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I don't really understand how the local taxes are figured- for example, some of the Brockport homes we are looking at are $149,000 with $8,500 in taxes while others have $6,500. Similar square footage and lot size- .25 acres and around 2,300 square feet. Then, sometimes the realtors put: "Property taxes calculated without any exemptions." Is that a local thing? What are exemptions? I currently live in Charlotte, NC where we pay $2,300 per year with an assessed value of $211,000, .66 acres, and 2,800 square feet. We don't need much here in terms of city snow removal, and some schools are much better than others, but honestly, the NY taxes are what is scaring us at this point! Why are they so high?
We love the look of Brockport and need to keep the price under $149k and prefer to stay away from the higher snowfall areas. If anyone has any quaint, smaller town (with access to bigger areas) suggestions, I'd love to hear them. A nice member has already pointed me in a few directions the past few days, that's how I found out about Brockport!
I don't really understand how the local taxes are figured- for example, some of the Brockport homes we are looking at are $149,000 with $8,500 in taxes while others have $6,500. Similar square footage and lot size- .25 acres and around 2,300 square feet. Then, sometimes the realtors put: "Property taxes calculated without any exemptions." Is that a local thing? What are exemptions? I currently live in Charlotte, NC where we pay $2,300 per year with an assessed value of $211,000, .66 acres, and 2,800 square feet. We don't need much here in terms of city snow removal, and some schools are much better than others, but honestly, the NY taxes are what is scaring us at this point! Why are they so high?
We love the look of Brockport and need to keep the price under $149k and prefer to stay away from the higher snowfall areas. If anyone has any quaint, smaller town (with access to bigger areas) suggestions, I'd love to hear them. A nice member has already pointed me in a few directions the past few days, that's how I found out about Brockport!
Thanks!
It could be due to villages having multiple layers of services. Some may have has more exemptions that others or challenged their assessment. It depends on the community as well.
Homeowner generally get Basic STAR, but their are other potential exemptions(Veterans, Enhanced STAR, etc).
Another place that may work in the city of Canandaigua, as it has a similar look and feel. Due to being a city, it doesn't have multiple layers of services like villages. Geneva may be another small city to look into, as it also has a quaint feel in parts and the school district has been improving. It is also quite diverse for a city of its size.
There are also villages like Fairport, Spencerport and Churchville that have low power/electric rates due to getting it through NYPA and providing its own power/electric company. You would still have to check taxes, but it is nice to know that there is a relative reduction in another area.
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OP your coming from a locality with only one tax rate and a straight forward way to estimate your tax burden, NY taxes in layers County, Town, Village, Schools and it can add up. Here is a portal for finding the tax obligation on a property. propertyapp. Tax obligations in NY will run much higher than anything you have been used to, Monroe County has one of the highest tax burdens in the state. Good luck in finding your new home.
For Brockport: Monroe County, Town of Sweden, Village of Brockport (All rates per $1000 assessed value) Ref:Tax Tables | Monroe County, NY
County Taxes: $9.25
County Services: $1.31
Town Taxes: $2.45
Village: $11.80 (Village rates at the bottom of link)
School: $24.70 (Also on the same table)
Total: $49.51 per $1000 assessed value
This example may run higher if the home is part of the Town of Clarkson vice Sweden or if a special assessment is levied on the selected property.
Thank you, both so much! My husband and I were running the numbers last night, and an extra $750 a month just in taxes is insane to consider! With what we hope to be able to put down, that would almost be the same amount as our mortgage... We can't afford or justify that, but Brockport is sure pretty!! It reminds me of Chico, CA where I went to college- love those gorgeous Victorians and walkability. I will not be working for many more years (we have little kids), so there is no way I want to put that responsibility on my husband and cut it too close.
The Village of Naples looks really pretty and the taxes are half of Brockport! Is it as nice as it seems? There are some pretty homes on larger lots. I do see they tend to have septic versus city sewer...
Thank you, both so much! My husband and I were running the numbers last night, and an extra $750 a month just in taxes is insane to consider! With what we hope to be able to put down, that would almost be the same amount as our mortgage... We can't afford or justify that, but Brockport is sure pretty!! It reminds me of Chico, CA where I went to college- love those gorgeous Victorians and walkability. I will not be working for many more years (we have little kids), so there is no way I want to put that responsibility on my husband and cut it too close.
What is your budget? Some times, even with the property taxes, the total home price may still make out for similar homes in similar communities due to lower home prices on average/median rate. What kind of community in Charlotte would you be coming from? Is it urban, suburban, exurban, etc? This info shows the median home price of Mecklenburg County NC and Monroe County NY: Mecklenburg County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
I would look for the type of property you want and then do research on the community it is in. Given the type of home and neighborhood you want, smaller "cities" may be an option(Canadaigua, Corning, Auburn, Geneva, Cortland, Plattsburgh, etc) due to less/if any duplication of services compared to villages.
The primary reason why taxes are high outside of the Tri-State Area is the policies and mandates NY puts into place, and follows/has followed for years, are set forth in Albany, itself a place very out-of-touch with what goes on west of Schenectady. Those policies are set forth by Downstate lobbyists and politicians, most of whom have never visited any place west of Albany, and thus have no clue about how things are for working people in most of the rest of the state, in fact they could care less.
So union labor and tax policies which may or may not work in the Fiver Boroughs in NYC, are forced upon the rest of the state. Thus the tax burden is especially high, as the productive and semi-productive are propping up a massive and unsustainable public sector there in NY, with all of the legacy/retiree costs and whatnot which go with it.
The OP may also want to look at utility costs for a similar property, in order to get a realistic assessment of their monthly bills.
We have friends in Brockport, albeit on the edge of the village. Pretty quiet area.
The primary reason why taxes are high outside of the Tri-State Area is the policies and mandates NY puts into place, and follows/has followed for years, are set forth in Albany, itself a place very out-of-touch with what goes on west of Schenectady. Those policies are set forth by Downstate lobbyists and politicians, most of whom have never visited any place west of Albany, and thus have no clue about how things are for working people in most of the rest of the state, in fact they could care less.
So union labor and tax policies which may or may not work in the Fiver Boroughs in NYC, are forced upon the rest of the state. Thus the tax burden is especially high, as the productive and semi-productive are propping up a massive and unsustainable public sector there in NY, with all of the legacy/retiree costs and whatnot which go with it.
The OP may also want to look at utility costs for a similar property, in order to get a realistic assessment of their monthly bills.
We have friends in Brockport, albeit on the edge of the village. Pretty quiet area.
A lot of this is due to duplication and so many small forms of government as well. I believe the state has around 700 school districts, as an example and many have under 1000 students. You also have many villages, but some have consolidated with the town like Seneca Falls did a few years ago. Ironically, ITT/Gould Pumps in that community has seen some job growth in recent years.
I hadn't even thought of utility rates. Are they that bad? Our gas averages about $140 in winter and $25 in summer (we have gas for cooking and don't use it much when it's hot but there is a mandatory $20 charge just to have service). Our electric is about $150 in summer because of the AC and $50-60ish during the cooler months. Then, we have AT&T for Internet and phone, Directv for TV, and city water is about $65 a month.
The utilities are really not that bad at all. I've averaged about 130 over the last 12 months for gas and electric combined for 1500 sq ft. I pay $165 to Rochester Gas and Electric regardless of what my bill is and have actually accumulated a credit of $125. And this is in a community that doesn't have far less expensive rates such as Fairport.
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I will not be working for many more years (we have little kids), so there is no way I want to put that responsibility on my husband and cut it too close.
