Comments for Hilton Head Real Estate News http://blog.gogated.com Hilton Head Real Estate News Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:28:44 +0000 hourly 1 Comment on Hilton Head Investment Properties by Buy Many Hilton Head Homes For Less Than $200,000 http://blog.gogated.com/hilton-head-investment-properties/#comment-32 Buy Many Hilton Head Homes For Less Than $200,000 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:28:44 +0000 http://blog.gogated.com/?p=358#comment-32 [...] who are looking for these kinds of homes include young families, first-time home buyers, singles, Hilton Head investors [...] [...] who are looking for these kinds of homes include young families, first-time home buyers, singles, Hilton Head investors [...]

]]> Comment on The Controversial 2007 South Carolina Real Property Reform Act by Jim Neal http://blog.gogated.com/the-controversial-2007-south-carolina-real-property-reform-act/#comment-42 Jim Neal Tue, 19 May 2009 14:56:42 +0000 http://blog.gogated.com/?p=351#comment-42 Very well said Lorraine. We also were aware of the 4% vs. 6% disparity between residents and NRs when we bought in 2007 but no one let on about the 2006 'Tax Reform' bill for fear we would back out of the deal. As non-residents we need to figure a way to get voting rights. Our home state allows voting in local referendums (along with many other states) for non-residents who own property valued over $1,000. I started a blog recently in an attempt to get a grsssroots movement going among non-residents. The address follows: http://scpropertytaxblog.blogspot.com/ Very well said Lorraine. We also were aware of the 4% vs. 6% disparity between residents and NRs when we bought in 2007 but no one let on about the 2006 ‘Tax Reform’ bill for fear we would back out of the deal. As non-residents we need to figure a way to get voting rights. Our home state allows voting in local referendums (along with many other states) for non-residents who own property valued over $1,000. I started a blog recently in an attempt to get a grsssroots movement going among non-residents. The address follows:
http://scpropertytaxblog.blogspot.com/

]]> Comment on The Controversial 2007 South Carolina Real Property Reform Act by Lorraine Gilden http://blog.gogated.com/the-controversial-2007-south-carolina-real-property-reform-act/#comment-41 Lorraine Gilden Mon, 18 May 2009 19:36:42 +0000 http://blog.gogated.com/?p=351#comment-41 Bill, Our Agent did not mention the new law when we bought our house in 2008 which we plan on moving to after retirement. We specifically asked about taxes and were told that "the taxes are crazy and noone knows what the assessor is doing". We understand why it was not laid out to us since the sale would have been affected, but believe it wasn't right. We were advised at closing that the taxes were now even more inequitable than we first understood. We knew about the homestead exemption rate, and understood that. The new 2007 law is nothing short of discriminatory and outrageous. It is not based on use of the resources, size of the property or anything else that mays sense. It was institued by lawmakers who believe that to get re-elected , they should stop at nothing to lower taxes. What they have accomplished is to lie to their constiuents about the true cost of operations and are praying that non-resident homeowners never make it their primary residence. Meanwhile, it will hurt real-estate values and force non-resident homeowners faster into foreclosure and sends a clear message that they can not handle a budget and they are really lying to the residents on what it really costs to live there. It serves noone in the end to stack all of the costs onto non-residents. And of course, it makes utterly no sense to force school costs onto taxpayers who can not send their children to school there. It is unethical, taxation without representation and may be unconstitutional. It is ripe for a class action suit. I am hoping that the legislature do the right thing without something like this, but have no reason to think that an entity that would pass this law to begin with has a conscience or any forethought as to its repercussions. Mainly it is a great disappointment to me as someone who hoped to make South Carolina my primary home ondeday that they operate like this. Bill,

Our Agent did not mention the new law when we bought our house in 2008 which we plan on moving to after retirement. We specifically asked about taxes and were told that “the taxes are crazy and noone knows what the assessor is doing”. We understand why it was not laid out to us since the sale would have been affected, but believe it wasn’t right.

We were advised at closing that the taxes were now even more inequitable than we first understood. We knew about the homestead exemption rate, and understood that. The new 2007 law is nothing short of discriminatory and outrageous.

It is not based on use of the resources, size of the property or anything else that mays sense. It was institued by lawmakers who believe that to get re-elected , they should stop at nothing to lower taxes. What they have accomplished is to lie to their constiuents about the true cost of operations and are praying that non-resident homeowners never make it their primary residence.
Meanwhile, it will hurt real-estate values and force non-resident homeowners faster into foreclosure and sends a clear message that they can not handle a budget and they are really lying to the residents on what it really costs to live there. It serves noone in the end to stack all of the costs onto non-residents. And of course, it makes utterly no sense to force school costs onto taxpayers who can not send their children to school there.

It is unethical, taxation without representation and may be unconstitutional. It is ripe for a class action suit. I am hoping that the legislature do the right thing without something like this, but have no reason to think that an entity that would pass this law to begin with has a conscience or any forethought as to its repercussions.

Mainly it is a great disappointment to me as someone who hoped to make South Carolina my primary home ondeday that they operate like this.

]]> Comment on The Controversial 2007 South Carolina Real Property Reform Act by Jim Neal http://blog.gogated.com/the-controversial-2007-south-carolina-real-property-reform-act/#comment-40 Jim Neal Tue, 05 May 2009 12:18:42 +0000 http://blog.gogated.com/?p=351#comment-40 Bill - Your story sounds identical to ours. The former owners of the property we purchased were residents so we were expecting around a 50% increase (6% vs. 4%) in property taxes. Our RE Agent also did NOT mention any of the tax implications of purchasing a property in 2007. Our last property tax bill, however, was 455% higher (approx $4,000) than a resident with an identical property. Our tax bill is also nearly double our neighbor's who also is a non-resident (purchased in 2004). Keep in mind that the disparity will most likely get even worse because of the 15% cap on values. Your 15% 'cap' will be larger than your neighbor who purchased his property prior to 2007. The additional burden of paying 100% of the school operating costs (residents pay -0-) is also outrageous. There is something un-American about these taxes but until the non-residents organize and get voting rights, it will never change. I only wish we could get out and go to NC but we can't. Bill – Your story sounds identical to ours. The former owners of the property we purchased were residents so we were expecting around a 50% increase (6% vs. 4%) in property taxes. Our RE Agent also did NOT mention any of the tax implications of purchasing a property in 2007. Our last property tax bill, however, was 455% higher (approx $4,000) than a resident with an identical property. Our tax bill is also nearly double our neighbor’s who also is a non-resident (purchased in 2004). Keep in mind that the disparity will most likely get even worse because of the 15% cap on values. Your 15% ‘cap’ will be larger than your neighbor who purchased his property prior to 2007.
The additional burden of paying 100% of the school operating costs (residents pay -0-) is also outrageous. There is something un-American about these taxes but until the non-residents organize and get voting rights, it will never change. I only wish we could get out and go to NC but we can’t.

]]> Comment on The Controversial 2007 South Carolina Real Property Reform Act by rkadesch http://blog.gogated.com/the-controversial-2007-south-carolina-real-property-reform-act/#comment-39 rkadesch Fri, 01 May 2009 21:48:44 +0000 http://blog.gogated.com/?p=351#comment-39 Bill: I recommend that you and anyone who disagrees with the new law make their opinions known, especially to the elected officials of Hilton Head Island and South Carolina. When I wrote this blog post, I sent a link to my State Representative for his comments, but he has not responded - yet. Bill:

I recommend that you and anyone who disagrees with the new law make their opinions known, especially to the elected officials of Hilton Head Island and South Carolina. When I wrote this blog post, I sent a link to my State Representative for his comments, but he has not responded – yet.

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