Posted on 07/30/2023 6:46:24 AM PDT by george76
Like a lot of Coloradans, residents of Costilla County balked at the changes to their property values because of what it means for their property taxes. Higher values, higher taxes. The county assessor is in charge of determining that value, but the values that people are getting back don't make much sense to them right now.
Whether you are Joe C. Rodriguez who has lived in southern Colorado for 79 years, or Tom Philips who moved out there in 2021 for his retirement home, it's the same problem across the board. They both got increased values out of what they expected (even accounting for property value increases post-COVID). When they challenged that number, they both had their new, higher value raised even higher instead of lower. Joe's went from $207,000 up to $382,000.
...
Tom saw his new home went on the market for $375,000, then the sellers bumped it up to $400,000...but it never sold. He pulled the trigger in 2021 when it dropped back down to $250,000.
His assessment from the Costilla County Assessor came back as $425,879. He appealed, and the value jumped up to $495,000.
"It feels punitive," Tom said, referencing the increases after challenges.
...
Both Tom and Joe are now looking for new solutions to fight what they feel is a major mistake. They're looking to the state government to address the issues down at the county office, and Tom is starting a recall petition for the county assessor. Both are hoping their values can be adjusted to something more reasonable.
You also have Florida with the grandfathered Property Taxes, so that you can have two identical houses right next to each other, where one house pays two to three times more in property taxes than the other. Somebody’s gotta make up for that lost revenue.
It’s another reason I would not consider moving back to Florida right now, along with the ridiculous insurance situation. It’s a Sword of Damocles hanging over Florida, just like that next big Hurricane.
There will never be true freedom or capitalism as long as people cannot own property in America. We only rent from a tyrannical government. Just try not paying your property taxes. They will forcibly confiscate your home and sell it (rent it) to someone else.
This is the next step in private property seizure by a communist government.
“Colorado should have something like Prop 13 in California. It limits property taxes.”
Colorado has TABOR, but it isn’t the tax rate that is the problem, it is the assessed value of the property. Properties increased in value more than double over the past 10 years or so.
Assessed values are only part of what can be a very complicated equation. The variables include whether all properties are being assessed by the same standard (i.e., full market value); the number and types of properties that have been added to or removed from the tax rolls from the previous year; and government spending. There have been years when my real property taxes have gone down even though the assessed full market value of my house has gone up.
There are so many untold stories and secrets in the world of property assessments and taxes.
Years ago I knew someone who was the assessor for a small town.
He had to deal with constant harassment and threats from angry homeowners—almost daily.
In some cases the homeowners had legitimate issues—in some cases they were blowing smoke trying to game the system—but he took the same heat either way.
The life of a property assessor is always intense.
Local government leaders changed the rules a few years ago, in many locals, and change property values every year, in other words raise taxes. btw, the property value only increases and never decreases in these locals. Voting the criminals out also never causes the property values to decrease. The Citizens have no say on the unelected officials pushing for increased property values
Anyone that takes that job is the lowest of scum on the face of the earth and deserves everything coming to him. People need to fight against tyranny both with sound arguments and attack those that participate in tyranny. People have tried for decades by writing polite letters and opinion pieces. That doesn’t work.
“I have come to believe that Colorado is Mini- California.”
It is, in every respect. Lived there from 1984 to 2021. Live in the free State of Florida now, as do many others from Colorado.
Truth is, in many locals, unelected officials are determining how much Citizens pay in property taxes. Voting people out makes no difference. Unelected officials are calling the shots in many locations on property taxes
It looks like the problem in Colorado is that they’re jacking up the assessed values. This is part of what Prop 13 addressed in California, i.e. assessments can only increase 2% a year.
The one long time resident probably voted Republican.
It has becomè exactly that. I remember when land was $40 per acre. When it went to $100 per acre, people were shocked. But an acre of land in new england sold for $50,000.00 per acre so that hundred was a steal. And thus began the rising of property values. Rich, big names began to by up and the locals were priced out of the market.
Now, the elderly are being forced onto the streets because they can’t afford rents, either. It’s becoming a huge problem nation wide.
Those of you with homes and rising taxes, find a place to live where you can survive on the streets if need be. Buy a home there if you can. Then, when TPTB find a way to make you homeless, and you loose your home, you will be in a position to camp out and survive.
It sounds outrageous and radical, but its coming for the bulk of you.
There is a solution. I requires some balls and planning but unelected bureaucrats can be made to feel uncomfortable. Just saying.
“tu casa es mi casa”
The article is confusing on the key issue. Have sales prices for comparable properties moved up sharply since 2021? Did Tom buy at the nadir of the market due to the Covid collapse, then get the advantage of a sharp rebound?
The assessors must base the assessed value on multiple, real, independent sales of similar properties in the same area, and prorate for lot and house size, age, quality, special features, etc. There has to be a set time frame for all the valuations (they can’t jack Tom’s up yet more because values rose in the few months since they came up with the value he appealed).
When Tom sought a review, he would have been wise to provide multiple comps that supported the value he believed was accurate and fair, and make it harder for the assessors to cherry pick high outlier sales. If Tom believes the County pulled their high numbers out of their...brains...then he should sue. If lots of people have similar experiences, he might want to find a law firm interested in developing a class action lawsuit.
Last point: The County Commissioners will eventually look at the TOTAL TAX ROLL of all property values for each class (SF residential, raw land, commercial, vehicles, etc.) and the amount of revenue they project as required from property taxes, then concoct tax rates for each class to produce that revenue. Rising property values do NOT have to mean higher tax bills. Politicians love to use rising values as an excuse to extract more taxes and raise spending. If county spending is constant, tax rates should go down when values rise. Locals should protest spending increases.
This is happening everywhere. My home has doubled. So have my taxes.
“Anyone that takes that job is the lowest of scum on the face of the earth and deserves everything coming to him.”
Lol.
Usually they are naive folks who have no clue what they have stumbled into...and get their resumes out as soon as they figure it out....
We have a neighbor who has his house on the market for almost 200k over it’s assessed value.
Thank God no one is buying. It’s likely worth right around assessed value. Should it sell anywhere over that the county will jack everyone else’s values and collect even more.
On paper my house has already doubled in value (and tax)
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