want to finance the infrastructure (ie MUD tax) or pay as you go? Just have to decide what option is better for you.

[crone]

Be careful of those private water sewer providers. i don't like MUDs but there is some control over rates. With private, you are at the mercy of strangers.
Having seen the result, I would never buy a house that was not in the city or in a MUD.

[cheryjohns]

Originally Posted by trbstang

I know the Lakes of Fairhaven area has lower taxes due to them not having a MUD district. Before the Homestead exemption it is about 2.34%. Cheryjohns on here said they have septic systems and pay a water access fee to the neighboring MUD for water. That would be the only way you can get lower taxes is to find the area with the lowest MUD taxes or no MUD taxes, since the school and county taxes are basically the same everywhere in the Houston area. Of course Cy-Fair does give you the 20% Homestead exemption other school districts do not offer, so that makes a difference too.

No, I said that the developer sometimes uses a septic system. Here is the thread: http://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...571-taxes.html

True about Cy-Fair's exemption of 20% plus $15K.

Originally Posted by haudi

Lower taxes, but higher utility bills for water. You have to pay for that infrastructure somewhere.

Boy, that's the truth. Add in the higher costs to the homeowners, also, for those pretty water features (fountains, etc.) in some of the communities.

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by cheryjohns

Boy, that's the truth. Add in the higher costs to the homeowners, also, for those pretty water features (fountains, etc.) in some of the communities.

For some things though, like the amenities and decorative elements like fountains, it might be the HOA funding it (at least the operating costs). So you have to look at the combo of taxes (including MUD or WCID if applicable) and HOA. I'm sure for out-of-state folks this is probably confusing.

[usc619]

I would opt for a higher pay by usage over a mud tax anyday.