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View Full Version : Relocating, NJ taxes are out of control



Buddyc
02-29-2012, 05:39 PM
. My Property taxes on a 40 year old home with 3 br is $9000 per year.
In Scottsdale a 5 bedroom house with 3 bath and a pool that is 5 years old, The taxes are $1900...
Just looking for a better life for me and my family.
We need to go where there is a good population of residence. Good schools of course. and not alot of seasonal owners. I have a painting company called We Paint Dreams. We do good quality interior painting from solid colors to intricate Faux finishing. I work with alot of designers up here but to be honest, Im feeling real stale.
I have been in South Jersey most of my life. Im about 20 minutes from Philly and 40 from Atlantic city.
So far we are looking into North Carloina And Arizona. Texas is worth looking into also. This could be the best move of our life or we could fall on our faces. My late father taught me not to be afraid to fail, Im not. But im also excited about the possibilities of succeeding.
Thoughts or locations would be appriciated.

Ed Donnelly
02-29-2012, 06:00 PM
WOW; When we bought our 4 bedroom ( not a big house though)
property taxes were $3,400 a yr. People in the mayors riding were paying $2,100
and the houses were triple the price of ours.. Now 18 yrs later, we are paying $2,400 a yr. If our taxes were what you are paying, we would be renting in an apartment.....Ed

tmh
02-29-2012, 06:46 PM
I would look into Texas as their economy has been stronger and the "Hill Country" is pretty with nice lakes. There is a reason those Texans are proud and would be happy to be their own country. No state income tax as well.
T.M. Hayes

woobs
02-29-2012, 07:18 PM
North of Toronto about 1/2 hour I'm paying $6,000 yr. (4 bedroom house). We don't have the opportunity to move to some place WARM.

I say run to Arizona..it's a fantastic place....and apparently you paint adobe.

BUIZILLA
02-29-2012, 07:30 PM
buddy... what is your millage rate?

Buddyc
02-29-2012, 07:39 PM
[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]
Millage rate? Out tax rate is .26 Basically if you have a house that is assessed at a million, you would pay $26000 a year. I now have a client in a house worth over 1.5. He pays $42000 a year in proprety taxes and he is a senior citizen. WTF

Anyone on Facebook can see what I do on http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/We-Paint-Dreams/197514436951804

Marvair
02-29-2012, 07:51 PM
Come to Texas and you will find no income taxes, yet. Our property taxes are slightly higher but $250k will get you a four bedroom 3000 sq ft mansion. Don't you know Everything is bigger in Texas.

Marvin.

Buddyc
02-29-2012, 07:56 PM
[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]

If in Texas, Should I focus around Houston? If not where?

Jraysray
02-29-2012, 08:08 PM
With your business it's a good match. The economy is very diverse. I have a friend who does window hangings. As the economy dips and dives he concentrates on different parts of town.

An example is when Nasa basically shutdown it put a lock down on the local Clear Lake area. So he concentrated on the Energy part of town which is more inside the loop. The energy biz keeps plugging away. When that shakes up he really concentrates on the Medical industry and vice versa.


It's not always peaches and cream but its survivable in the worst times and really good in the best times. Take into account the other points people have made and think about it.

Don't discount this place for all of the stereotypes. Take a visit and you might be surprised.


To be honest I’ve been to A LOT of places in this country. I have spent a fair amount of time in most places I have been including NJ. I can also honestly say I won't be here my entire life, however right now with a family it's a pretty good place to be. Texas.

Good Luck to you and your family.

gcarter
02-29-2012, 08:11 PM
You could do worse than Houston.
Houston is not a one trick pony. The economy is based on a number of industries.
Even the oil industry is multi-faceted, as a lot of the majors call Houston home, plus production, refining, and distribution.
Years ago when I was chasing engineering jobs, I worked at NASA during the Apollo days, moved to marine engineering/naval archetecture when NASA reduced its presence, then a stint designing truck mounted oil exploration equipment.
Then there's the agriculture segment, the port, and lots more.
Houston as a whole is hardly ever in a recession.

Jraysray
02-29-2012, 08:12 PM
George and I just said the same thing at the same time by accident.

Edit...
I just looked at your fb page and have work for you now... Very nice!

Buddyc
02-29-2012, 08:37 PM
Thanks Scott,
Im 47 and My wife is 34. Kids 4 and 7. Im just stale with the rat race up here and the attitude.
I want a place to raise my kids and enjoy life, Im still very thirsty for it and excited about the possibilities. Family is on board. We were thinking of maybe renting for a year and renting out my home here for the same year... If all goes well we can root up and buy then. Schools are most important and a place with a laid back atmosphere. We want to feel welcome :)
I figure if I network with designers, Builders and advertise in local papers. Maybe do some free backdrops in furniture stores I should be able to drum up enough to get the word out. Up here I pay 10% finders fee in cash for referrals... It works well for me.
Scott, I can hook you up if need be. MAybe you can be our tourguide if we come down
Parenting Magazing rates Austin Texas #2 in 2011 The top places to live, based on the quality of schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, jobs, and parkland

tmh
03-01-2012, 08:54 AM
I would be happy living in Austin but Houston may have more jobs or better wages. Spend a couple days in Austin and see if it looks kike you can survive the initial transition of getting a job and a place to live. I am amazed more unemployed people don't make the move to Texas, Utah, or North Dakota for that matter. We packed up and moved to Houston in 1978 when I got out of college and there were no jobs in Florida. I had a job by the end of the first week I got there. You will not regret it in the long run. The change in family values will be a positive experience. I wish you well in making making a big decision and I congratulate you on what should ultimately be a positive change for your family.
T.M. Hayes

