Some questions are timeless and reappear regularly. Well known ones such as “Will you still respect me in the morning” and “Do I look fat in this” have been around forever. Newer ones such as how to get your website on google reflect the impact of technology.
Almost as sensitive is “why do my property taxes cost so much?” Its always a problem, seemingly also timeless and international. Its definitely a sensitive issue in Florida right now.
Property taxes are based on the County’s assessment of what your property is worth. So when prices in Florida increased enormously in the years between 2001 and 2006, homeowners experienced monstrous increase in their property tax bills - so much so that there are anecdotal tales of families moving out of Florida to states with less expensive taxes rates. Many of our international clients saw their bills virtually double within the space of three years and began to question the sense in owning real estate in a place where costs were literally out of control.
So, with the recent fall in house prices, the County should factor that into your tax bill for next year and you’ll pay less, won’t you? Well, maybe not. This article explains why you should not have high expectations:
This January, local tax authorities will begin to send out property assessments for 2009, telling homeowners what their property is valued at, and how much their tax bill is.
But many assessments won’t reflect any of the steep home price declines that have been making headlines for the last year or so.
And even if property assessments do drop, property tax bills won’t necessarily be any lower.
“I think you’re going to see a lot more taxpayer protest this year,” said Bruce Hahn, president of the American Homeowners foundation, a non-partisan consumer advocacy group.
Read the whole article and then decide if it’s time to write to your local County Appraiser.
