Is OK okay for us? (Edmond, Vinita: property taxes, house insurance, budget)

[jessaka]

I am glad that there was no cancer too.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

I am jessaka. I ate so much yesterday I was busting at the seams. I have a few pictures I'll post in the Oklahoma pictures forum a little later. I have had a hard time today even waking up! Happy day after Thanksgiving all!

Just looked at all the OK pictures Thursday, looking forward to new ones.

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Actually, we are very happy going it alone. Goes with the territory. We dodged a bullet in that the cancer is non-existent. That in itself is reason to give thanks.

Second, and foremost, we have each other. Life is full of surprises. I stood outside today and looked towards the NE. It was so quiet and still with a brisk chill in the air.

I could not help but feel thankful. Remember folks, I was the kid who grew up in Los Angeles doing drugs at age 12 and did it al by the time I was 15. I should be dead. And that is not a figure of speech.

Anyways, the coolness of the afternoon was mixed such a quiet peacefulness. I thought to myself, THIS is what life is all about. No stress. No loud traffic. No lunatics doing idiotic things. I am truly blessed.

And btw, my dinner came out fantastic. Uncle Don could not eat much, but I made up for it. It was a good day.

I hear you redbird....

The "attitude of gratitude" will do wonders for one's outlook and well-being.
Glad everything turned out good for you.

M.

[jessaka]

Now we all need, including me, to get back on topic.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by jessaka

Now we all need, including me, to get back on topic.

Well...

I DID post here recently about living expenses in OK and I only got 1 reply on that.

Originally Posted by TheComputerGuy

Hey folks,
Question:
In NH we have no sales tax or income tax, but our property tax is ridiculous.
(As in over $4K for just over an acre with a 2000sqft. dwelling and a 48'X64' pole barn.)

House and auto insurance are relatively cheaper than most places.

From what little I know, it should come out about the same in OK...
(I KNOW the property tax is super cheap.)

Any comments?

M.

Then things got kind of quiet here, probably due to the holiday weekend.

Then redbird posted this, and there weren't many / any replies:

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Osiyo, goodpasture.
Since I am playing devil's advocate, this question is open to any transplants, which may help pewterman with his upcoming decision.

Third question: what are some of your concerns, fears, or doubts about moving to Oklahoma? And how did they pan out once you moved here?

This info would be quite helpful!

I'm VERY happy to be on topic... It's educational.
I want to know everything about OK.
But in the meantime, I AM having fun here with my new OK friends.

My wife saw a place in Bartlesville yesterday on the net that looked pretty do-able, but it won't be available by the time we get there.

From all the advice I've gotten, the Bartlesville area and surrounding areas look pretty do-able for our needs. Any comments?

HAPPY SATURDAY!

M.

[redbird4848]

Prior to moving permanently to OK in 98, my only real concern was how I was going to make a living. I left the feds, but wound up working for the State here in OK. And really lucked out. So, Creator provided for me.

PewterMan does not have that concern as he has a trade. BTW, Pewter, when our agency put out an ad for an IT, only one person answered the ad, and he was 18 years old and fresh out of high school.

Heck, he probably still has pimples!

But, he is a computer genius, as are most young'ns these days. So, I don't see you having any problems making a living. I am not sure how much you make going it alone, but you might want to consider working for the State for the benefit package. And there are so many State Agencies here in OK and each needs an IT man.

Here is a link to the State of OK jobs. Just click on current jobs to get a list of jobs currently open:

Office of Personnel Management - State Jobs

Here is your first job! Now go get it~~~

Information Systems Applications Specialist, B51CA
GRDA Headquarters. Vinita Oklahoma.
BASIC PURPOSE: Positions in this job family are assigned responsibilities involving the planning and development of automated applications systems to support the business needs of an organization. This includes review and analysis of user functions and activities, evaluation of available resources and current systems, and the development of appropriate programs or systems.

LEVEL DESCRIPTOR: This is the specialist level of this job family where employees are assigned responsibilities involving advanced analysis and programming work such as independent responsibility for a complete operating system or subsystem, project management on an occasional basis, or responsibility for the coordination of multiple programming tasks or activities. This may include the supervision or direction of others as needed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: required at this level include those identified in Level I and II plus demonstrated ability to perform a wide range of programming and analysis work and to work independently.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS: Requirements at this level consist of those identified in Level II plus two additional years of experience in applications programming and analysis work.

SELECTIVE QUALIFICATIONS: Work experience in COBOL is required plus three (3) years of experience in at least two (2) of the following areas: HyperText Mark up Language/Extensible Mark up Language (HTML/XML), Crystal Reports, Visual Basic (VB), C Sharp (C#), Active Server Pages (ASP), Power Builder, Microsoft.NET framework (.NET).”

STARTING SALARY: SALARY BAND L $32,021-$55,035 per year.

[Goodpasture]

Ok, we basically have three taxes in Oklahoma. Income tax, which is calculated in a pretty convoluted manner. Go here to guestimate what your taxes will be: Oklahoma Income Tax Information Top taxes, provided you go off your AGI of the Federal Tax Return is about 5% of the first $16,000 and 10% of everything above that. Operating your own business, that should be minimal.