Jraysray
03-01-2012, 09:34 AM
But for the opportunity I would move into this area. If you need any assistance PM me or any of the other members that have chimed in. We will be willing to help. Just the way we are wired down here. :us-texas:

Craig S
03-01-2012, 11:08 AM
Texas runs around 3% of market value (some more, some less, some pick up sales price)...closer to 2% if you're not in city limits AND not in a MUD (Municipal Utility District).

Less exemptions such as old age and homestead.

3% of 300k is $9000.

JimG
03-01-2012, 11:12 AM
Come on down! We'll give you the grand tour!

You'll like the area, gets a little warm in the summer but not unbearable. Mild winters...

Boating season is loooong! Folks are friendly, some good schools around and plenty to do. Short drives from Houston you are on the beach... or in the Piney Woods ... or in the friendly German Hill Country. Can't beat it!

And the economy is on a roll! All of the E&C's are hiring left and right, anything to do with energy is on fire. The trickle down effect is that money is being spent on housing/improvement and entertainment. The last Houston Boat Show broke all kinds of records in sales...

Jim

Dax McDavid
03-01-2012, 04:57 PM
:us-texas:

Marvair
03-01-2012, 06:48 PM
Here's our first scheduled get together:

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?66877-Texas-Salties-Fun-Runs-Yep-we-are-doing-TWO




Marvin.

badbird
03-01-2012, 07:16 PM
[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]

Buudy checked your facebook page.....very nice work....i think where every you go,you will do well with that work quality :)

Good luck :smile:

Buddyc
03-01-2012, 07:25 PM
Thank you Badbird, That is nice of you to say,
I contacted a realtor today about Houston Area. She recomends Humble TX, Its near Lake Houston and says the schoold are great. Im just looking into unemployment rates, Crime rates and population ( exciting stuff:doh:)
Its so important to make the right decision... My family is counting on it! No Pressure!:embarasse

LuauLounge
03-01-2012, 08:45 PM
Just a thought,
Move and rent. I was born in Sacramento, CA and lived within a 5 mile radius until I was 30, 4 different places, I owned two.
I moved south, 25 years ago, 15 miles away, rented and then bought, and it was a whole different world, not only weather wise, but also neighborhood wise. Again, this is not a long move. There is no crime, everyone knows all of the neighbors, we all party and travel together. Most residents have lived there for over 25 years, some for over 40, there are renters, they have been there since 1999. So, until you live in the neighborhood, you don't know what it is like. We are 300' from the Sacramento River and temperatures drop 10 degrees when the sun goes down, unlike all of my previous places.
In todays market, don't get stuck with something you can't unload. You can leave a rental on your terms, you can't if you own it. I would never relocate to any area and buy a place. Although moving is a pain, it can always be done on your schedule, with no financial issues.

Buddyc
03-01-2012, 09:38 PM
We talked about leasing a place for a year in an area we want to stay in. If we like it we can set roots or buy when were ready. We would also rent our home here in Nj for the same year.

zelatore
03-01-2012, 09:45 PM
(sorry about the momentary hijack, but...)

Hey LuauLounge, where are you? 15 miles south of Sac and on the river puts you in what - Courtland?

Just wondering....I'm about 30 miles south of downtown in Walnut Grove. Great little town, but the flatness of the delta is getting to me. Nowhere to ride the bikes!

VetteLT193
03-02-2012, 08:12 AM
FL is a great place. No state income tax. Reasonable property tax. Even if you go to a place in the state with less than perfect public schools the money you will save in property and state income tax will allow you to send them to the best private schools you can find.

I paid $3k in property tax this year. 2500 sq foot house, 4 bed 3.5 bath, nice lot (half acre) and nice neighborhood.

If I ever leave FL I'll look into Tenn., and Nevada. Texas has some of the higher property taxes in the nation. Nevada has lower property taxes and no state income tax. They also have limited Gov't which I prefer. Even their state legislature only meets every other year so they can only screw things up at half speed.

JimG
03-05-2012, 06:03 AM
Love Florida...

I'm in SE Texas, two miles from Galveston Bay. I paid $2500 for 13 acres (One acre not ag-exempted, small house w/pool and 30x50 barn)...

gcarter
03-05-2012, 06:55 AM
Of course the main problem w/Florida is the real unemployment rate is still about 10%.
There's lots of underemployed painters.

OTOH, if a person wanted to move to Florida, it's a great time to pick up a million dollar home for $300-400K.

I live in a gated country club comunity (Harbor Hills) near The Villages on the shore of Lake Griffin. In '07 my house appraised for $400K, and now it's down to $190,000. Taxes are low, about $1,600.

Buddyc
03-05-2012, 07:16 AM
I have inlaws that live n Naples and a good friend that lives in Bonita. My biggest concern was the seasonal residence and schools. I guess I could go work for the mouse, but the Orlando area isnt where I want to be. I would think too many vacationers.