Looking to buy within loop -- would love input (Houston: homes, university)

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

But what if people don't want bigger houses and need something more compact and affordable but without crime? This is what I'd love to have here. There are some other things in life rather than paying off huge home loans and huge property taxes. And in Harris County property tax is about 3.5%.
And smaller house provides opportunity to focus on these other things, especially if you don't have kids and don't care about school districts. Low crime is the only ingredient missing here, other aspects are fine in this area. But maybe I'm just unlucky living next to drug house. Other parts of my neighborhood are pretty decent though.

Harris county property tax isn't 3.5%

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

Harris county property tax isn't 3.5%

Well, its more complicated, but in general:


Texas property taxes among the nation's highest - Houston Chronicle

Texas property taxes among the nation's highest

https://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...ston-area.html

'I live just next to Cinco Ranch West and my tax rate is 3.62%, and my home insurance is about $2k annually on a 300k house.'

Personally I pay either 3.6 or 3.75% in Harris County...I forgot exact number.

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

Well, its more complicated, but in general:


Texas property taxes among the nation's highest - Houston Chronicle


https://www.city-data.com/forum/houst...ston-area.html


Personally I pay either 3.6 or 3.75% in Harris County...I forgot exact number.

Most people aren't paying an all in rate of 3.5%, certainly on an effective basis and not for the county. The biggest driver of your rates are probably school and mud/pud

You don't pay 3.6-3.7% on the full value of your house either, typically

[chris_ut]

You only pay 3.6% in the suburbs with MUD taxes. If you are in Houstin taxes are more like 2.9%

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

You only pay 3.6% in the suburbs with MUD taxes. If you are in Houstin taxes are more like 2.9%

Or an effective rate closer to 2%, picking a random house in oak forest they have a residental homestead exemption a total tax bill of 7640.00 on an appraised value of 378k is just over 2% effective

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

You only pay 3.6% in the suburbs with MUD taxes. If you are in Houstin taxes are more like 2.9%

And it's not that low, considering $1.5-4M typical house prices in real Houston (River Oaks, Rice University, West University, Memorial, Museum District).

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

And it's not that low, considering $1.5-4M typical house prices in real Houston (River Oaks, Rice University, West University, Memorial, Museum District).

The percentage is actually 2.6% without homestead exemption and closer to 2% with it. The home value doesn't change the percentages

[kickingprop]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

And it's not that low, considering $1.5-4M typical house prices in real Houston (River Oaks, Rice University, West University, Memorial, Museum District).

I didn't realize those were the "real Houston" areas...

We are in Oak Forest and as stated by LE, our listed tax rate is 2.559% and with Homestead we pay less than that. But then again, we aren't in real houston...

[Lowexpectations]

Originally Posted by kickingprop

I didn't realize those were the "real Houston" areas...

We are in Oak Forest and as stated by LE, our listed tax rate is 2.559% and with Homestead we pay less than that. But then again, we aren't in real houston...

What's "real" houston?

[Ghost Town]

Originally Posted by Lowexpectations

What's "real" houston?

Mostly within 610 loop.

River Oaks, Rice University, West University, Memorial, Museum District, Galleria area (little bit outside of loop, but comparable with these areas).