Texas Property Tax Tips
Archive for ‘Market Values’
Are High End Homes the Next Shoe to Drop?
In 2010 the higher end of the Texas residential market may be in for significant price declines, especially since adjustable rate mortgages could rise either due to contractual resets or rising interest rates or both.
Whither Texas Home Values 1st Q 2010?
Mortgage rates — at or below 5% — are at their lowest level since the middle of the last century. But If the Fed’s program to keep rates artificially low ends March 31 and the home buyers’ tax credit ends April 30, values in the first quarter of 2010 could be artificially inflated.
Home owners who protest their valuations in 2010 need to be aware of the fleeting nature of some comparable sales statistics.
Property Taxes and Sales Taxes — There’s a Connection
Sales tax collections — the revenues that fuel local municipalities’ operations — fell statewide 11.4% in November, from $310 million to $274.5 million, according to the Texas State Comptroller’s Office. The effect on property owners is a likely increase in their tax rates.
An owner’s main recourse is to seek a lower taxable value through protesting his or her property’s assessment.
Homebuyers’ Tax Credit Effect on the Market
When the extended home buyers’ tax credit expires again in April the housing market will have to stand on its own. Some observers wonder whether it can.
DFW Apartment Market 3rd Q 2009
More than 11% of DFW rental apartment units were vacant at 12/31/2009, the highest level in twenty years. And rental rates in 2009 were down 2.6% from 2008.
The outlook does not look bright for occupancy or rental rates because
Financing: when less is more
“Mortgage interest is deductible, so reach for the stars.” But trouble with maxing out your mortgage is two fold:
Houston Homes Sales November 2009
November was the third consecutive month that Houston home sales increased year over year, up 33% from November 2008 according to Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) data, but the presence of the increase may be more significant than its size. It was attributable in part to the lingering effects of Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the impending expiration . . .
Tax Free Profit: a homeowner’s dream come true?
Married taxpayers can sell their home and keep ALL the profits up to $500,000; single taxpayers up to $250,000. It’s one of the best shelters available in the Internal Revenue Code. But for those who improve their homes, there’s a hitch
New homebuyers: out on a limb or safe at home?
In 2010 reality dictates that, since appreciation is not automatic, buyers get more realistic and match their reach to their grasp.
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