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property taxes
Could Your Property Taxes Actually Be Getting Cheaper?
Property taxes are based on the value of one’s home. But as the real estate market collapsed and owners watched in horror as home values dropped by one-third, or perhaps half, their property taxes probably didn’t budge. Through …
Can a Website Help Reduce Your Property Taxes?
A company called ValueAppeal has been blanketing homeowners in Connecticut, Ohio, and New Jersey, among other places, with claims that it can help them appeal their home revaluations and reduce their property taxes—for a fee of …
Get Ready for Higher Property Taxes
The property taxes on my condo just went up 17%. That would be a breathtaking number if I wasn’t so used to it: Last year they jumped 16%. The problem here in New York City is that there are fewer real estate sales than during the boom, so the city has to make up the missing revenue from somewhere. And guess what? Existing homeowners are …
7 Odd Solutions for 7 Common Economic Problems
Could dog poop help communities meet their energy needs? Should the government give signing bonuses to unemployed people who accept job offers? Would a commuter loyalty program similar to the airlines get more workers to use …
City and State Budget Solutions: Give Away Land? Give Away Free Flights?
To plug budget gaps, local authorities are opting for what seems like a counterproductive route: They’re giving stuff away. Some of the freebies are supposed to entice newcomers who will be sources of tax revenues to move in, while other freebies would entire “undesirables” to leave and never come back.
Housing Market: Buyer Really Beware
It’s no secret that home sellers are having difficulty enticing buyers to step up with decent offers, or any offers for that matter. And in a market where buyers are in the driver’s seat, desperate sellers are more likely than ever to lie to make the home seem more desirable.
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Jon Corzine
“Let’s face it: Everyone’s property taxes are too damn high.”
Appeal Your Way to Lower Property Taxes
I wish I’d read this WSJ story three years ago, when I was cluelessly trying to appeal the tax assessment on our old house. The companies that towns hire to do assessments do quick, rudimentary work, which is why homes that are really worth about the same on the open market can be appraised at vastly different values—and therefore the …
