Will taxes go up on a house after I purchase it? (Islip: 2015, home owners insurance)
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So I’m looking to purchase a house in Holbrook NY (town of Islip)
I went ahead and called the town and they told me the true taxes on the house are $9,079.
My concern here is if I buy the house will the taxes go up?
And
Is that 9,079 dollars in taxes based on what the previous owners purchased the house for?
For example, the home owners purchased the house for 379,000 in 2015 according to “Redfin” and their true taxes are 9079 right now, so if I go ahead and purchase it for 415,000 will the taxes jump because I bought it at a higher value?
And can I check any of this stuff online, or would the town know?
I’m not sure how this all works (I’m a first time home buyer and I’m sorry if any of this sounds silly) and any information on this would extremely help and I appreciate any of it.
Last edited by Forceedge; 07-09-2019 at 06:50 PM..
The $9079 is the amount that appeared on the current owner's tax bill before applying any STAR reduction that they may be entitled to (such as Basic STAR, Enhanced STAR, Veterans Exemption, Low-Income Senior, etc); it was the True (non-reduced) tax amount on the tax bill that they received last December (2018.)
Taxes in Suffolk County towns (can't speak for Nassau towns because I haven't ever owned a house there) have nothing to do with anyone's purchase price.
The next tax bill that will be generated for the house you saw will be mailed in mid-December of this year. Taxes normally do go up somewhat each year but that's "normal" (at least for Long Island anyway.) If a homeowner adds something to the house that increases its assessment since the previous year's assessment roll was finalized, that would cause a "larger than normal" jump.
There are certain cutoff dates during the year when changes (such as the seller having gotten COs that could have increased the assessment since last year) might affect the taxes. For example if the sellers added or legalized an addition to the house, or an inground pool, or a deck or patio, that did not exist (or the Town did not know about) a year ago but now does.
The important thing to remember is that if you buy any house (as your primary residence) make sure to register for the STAR Credit right after the closing. You want to try to make sure that you as the new owner get whatever STAR reduction you are entitled to. The cutoff date for the STAR filing for a new owner in the Town of Islip is September 1st in order for the new owner to receive his/her STAR credit check in the mail in December (more or less the same time the tax bills are mailed out.)
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 07-09-2019 at 07:07 PM..
The $9079 is the amount that appeared on the current owner's tax bill that they received last December (2018.) Taxes in Suffolk County towns (can't speak for Nassau towns because I haven't ever owned a house there) have nothing to do with anyone's purchase price. It is based on the house itself (various arcane factors, LOL) not on what anyone paid for it.
The next tax bill that will be generated for the house you saw will be mailed in mid-December of this year. Taxes normally do go up each year but that's "normal" (at least for Long Island anyway) and the thing that affects it most is the school taxes, unless a homeowner adds something to the house that increases its assessment since the previous year's assessment roll was finalized.
There are certain cutoff dates during the year when changes (such as the seller having gotten COs that could have increased the assessment since last year) might affect the taxes. For example if the sellers legalized an extension or addition to the house, or an inground pool, or a deck or patio, that the Town did not know about a year ago but now does.
The important thing to remember is that if you buy any house (as your primary residence) make sure to register for the STAR Credit right after the closing. You want to try to make sure that you as the new owner get whatever STAR reduction you are entitled to (either Basic or Enhanced, and the Veterans or other exemptions if they apply.) There are cutoff dates for the STAR filing for a new owner is September 1st in order for the new owner to receive his/her STAR credit check in the mail in December (more or less the same time the tax bills are mailed out.)
Okay thanks so much for all this info. So I should ask the home owners if anything was done to the house legally with a permit/CO or anything that could increase the taxes within the last year?
For example if they added a deck in January 2019 and got COd/permits on it, it wouldn’t reflect in their taxes until December of 2019? So I should ask them if there were any extensions, renovations or additions that were done after December of 2018 with permits. Because if there were, taxes will jump after December 2019 correct? Just making sure I understand this.
Also,
I should also ask if there was anything done without permits to right?
Is there anyway I could find out if they don’t have permits on anything? For example they have a patio in the back. Can I call the town of Islip and see if the patio is in their records? Would they be able to tell me that?
Is there anything else I should ask the home owners about taxes or house before I go into contract?
Last edited by Forceedge; 07-09-2019 at 07:18 PM..
So I’m looking to purchase a house in Holbrook NY (town of Islip)
I went ahead and called the town and they told me the true taxes on the house are $9,079.
My concern here is if I buy the house will the taxes go up?
And
Is that 9,079 dollars in taxes based on what the previous owners purchased the house for?
For example, the home owners purchased the house for 379,000 in 2015 according to “Redfin” and their true taxes are 9079 right now, so if I go ahead and purchase it for 415,000 will the taxes jump because I bought it at a higher value?
And can I check any of this stuff online, or would the town know?
I’m not sure how this all works (I’m a first time home buyer and I’m sorry if any of this sounds silly) and any information on this would extremely help and I appreciate any of it.
You can always grieve them. TRS, tax reduction service. No charge. However, taxes in New England Village are between 8-9k
Slightly higher for the large colonials.
