What Houston’s real estate taxes look like in 2018
A real estate agent in Houston said she has been inundated with offers from prospective buyers seeking to purchase homes in the city.
The Houston real estate market is now one of the hottest markets in the country, but some Houston realtors are now worried that the tax rates in the area are going to skyrocket.
Houston realtor and real estate investor Karen Pappas said her firm has seen more than 1,000 offers for homes in Houston, and said she is still inundated.
The tax rates vary wildly in the Houston area, but most are double the national average, Pappis said.
Some Houston property owners are paying a 20 percent rate in 2018, while some are paying 25 percent.
Houston is one of 16 states that has passed new property tax legislation in recent years, but many realtresses and property owners said they are not confident that their properties are eligible for the tax breaks.
Many of the properties in Houston are located in neighborhoods that are heavily gentrified, Pindar said.
The gentrification in Houston means there is a higher concentration of wealthier families.
The real estate tax rate in Houston is now 20 percent, compared to 9 percent in other Texas cities.
Houston’s property tax rate is only double the average rate in the nation, Pregerson said.
Houston property taxes are being collected by the Harris County Commission, which is comprised of Harris, Brazoria and Tarrant counties.
But realtress Pappans said the commission has been unable to get any money from the Harris counties to pay for the new tax legislation.
The commission’s budget is set to run out at the end of the month, Plegerson said, and she said the real estate commission needs to find another way to pay the bills.
The new legislation does not address what happens to property owners that fail to pay their taxes, Puntis said, adding that the commission should also review how it collects taxes on properties that are not being used.
The Harris County Taxpayers Association has called for an audit of the new law.
The real estate agency, however, has not issued a statement about the audit.
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