Reminder: Your massive property taxes are due

[blahblahblah]

The 2800 sq ft semi-custom house with a pool in a great area of Plano that was $250k at purchase 2 years ago costs me about $4500 a year in property taxes.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%? So your house appraised at $210K? That is a good deal for a great area of Plano.

Also how are your energy bills? Yard and pool maintenance?

Texas is a good value but it isn’t as cheap as you might think. It is less expensive than here on the whole.

[Anonymous]

The comparisons on home value don’t matter, because salaries in those other states are lower and health care costs are higher.

Well, they matter to us, but we are unusual in that we both work from home for different Silicon Valley companies. But his job is one where if he worked from the office, he could have transferred and the salary is not less here.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%?

Looks like 2.1%. But remember homestead exemption. Appraised at $236k actually (which is quite close to what we paid – I was rounding before because I didn’t have the paperwork in front of me at the time) and taxes are $4400.

You got me on the utilities though. I think with the pool and all and the fact that we are home all day every day, we pay on average about $400 per month between gas and electricity with $90 or so for water/sewer/trash. That’s about $100 more than we paid for a like house in Temecula.

I don’t see the original article any more, but I know Plano was rated best place to build wealth by Salary.com a couple years ago.
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/30/daily7.html

I’m a native Californian though, so while I do think this was a smart move for us, I really miss California. In 2005, our Temecula house was worth $450k and the similar Plano house was $240k. Now the Temecula house is at about $250k (hard to tell with all the short sales what the real prices are) and the Plano house is still probably close to $240k. $500k houses give me sticker shock now, and we don’t want to live as far out of a big city as Temecula anymore, so that’s why we’re thinking of Phoenix with plenty of San Diego visits. I’d like to stay here another few years, but I don’t want to stay so long that prices are high again out there and still low here. It’s a hard call. Been reading Piggington forever and still keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the housing market.

[Anonymous]

The comparisons on home value don’t matter, because salaries in those other states are lower and health care costs are higher.

Well, they matter to us, but we are unusual in that we both work from home for different Silicon Valley companies. But his job is one where if he worked from the office, he could have transferred and the salary is not less here.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%?

Looks like 2.1%. But remember homestead exemption. Appraised at $236k actually (which is quite close to what we paid – I was rounding before because I didn’t have the paperwork in front of me at the time) and taxes are $4400.

You got me on the utilities though. I think with the pool and all and the fact that we are home all day every day, we pay on average about $400 per month between gas and electricity with $90 or so for water/sewer/trash. That’s about $100 more than we paid for a like house in Temecula.

I don’t see the original article any more, but I know Plano was rated best place to build wealth by Salary.com a couple years ago.
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/30/daily7.html

I’m a native Californian though, so while I do think this was a smart move for us, I really miss California. In 2005, our Temecula house was worth $450k and the similar Plano house was $240k. Now the Temecula house is at about $250k (hard to tell with all the short sales what the real prices are) and the Plano house is still probably close to $240k. $500k houses give me sticker shock now, and we don’t want to live as far out of a big city as Temecula anymore, so that’s why we’re thinking of Phoenix with plenty of San Diego visits. I’d like to stay here another few years, but I don’t want to stay so long that prices are high again out there and still low here. It’s a hard call. Been reading Piggington forever and still keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the housing market.

[Anonymous]

The comparisons on home value don’t matter, because salaries in those other states are lower and health care costs are higher.

Well, they matter to us, but we are unusual in that we both work from home for different Silicon Valley companies. But his job is one where if he worked from the office, he could have transferred and the salary is not less here.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%?

Looks like 2.1%. But remember homestead exemption. Appraised at $236k actually (which is quite close to what we paid – I was rounding before because I didn’t have the paperwork in front of me at the time) and taxes are $4400.

You got me on the utilities though. I think with the pool and all and the fact that we are home all day every day, we pay on average about $400 per month between gas and electricity with $90 or so for water/sewer/trash. That’s about $100 more than we paid for a like house in Temecula.

I don’t see the original article any more, but I know Plano was rated best place to build wealth by Salary.com a couple years ago.
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/30/daily7.html

I’m a native Californian though, so while I do think this was a smart move for us, I really miss California. In 2005, our Temecula house was worth $450k and the similar Plano house was $240k. Now the Temecula house is at about $250k (hard to tell with all the short sales what the real prices are) and the Plano house is still probably close to $240k. $500k houses give me sticker shock now, and we don’t want to live as far out of a big city as Temecula anymore, so that’s why we’re thinking of Phoenix with plenty of San Diego visits. I’d like to stay here another few years, but I don’t want to stay so long that prices are high again out there and still low here. It’s a hard call. Been reading Piggington forever and still keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the housing market.