I was successful grieving mine for the first few years when I moved in. Not by much. However, the past 10+ years I was told my my taxes are where they should be. They do go up just above EVERY YEAR. Not by much though.
Best advice to give you....MAKE SURE YOU OIL TANK IN ABOVE GROUND! Many in the area are still buried. That can be VERY COSTLY down the road. Most home owners insurance WILL NOT cover the home unless the tank is abandoned. Some mortgage companies many require it. Ask the homeowner for the CERTIFICATE of Abandonment if it was abandoned
Good Luck!
So I’m looking to purchase a house in Holbrook NY (town of Islip)
I went ahead and called the town and they told me the true taxes on the house are $9,079.
My concern here is if I buy the house will the taxes go up?
And
Is that 9,079 dollars in taxes based on what the previous owners purchased the house for?
For example, the home owners purchased the house for 379,000 in 2015 according to “Redfin†and their true taxes are 9079 right now, so if I go ahead and purchase it for 415,000 will the taxes jump because I bought it at a higher value?
And can I check any of this stuff online, or would the town know?
I’m not sure how this all works (I’m a first time home buyer and I’m sorry if any of this sounds silly) and any information on this would extremely help and I appreciate any of it.
Taxes always go up. The school tax will be the biggest piece/
Okay thanks so much for all this info. So I should ask the home owners if anything was done to the house legally with a permit/CO or anything that could increase the taxes within the last year?
You can definitely ask, but both sellers and sellers' realtors have been known to, umm, "provide alternative facts." Either deliberately or out of ignorance. So just to be sure, I'd go to the Islip Town Assessor (they are in a low building behind and to the left of the Islip Town Hall on Main Street) and find out if what you saw matches what they have on their tax records. For example, if you saw two full and one 1/2 baths in the house, and the Assessor's records say there is only one full and one 1/2 bath there, then you'd know that either (a) the seller added a full bath without permits, or (b) they only filed for a CO for the second full bath within the past 12 months and the assessment doesn't reflect that yet.
Ditto for anything like a deck, a patio, or an inground pool.
Quote:
For example if they added a deck in January 2019 and got COd/permits on it, it wouldn’t reflect in their taxes until December of 2019? So I should ask them if there were any extensions, renovations or additions that were done after December of 2018 with permits. Because if there were, taxes will jump after December 2019 correct?
Different towns have different cutoff dates for when changes to the assessment will or won't be reflected in the next tax bill. In some Towns it's March 1st, in others it may be June 1st or July 1st. It all depends on when that town finalizes its tax rolls. School budgets, which greatly impact the property tax, aren't even voted on until May.
So for example if the sellers legalized a "new" bathroom or deck or addition by applying for a CO just before they put the house on the market, that CO paperwork has to go through the Building Department first and then it gets sent over the the Assessor's Office so that they can change the house's assessment accordingly. Depending on the Town's backlog(s) that might take a few months. In the interim the tax rolls may (or may not) have closed for the next (December 2019) tax bill generation.
To be absolutely certain, you could check with the Islip Building Dept (small low building behind and to the right of the Town Hall) first to see if there are any "open permits" or "COs in process" for that house. If not, then check with the Town Assessor to make sure that the features of the house that you saw match up with the specs they are taxing the house on.
Be aware that the Building Dept may ask you to fill out a FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) form before looking up anything in their records. Some offices may do it on the spot but others may tell you it will take a few days to pull the records. Sometimes it just depends on the clerk you happen to speak to and whether he/she is having a good day or not, LOL. (This is why I recommend going in person, smiling a lot and being extra pleasant -- phone inquiries tend to get blown off more easily than someone standing in front of the counter looking helplessly confused )
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Is there anything else I should ask the home owners about taxes or house before I go into contract?
I assume you already have a lawyer who will be handling this purchase (if you don't, that needs to be the first thing you need to do) and also have a home inspector lined up. The inspection needs to be done before anyone thinks about going to contract. The usual procedure is (1) buyer and seller agree on a price "subject to the results of the home inspection"; (2) home inspection is done which hopefully will reveal any issues that weren't apparent or disclosed (3) agreed price is adjusted, if necessary, if the inspection found issues you weren't aware of; (4) names of your lawyer and seller's lawyer are exchanged; tell your lawyer (if you haven't already) that you have agreed to purchase the house and what their lawyer's name is (5) let the lawyers take it from there. That's what you're paying yours for. :-)
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 07-10-2019 at 10:02 AM..
Best advice to give you....MAKE SURE YOU OIL TANK IS ABOVE GROUND! Many in the area are still buried. That can be VERY COSTLY down the road. Most home owners insurance WILL NOT cover the home unless the tank is abandoned. Some mortgage companies many require it. Ask the homeowner for the CERTIFICATE of Abandonment if it was abandoned
I second, third and fourth this advice, for sure. Btw, inside the basement does qualify as "above ground" in the sense that the oil tank is not buried in soil. That's what you need to avoid ending up with.
If the house has gas heat you won't need to worry about this, obviously.
