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Old 01-24-2015, 09:48 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
One big area of financial concern for some (many?) retirees, looking ahead 5 to 10 to 20 years down the road, is around housing:

1. Property tax (actual) rise year to year, and % of rate hike year to year

2. The cost of replacements and repairs, even if today our home is newer, but especially if older (roof, furnace, plumbing, kitchen and bath updates, etc.)

3. If we live or go into a condo, not only the property tax but rising monthly condo fees

Retirees can be frugal if need be in most other areas (food, clothing, travel, use of car, etc) but these housing costs seem to be the wild card in long-term planning.

Personal perspective: The year-to-year % rate climb here where I am is something to ponder in our planning. And yet I see tax histories in online home listings in other areas of the country and notice not only hugely less amounts in prop taxes, but also very small rise in tax (and % rate of hike) year to year, and in some instances the prop tax even dips a bit!

General discussion?
Your concerns are why so many from the north move south.
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Old 01-24-2015, 10:59 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
Your concerns are why so many from the north move south.

Is the south exempt from rising property taxes, condo fees/taxes etc?
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Old 01-24-2015, 08:58 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brava4 View Post
Is the south exempt from rising property taxes, condo fees/taxes etc?

Not exempt, but if I start at 4,000 in FL and rise vs staying at 11,000 in NY and rise I am ahead of the game. Also, where I am the increase is capped at 2%.
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Old 01-25-2015, 06:30 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brava4 View Post
Is the south exempt from rising property taxes, condo fees/taxes etc?
Not exempt from property taxes but, a HELL OF A LOT cheaper.
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Old 01-25-2015, 06:36 AM
 
Location: Near a river
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quick Enough View Post
Not exempt from property taxes but, a HELL OF A LOT cheaper.
And you have to really wonder why. Other than the annual cost for a city or town to do snow plowing, there seems no reason for such high property taxes up North. The smaller populations in towns do not necessitate services on a large scale, and the larger populations in metros bear the burden of services across the larger population. I'm sure the Southern towns have public schools, police, fire personnel, trash service, and the like, and that their retiring personnel get pensions just as in the North. What gives?

I'd like to see the property tax on a comparable home in Atlanta and Boston.
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Old 01-25-2015, 08:39 AM
 
Location: DFW
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A reminder on Property Taxes is to contest the values every time they go up.
The Appraisal District wants them as high as possible and you want them low.

I protest mine almost yearly and work to keep them down.
Appraisals are just an opinion of value and condition. My opinion differs from the Appraiser.

Your friendly RE Agent should be able to give you a hand with this. Don't just blindly accept Value increases.
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Old 01-25-2015, 10:38 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
And you have to really wonder why. Other than the annual cost for a city or town to do snow plowing, there seems no reason for such high property taxes up North. The smaller populations in towns do not necessitate services on a large scale, and the larger populations in metros bear the burden of services across the larger population. I'm sure the Southern towns have public schools, police, fire personnel, trash service, and the like, and that their retiring personnel get pensions just as in the North. What gives?

I'd like to see the property tax on a comparable home in Atlanta and Boston.
In my experience, most of it is due to school taxes which relates to the salaries being paid to teachers/administrators. They are much higher north than south.

Police salaries are higher as well.
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Old 01-25-2015, 11:37 AM
 
5,544 posts, read 8,283,726 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newenglandgirl View Post
And you have to really wonder why. Other than the annual cost for a city or town to do snow plowing, there seems no reason for such high property taxes up North. The smaller populations in towns do not necessitate services on a large scale, and the larger populations in metros bear the burden of services across the larger population. I'm sure the Southern towns have public schools, police, fire personnel, trash service, and the like, and that their retiring personnel get pensions just as in the North. What gives?

I'd like to see the property tax on a comparable home in Atlanta and Boston.
My home in Cobb County GA, just outside of Atlanta was 2400 sq ft and $2200 in taxes. Hope that helps.
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Old 01-25-2015, 12:55 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brava4 View Post
Nah, not if you do the roof right, and proper color. I would never have a gray metal roof. Gray is very unappealing.
When I bought this building, I was given a choice in colors. The exterior walls are 'forest green' and there was 3 or 4 different options for the roof. I selected the silvery galvanized aluminum look. It might be ugly to anyone if it shined on them. I had not thought about that aspect. We live on 150 acres of dense forest. From our house, in all directions we can look we can only see our property. None of our neighbors can see us.

So I do not think it bothers anyone.
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Old 01-25-2015, 12:58 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theoldnorthstate View Post
My home in Cobb County GA, just outside of Atlanta was 2400 sq ft and $2200 in taxes. Hope that helps.
My home is exactly 2400 sq ft, along with 150 acres of land we pay under $1,000 in taxes.
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