[Anonymous]

The comparisons on home value don’t matter, because salaries in those other states are lower and health care costs are higher.

Well, they matter to us, but we are unusual in that we both work from home for different Silicon Valley companies. But his job is one where if he worked from the office, he could have transferred and the salary is not less here.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%?

Looks like 2.1%. But remember homestead exemption. Appraised at $236k actually (which is quite close to what we paid – I was rounding before because I didn’t have the paperwork in front of me at the time) and taxes are $4400.

You got me on the utilities though. I think with the pool and all and the fact that we are home all day every day, we pay on average about $400 per month between gas and electricity with $90 or so for water/sewer/trash. That’s about $100 more than we paid for a like house in Temecula.

I don’t see the original article any more, but I know Plano was rated best place to build wealth by Salary.com a couple years ago.
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/30/daily7.html

I’m a native Californian though, so while I do think this was a smart move for us, I really miss California. In 2005, our Temecula house was worth $450k and the similar Plano house was $240k. Now the Temecula house is at about $250k (hard to tell with all the short sales what the real prices are) and the Plano house is still probably close to $240k. $500k houses give me sticker shock now, and we don’t want to live as far out of a big city as Temecula anymore, so that’s why we’re thinking of Phoenix with plenty of San Diego visits. I’d like to stay here another few years, but I don’t want to stay so long that prices are high again out there and still low here. It’s a hard call. Been reading Piggington forever and still keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the housing market.

[Anonymous]

The comparisons on home value don’t matter, because salaries in those other states are lower and health care costs are higher.

Well, they matter to us, but we are unusual in that we both work from home for different Silicon Valley companies. But his job is one where if he worked from the office, he could have transferred and the salary is not less here.

Really? Aren’t property taxes in Plano around 2.15%?

Looks like 2.1%. But remember homestead exemption. Appraised at $236k actually (which is quite close to what we paid – I was rounding before because I didn’t have the paperwork in front of me at the time) and taxes are $4400.

You got me on the utilities though. I think with the pool and all and the fact that we are home all day every day, we pay on average about $400 per month between gas and electricity with $90 or so for water/sewer/trash. That’s about $100 more than we paid for a like house in Temecula.

I don’t see the original article any more, but I know Plano was rated best place to build wealth by Salary.com a couple years ago.
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2008/06/30/daily7.html

I’m a native Californian though, so while I do think this was a smart move for us, I really miss California. In 2005, our Temecula house was worth $450k and the similar Plano house was $240k. Now the Temecula house is at about $250k (hard to tell with all the short sales what the real prices are) and the Plano house is still probably close to $240k. $500k houses give me sticker shock now, and we don’t want to live as far out of a big city as Temecula anymore, so that’s why we’re thinking of Phoenix with plenty of San Diego visits. I’d like to stay here another few years, but I don’t want to stay so long that prices are high again out there and still low here. It’s a hard call. Been reading Piggington forever and still keeping a close eye on what’s going on in the housing market.

[all]

[quote=meadandale]
My neighbor, who is in his 80’s, bought his house when it was brand new….in 1954. He paid $10k for it.

Would it be fair for him to pay over $4k/year (what I pay)…or almost half the price he paid for the house, every year in property taxes? Does that make sense?

He’s living on a fixed income. I can guarantee that he does not have the money to pay that property tax bill. Should we just kick him out of the house?

Spending in this state has exceeded population growth and inflation in every way imaginable. There is NO revenue problem in CA…there is a SPENDING problem.[/quote]

Your neighbor uses the communal facilities the same way your other neighbor who bought last year does. Yet the new neighbor could be contributing many times more.

If the goal is to lessen the cost for the low income people then the criterion needs to be the income, not the purchase date.

[all]

[quote=meadandale]
My neighbor, who is in his 80’s, bought his house when it was brand new….in 1954. He paid $10k for it.

Would it be fair for him to pay over $4k/year (what I pay)…or almost half the price he paid for the house, every year in property taxes? Does that make sense?

He’s living on a fixed income. I can guarantee that he does not have the money to pay that property tax bill. Should we just kick him out of the house?

Spending in this state has exceeded population growth and inflation in every way imaginable. There is NO revenue problem in CA…there is a SPENDING problem.[/quote]

Your neighbor uses the communal facilities the same way your other neighbor who bought last year does. Yet the new neighbor could be contributing many times more.