Oh and another thing: Does the house have a cesspool? If so, you need to ask the seller if the original block cesspool was replaced with a precast one. If they say no, or that they don't know, you NEED TO also get a cesspool company to inspect the cesspool to determine what type it is and what the condition is. This is critical because if it's a block pool or is in bad condition, you will be looking at a minimum of $5000 (plus repairing your destroyed yard) to replace it when it inevitably fails, because those block pools are all way past their expected useful life; possibly it could cost you as much as $10-$20K if Suffolk sticks to the new law about requiring the new nitrogen systems as replacements for existing cesspools.
If the sellers say it was replaced, ask them for the paperwork. Don't just take their word for it.
If they say "a prior owner replaced it, we don't have any paperwork", then just pay (should be around $200, give or take) a cesspool company to inspect it and find out for sure. AAA Cesspool is a good one to call, I used them to inspect my current house's cesspool and to replace the old one with a new one last year (just before the new law went into effect.) Ours cost $7000 to replace because the old one was in the back yard and the new one had to go into the front yard (they had to fill in the old one by hand because of no access to backyard for large equipment); plus another $1500 for the plumber to re-route the existing interior waste lines to the new location and another $3000 for regrading and repairing the front yard, almost half of which had to be ripped up for the new cesspool. So a good $10K all told and that wasn't even one of the new pricey systems. You want to avoid a scenario like this, for sure.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 07-10-2019 at 10:18 AM..
I second, third and fourth this advice, for sure. Btw, inside the basement does qualify as "above ground" in the sense that the oil tank is not buried in soil. That's what you need to avoid ending up with.
If the house has gas heat you won't need to worry about this, obviously.
Oh and another thing: Does the house have a cesspool? If so, you need to ask the seller if the original block cesspool was replaced with a precast one. If they say no, or that they don't know, you NEED TO also get a cesspool company to inspect the cesspool to determine what type it is and what the condition is. This is critical because if it's a block pool or is in bad condition, you will be looking at a minimum of $5000 (plus repairing your destroyed yard) to replace it when it inevitably fails, because those block pools are all way past their expected useful life; possibly it could cost you as much as $10-$20K if Suffolk sticks to the new law about requiring the new nitrogen systems as replacements for existing cesspools.
If the sellers say it was replaced, ask them for the paperwork. Don't just take their word for it.
If they say "a prior owner replaced it, we don't have any paperwork", then just pay (should be around $200, give or take) a cesspool company to inspect it and find out for sure. AAA Cesspool is a good one to call, I used them to inspect my current house's cesspool and to replace the old one with a new one last year (just before the new law went into effect.) Ours cost $7000 to replace because the old one was in the back yard and the new one had to go into the front yard (they had to fill in the old one by hand because of no access to backyard for large equipment); plus another $1500 for the plumber to re-route the existing interior waste lines to the new location and another $3000 for regrading and repairing the front yard, almost half of which had to be ripped up for the new cesspool. So a good $10K all told and that wasn't even one of the new pricey systems. You want to avoid a scenario like this, for sure.
In reference to oil tank, is it actually better to have it next to (right on the side of the) home outside, or in the basement/garage (attached). I am worried about fumes from these tanks especially during and few days after refill, but then when it's outside it's facing all the nature's elements, heat, cold, snow, freezing, etc.. I saw a few houses with tank right outside the kitchen window, is that allowed?
Regarding cesspoool, would that be after accepted offer or during negotiations if we offer X and they come back X+10k, can we just say "let me inspect your cesspool" how willing would owners be in general to this? Is there a risk to them like inspection messing up something etc?
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f they say "a prior owner replaced it, we don't have any paperwork",
Heard this many times, not just tank but roof, plumbing, sprinkler system, etc.. "Oh we've only been here 2 years, we have no idea".. well that sucks, either they bought a horrible house and they don't want to say because they didn't do their homework, or they are absolutely clueless in that case there could be more problems. If it costs $200 to inspect, why can't they just do it and promote the home with inspection certificate? Honestly at that point I would rather assume it's in bad condition or really old if they say "no idea".
considering moving from NYC to Suffolk county myself, and the cesspool, pool equipment and lack of in ground sprinkler system are my biggest worries because I hear landscaping, yard maintenance and pool problems could be biggest headaches when getting houses out in Suffolk/even Nassau.
If I know what to expect and budget for it, it's fine, but it's things that I can't even think about since I never had a property like those we're looking at. 1 acre.. Wow.. Is it possible to have bears rummage through our garbage? Do we get stranded in winter? Who knows what else to expect.
I can't answer this question with any certainty or authority, but do have personal knowledge of taxes going up after a new purchase.
After selling my TOH home in 2017, the new buyer's school taxes went up $1,200. His tax bills were being rerouted to me 2K miles away, and this continued for 10 months or so (until I badgered the tax collector's office to fix the error), so I knew exactly what he's paying.
Don't know if any of the other taxes rose, which would include town and village. But a $1,2000 rise was quite a shocker, and this was before the reassessments. As far as I know, nothing was changed in the house that would explain this tax rise, and I wasn't receiving any special STAR deductions either.
Always plan on the worst case scenario when it comes to NY property taxes because you are an ATM for as long as you stay. OP, good luck.
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