Pittsburgh as a possible retirement location (Oakmont, Sewickley: homes, neighborhoods, buyer)

[greg42]

All those are in the City of Pittsburgh except for Sewickley. Sewickley is in the Quaker Valley school district. This is a good school district and has a fairly high value tax base so it's possible the school district tax rates could be lower for Quaker Valley than for the city.

The millage rates are fairly easy to come by I think, although that won't tell you what a given property is assessed at now. But you can find that on the Allegheny County assessment web site, if you have a specific address.

Brand new condos downtown (the Carlyle, for instance, though there may still be some others) or in the Strip (Otto Milk) have a 10-year property tax abatement from the city and school district. Still pay county but city and school district is the bigger chunk. This program is targeted to very specific areas of the city though so you won't find it in already popular residential areas like Squirrel Hill and Shadyside.

[Lobick]

County-wide millage rates are here:

Allegheny County Treasurer
Allegheny County Treasurer

Quick, back of the envelope, disregarding any exemptions you may be eligible for, a $400,000 assessed property value (as of the 2002 base year) in the City of Pittsburgh would pay approximately $11,764 in taxes to the City, School District and County combined.

I believe Sewickley would be slightly higher as the difference in the school district millage rate is greater than that of the municipality millage rate.

Feel free to disagree with these numbers as I'm sure they're not directly on point.

[Caladium]

so it sounds like, all other things being equal, Sewickley wins for having lowest property taxes?

Speaking about Sewickley, what do you think of the kayaking up that way? My guess is it might be more peaceful since there would be less traffic on the river. Are there little islands in the river that people can kayak to and explore?

[gg]

Sewickley

School 20.70
County 4.69
Local 6.80

$3124 per $100K value 6248

$400K = about $12,500 taxes (most all school tax)

You assessment will be a little lower if you homestead. I believe $25K off value.

Welcome to Pittsburgh where the schools are out to get you.

[Caladium]

Oh, never mind--I got it backwards. Sewickley is the highest!

[greg42]

I don't think there would be less commercial river traffic at Sewickley at all. That is the Ohio River. Traffic can go all the way up and down from here to the Mississippi and beyond.

BTW I should have clarified that the downtown abatement is only on the first $250k of value, not the full value.

Was way off on my guess though. Quaker Valley rate is way higher than Pittsburgh schools, and the municipal rates out there are only a little lower than the city.

Looking at those tiny millage numbers is funny; I'm used to 95 mils, etc. because in Beaver County we're assessed at 50% of some long lost value from 30 or 40 years ago. How they figure my house value when it didn't exist at the time I still don't know.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

what do you think is going to happen with the '10 assessment values?

It is complicated, actually. Obviously, assessments will typically be much closer to 2010 market values. That could be an increase or a decrease depending on which property you are talking about. But then the state anti-windfall laws will trigger an automatic adjustment of tax rates, and so what happens to your taxes depends not just on your assessment, but also what happens to all the other assessments in the taxing jurisdiction in question. As a result, your taxes could go down a bit even if your assessment goes up a bit, and potentially your taxes could go up a bit even if your assessment goes down a bit. If your assessment goes up a lot or down a lot, your taxes will likely move in the same direction, but it could be less or more than you would otherwise think (meaning without taking into account the automatic change in tax rates).

I agree people should be well aware of these upcoming changes if they are thinking of buying in the near future. And hopefully they will get their information from reliable sources.

Edit: Oh, and I assume this is obvious to everyone else, but for the record, your efforts to put words in my mouth failed miserably.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Caladium

What are the school districts for each of the following, and what would the property tax be on a condo assessed at $400,000?

People covered the answer as of now, but to reiterate the point I was just making, after the reassessment, all of the property tax rates in Allegheny County may change. A lot of the rates are going to go down, a few may go up, and by exactly how much in any given case is anyone's guess.

So right now, it probably doesn't make sense to rely on the current rates, particularly not fine distinctions, when making a purchase decision.

[claremarie]

"Also, they are a little worried that most of the people have lived there for decades and already have too many friends and family, so they will not be interested in befriending new residents. What do you think, is this a concern?"

It will definitely be true that most of their age cohort will be lifelong Pittsburgh residents, many with elderly parents/children/grandchildren/siblings/cousins nearby. My parents and inlaws fit that profile, as do many of their neighbors. It won't be like retiring to the Sunbelt, or to at trendy college town with residents accustomed to a certain level of transience.

[gg]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

A lot of the rates are going to go down, a few may go up, and by exactly how much in any given case is anyone's guess.

More bad information. Saying "a lot of the rates are going to go down, a few may go up..." So you feel values of homes are going to be lower in '10 than in '02? Maybe in Penn Hills, but for the VAST majority they WILL go up. Brian, I have not idea where you get your information, but real estate isn't something you should advise on. I am being honest. It isn't a good idea to tell people their '10 assessments are going probably go down. They are not for most people. If you know otherwise prove it. If not, you better let people be prepared for being taxed on what they buy their home for. It is public record.

You buy a $400K home this year, you better be ready to pay taxes on that value. If you are not prepared to do so, you are living in a risky situation. Seems you want the people to go ahead and spend the $400K and hope the '10 assessment is wonderful. From my experience they are going to get assessed at $400K. That is from personal experience being an agent for so long.