If the goal is to lessen the cost for the low income people then the criterion needs to be the income, not the purchase date.

[all]

[quote=meadandale]
My neighbor, who is in his 80’s, bought his house when it was brand new….in 1954. He paid $10k for it.

Would it be fair for him to pay over $4k/year (what I pay)…or almost half the price he paid for the house, every year in property taxes? Does that make sense?

He’s living on a fixed income. I can guarantee that he does not have the money to pay that property tax bill. Should we just kick him out of the house?

Spending in this state has exceeded population growth and inflation in every way imaginable. There is NO revenue problem in CA…there is a SPENDING problem.[/quote]

Your neighbor uses the communal facilities the same way your other neighbor who bought last year does. Yet the new neighbor could be contributing many times more.

If the goal is to lessen the cost for the low income people then the criterion needs to be the income, not the purchase date.

[all]

[quote=meadandale]
My neighbor, who is in his 80’s, bought his house when it was brand new….in 1954. He paid $10k for it.

Would it be fair for him to pay over $4k/year (what I pay)…or almost half the price he paid for the house, every year in property taxes? Does that make sense?

He’s living on a fixed income. I can guarantee that he does not have the money to pay that property tax bill. Should we just kick him out of the house?

Spending in this state has exceeded population growth and inflation in every way imaginable. There is NO revenue problem in CA…there is a SPENDING problem.[/quote]

Your neighbor uses the communal facilities the same way your other neighbor who bought last year does. Yet the new neighbor could be contributing many times more.

If the goal is to lessen the cost for the low income people then the criterion needs to be the income, not the purchase date.

[all]

[quote=meadandale]
My neighbor, who is in his 80’s, bought his house when it was brand new….in 1954. He paid $10k for it.

Would it be fair for him to pay over $4k/year (what I pay)…or almost half the price he paid for the house, every year in property taxes? Does that make sense?

He’s living on a fixed income. I can guarantee that he does not have the money to pay that property tax bill. Should we just kick him out of the house?

Spending in this state has exceeded population growth and inflation in every way imaginable. There is NO revenue problem in CA…there is a SPENDING problem.[/quote]

Your neighbor uses the communal facilities the same way your other neighbor who bought last year does. Yet the new neighbor could be contributing many times more.

If the goal is to lessen the cost for the low income people then the criterion needs to be the income, not the purchase date.

[briansd1]

captcha, I agree that Prop 13 is regressive.

* It penalizes new entrants to the California property market (renters indirectly).

* It does not take into account income and wealth.

I still support Prop 13 because:

* We don’t need to give government any more money, right now.

* We already have universal education and there’s nothing that says that education should be of a certain quality.

* I have no interest in paying more for other people’s children. We already do. And what’s to say that education shouldn’t be rationed like health care?

* I could only support a change to Prop 13 if property taxes were made more progressive but didn’t add to the total amount local governments collect.

[briansd1]

captcha, I agree that Prop 13 is regressive.

* It penalizes new entrants to the California property market (renters indirectly).

* It does not take into account income and wealth.

I still support Prop 13 because:

* We don’t need to give government any more money, right now.

* We already have universal education and there’s nothing that says that education should be of a certain quality.

* I have no interest in paying more for other people’s children. We already do. And what’s to say that education shouldn’t be rationed like health care?

* I could only support a change to Prop 13 if property taxes were made more progressive but didn’t add to the total amount local governments collect.

[briansd1]

captcha, I agree that Prop 13 is regressive.

* It penalizes new entrants to the California property market (renters indirectly).

* It does not take into account income and wealth.

I still support Prop 13 because:

* We don’t need to give government any more money, right now.

* We already have universal education and there’s nothing that says that education should be of a certain quality.

* I have no interest in paying more for other people’s children. We already do. And what’s to say that education shouldn’t be rationed like health care?

* I could only support a change to Prop 13 if property taxes were made more progressive but didn’t add to the total amount local governments collect.

[briansd1]

captcha, I agree that Prop 13 is regressive.

* It penalizes new entrants to the California property market (renters indirectly).

* It does not take into account income and wealth.

I still support Prop 13 because:

* We don’t need to give government any more money, right now.

* We already have universal education and there’s nothing that says that education should be of a certain quality.

* I have no interest in paying more for other people’s children. We already do. And what’s to say that education shouldn’t be rationed like health care?

* I could only support a change to Prop 13 if property taxes were made more progressive but didn’t add to the total amount local governments collect.

[Author]

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