One of the reasons that my husband and I do not own our own home yet is because of property tax. Though we live in a really great area that has some of the best schools in our state, the rate of tax is much higher than almost anywhere in the country. We do not live in an urban area, so this is somewhat of a mystery. We aren’t sure why it is, but people here are paying more tax on their property than they should be. Perhaps that is why we have such good schools, I really don’t know, but I do know that is why we don’t own just yet.
Many people don’t consider property tax when they decide they can afford to buy their own home. They may think they can get a mortgage that is equivalent to what they pay in rent. That might very well be true, but you can not forget about property tax when you are deciding if you can afford the mortgage or not. There are many hidden things that come with home ownership, and that is just one. You are also going to have to make your own repairs, and you are going to buy your own appliances. These are things most landlords take care of when you rent from them. When you buy a house, those things fall on you.
You might want to find out what your property tax might be before you buy something. Though this is a smart move, some don’t do it, and they are shocked when they get their first tax bill. This can ruin the dream of home ownership for many. If yours are high like mine are, you may not be able to get the house you think you can afford. You may have to go with something smaller so you can have a smaller monthly house payment. That might be the only way you can afford your property tax.
If you can’t pay your property tax, you should know that you could very easily lose your house this way. If you are having problems paying it, you have to talk to your bank. They may be able to extend you more of a loan to cover it, but don’t expect them to do that more than once or twice. Only do that if you have an emergency, and remember that it’s not free money, you still have to pay it back. In many cases, the bank won’t help you with that, and you will be on your own.
