Is there a way to estimate property & school taxes in LI? (Huntington: mortgage)

[APNY]

We're house hunting in Nassau and western Suffolk (for a new construction or newer home < 5 years old). Is there a way to estimate the property taxes (county, school, and village/town if any) for a given area? (I've searched on Nassau County's website, but many of the newer property aren't on the list!)

There are taxes listed in for each home in the MLS listings, but I wonder how accurate they are since they vary quite a bit even in the same neighborhood and for similar priced homes. In other places, like Texas or California where my mom is a realtor, it's a straight percentage like 1% or 1.5%. But in Long Island it seems a bit more complicated. I haven't been able to figure out a formula, if there is one. My realtor hasn't been too helpful on this subject.

Are the taxes in Western Suffolk lower than Nassau in general? (We're flexible in terms of which towns, but would prefer a better school district, although it does not have to be the best ones.)

Thanks in advance for your help!

[nbres]

Forget about trying to figure it out. It doesn't make sense to Long Islanders either.

[TomMoser]

There really is no discernable formula. It varies from town to town and village to village. There are so many overlapping taxing districts here on Long Island that I would challenge anyone to give us a formula. By the way, if you are looking in Western Suffolk, you can look up tax information in the Town of Huntington on their website if you are unsure of the accuracy of the information that your agent is giving you.

[4StanleyCups]

I wouldn't recommend even trying to "estimate" property taxes (which include school taxes) anywhere on LI.

The MLS listings are supposed to show the current taxes without any STAR deductions. If you want to make absolute sure they are correct as shown, call the Assessor's Office of the township in which the house you're interested in is located, and ask them.

Very few Suffolk townships have that info online, but Smithtown is one of them. Note that the Town of Smithtown includes more communities than just Smithtown "proper" (the village/commercial/residential area running along Jericho Turnpike). St James, Village of the Branch, Head of the Harbor, Nissequogue, etc, are all within the Town of Smithtown taxing district.

[APNY]

Originally Posted by 4StanleyCups

If you want to make absolute sure they are correct as shown, call the Assessor's Office of the township in which the house you're interested in is located, and ask them.

My realtor advised me not to call the Assessor about any specific property that I'm interested in buying, lest I bring attention to it and encourage them to reassess it earlier. He said that sometimes they take a few years before getting around to reassess a property after purchase, so the taxes don't necessarily go up right away... Do you think that's true?

[MollyMe]

...how about...take a guess...than just times it by like a zillion....LOL

[4StanleyCups]

Originally Posted by APNY

My realtor advised me not to call the Assessor about any specific property that I'm interested in buying, lest I bring attention to it and encourage them to reassess it earlier. He said that sometimes they take a few years before getting around to reassess a property after purchase, so the taxes don't necessarily go up right away... Do you think that's true?

Suffolk County townships do not reassess on sale, so an inquiry to a town Assessor has no effect whatsoever.

Towns in Suffolk reassess only if something is done to the house that requires a permit (expansion, adding a pool, etc). Then they do reassess. Depending on what month during the year the reassessment is done (I forget the cutoff month; it MIGHT be March), the change may show up on the tax bill next issued (December of the same year) or the December afterward.

Nassau County works differently than Suffolk.

[NY62]

Taxes are a crap shoot. I think they have a board and throw darts. My nieghbor has paid more than me for years same house and I have a built in pool he dont go figure.

[Redd Jedd]

For Nassau County, go to this site and look up the address for the house you are looking at. These are not an estimates but the actual assesment.

Land Record Viewer

[jfkIII]

It's a rather simple formula...and no matter how much your taxes come to, it always fits into this pattern:

Start with your annual take home pay. Subtract yearly mortgage amount, car payments and any other obligations. Subtract cost of food, oil, utilities. At this point, you're left with your money for entertainment and free-time spending. Multiply that by 3, and that's what your taxes will be!