Sales Tax. That varies from location to location. It is a combination of State, County, and City taxes, so the actual amount charged will change from location to location. In Sand Springs, we paid 9.017% yesterday on dog food, a part for my generator, and a bag of candy. We bought feed for goats, chickens, and hogs but did not pay tax at all, as we have a farm tax number that makes us exempt on farm items. You do not pay any taxes on services, only on stuff. If you are going to be in business, you have a choice. For example, if you swap out a hard drive for me, you can buy the hard drive, pay the sales tax, and install it as part of your service without collecting tax from me. Or you can NOT pay the tax where you buy it, charge me labor and parts, and I pay tax on the parts (including your markup).

The third taxation method is ad valorem taxes. It varies from community to community and from year to year. To get current tax rates, you need to call the county assessor of the property you are interested in. Assessed valuation in Tulsa County is approximately 15% of the fair market value. When you buy a property, that sale price is considered the fair market value. I believe there is a state law that prevents the assessor from increasing the assessed value more than 5% per year. But a sale will change the assessed value by establishing a new fair market value. A relative new house in Bartlesville sold for $136,500. Assessed Value is $16,380 (12%) with estimated taxes at $1,750.04 (about 10.8 mill). Again, the mill rate, and the assessed rate will depend entirely on which area you are in. Broken Arrow and Jenks is a lot higher than Pawhuska or a county location, as a lot of the taxes go to support the local schools.

[peggydavis]

ComputerGuy, I would jump on that opportunity that Redbird pointed out if I were you. Vinita OK is right up your alley. I checked on realtor.com and saw several nice little houses for less than 40K.


Goodpasture that is a lot of good information about taxes.

Car tags are not expensive here. Auto insurance is about the same as other areas. House insurance is more expensive here than some states because of wind and hail. You can shop around and that can help on your insurance.

Natural gas and electricity are less here than other places. Usually our gasoline is cheaper than other states, but not always.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Prior to moving permanently to OK in 98, my only real concern was how I was going to make a living. I left the feds, but wound up working for the State here in OK. And really lucked out. So, Creator provided for me.

He's taken pretty good care of us too.
Sure hope He likes the idea of me going to OK.

Originally Posted by redbird4848

PewterMan does not have that concern as he has a trade. BTW, Pewter, when our agency put out an ad for an IT, only one person answered the ad, and he was 18 years old and fresh out of high school.
Heck, he probably still has pimples!

Only 1 person...? With NO competition?
It sure wouldn't be like that up here if there were IT jobs.

Originally Posted by redbird4848

But, he is a computer genius, as are most young'ns these days. So, I don't see you having any problems making a living. I am not sure how much you make going it alone, but you might want to consider working for the State for the benefit package. And there are so many State Agencies here in OK and each needs an IT man.

Yeah, it does look pretty good there.
I've done some research and I spoke with an Okie who's company is also hiring...
So... If I decide I don't want to start from scratch all over again, at least there would be some options.... But I must admit, I DO like my job.
Then again, there's a LOT to be said for paid benefits.

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Here is a link to the State of OK jobs. Just click on current jobs to get a list of jobs currently open:

Office of Personnel Management - State Jobs

Thanks, I'll check them out.

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Here is your first job! Now go get it~~~

Won't work for me... I'm a network, hardware or support guy... While I can do minor things in that ad, I'm not a programmer... Nor would I like to be.

Thanks for the great info.

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Ok, we basically have three taxes in Oklahoma. Income tax, which is calculated in a pretty convoluted manner. Go here to guestimate what your taxes will be: Oklahoma Income Tax Information Top taxes, provided you go off your AGI of the Federal Tax Return is about 5% of the first $16,000 and 10% of everything above that. Operating your own business, that should be minimal.

Sales Tax. That varies from location to location. It is a combination of State, County, and City taxes, so the actual amount charged will change from location to location. In Sand Springs, we paid 9.017% yesterday on dog food, a part for my generator, and a bag of candy. We bought feed for goats, chickens, and hogs but did not pay tax at all, as we have a farm tax number that makes us exempt on farm items. You do not pay any taxes on services, only on stuff. If you are going to be in business, you have a choice. For example, if you swap out a hard drive for me, you can buy the hard drive, pay the sales tax, and install it as part of your service without collecting tax from me. Or you can NOT pay the tax where you buy it, charge me labor and parts, and I pay tax on the parts (including your markup).

The third taxation method is ad valorem taxes. It varies from community to community and from year to year. To get current tax rates, you need to call the county assessor of the property you are interested in. Assessed valuation in Tulsa County is approximately 15% of the fair market value. When you buy a property, that sale price is considered the fair market value. I believe there is a state law that prevents the assessor from increasing the assessed value more than 5% per year. But a sale will change the assessed value by establishing a new fair market value. A relative new house in Bartlesville sold for $136,500. Assessed Value is $16,380 (12%) with estimated taxes at $1,750.04 (about 10.8 mill). Again, the mill rate, and the assessed rate will depend entirely on which area you are in. Broken Arrow and Jenks is a lot higher than Pawhuska or a county location, as a lot of the taxes go to support the local schools.

Sounds a LOT more complicated there, than it is here...
No income tax, no sales tax... It sure makes things simpler.

The income tax seems like a drag, but the low property taxes would make up for it.
Without the mortgage interest write off, I suppose I'd have to buy LOTS of cool, state of the art equipment for the company every year.
(I like that!)

The property taxes on some places we were looking at cost less than I make for 2 hours of labor up here... Too bad it won't pay the same down there.

Thanks for the in-depth info... It's MUCH appreciated!

M.