Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Maybe the hits aren't as important as where the perusing stops. After three photos and the house I'm checking out starts to fall apart visually, that's the end for me.
As far as number of times looking at properties online, I have been house-hunting and purchasing for four different homes in the last 22 years. I'll look at a favorable listing many times for different reasons. The first, the photos really show the property well. The second or third time, after looking at quite a few, do I like it as much as the others I've seen? Sometimes it's just to refresh. So many homes, it can be dizzying. You look a number of times, too, to see if the house is actually worth a long drive to go see it, or do you like something just as much, closer? You then go to check out what the taxes are. All things being equal, that could be a deal breaker.
I have to agree that actual in-person showings are the best indicators with how your property is doing. But, first everything has to be done to make it picture-perfect so someone, if the house is irresistible, will go to any lengths to see it and possibly purchase it.
It took me almost a year to prep my last house for sale. Painting, cleaning behind furniture, under appliances with everything shining for the photos and in person. I don't know how often someone clicked on the listing and I was too busy to care because there were back-to-back showings and three offers in as many days. It's so worth it to make the house as nice as it can be, the marketing work for you, ultimately creating a nice home for someone and the opportunity to reap well-deserved rewards.
I suspect the houses with the highest number of hits/views are the ones that have been for sale the longest. Views would seem to have little to no correlation to sales.
You then go to check out what the taxes are. All things being equal, that could be a deal breaker.
Where do you go to find out how much the taxes are?
I have been checking realtor.com and various houses I have seen that are the same price, same city, can be different. I looked the county up it gives an average price.
In the listing it says what the tax assessment for the previous year is. But I have also heard that can change when you buy it. I'd like to Know the real deal because sometimes it is significantly different.
Desertrose34, it can be a real hunt with regard to taxes on a property. I have found the information on zillow for properties and, you're right, that could be the Homestead Exemption tax rather than the new owner's tax for the property. What I gauge, too, is the sequence of events tax-wise. A lot of the properties I have considered show tax increases every. single. year. for the past five or six years. That makes me wonder if they'll keep on going up!
If you're working with a realtor, have them set you up with a feed, if you haven't already. The "property synopsis" for each listing will also include the tax, but I would check the disclosures to see if it's affected by the Homestead Exemption which could represent a couple of hundred dollars less than you will be paying until you qualify.
The best of luck to you in your search. A good realtor will help you with a property's past history, its present and future - especially if the realtor is familiar with the area and is aware of revaluations being contemplated which could affect the taxes you will be paying.
Desertrose34, it can be a real hunt with regard to taxes on a property. I have found the information on zillow for properties and, you're right, that could be the Homestead Exemption tax rather than the new owner's tax for the property. What I gauge, too, is the sequence of events tax-wise. A lot of the properties I have considered show tax increases every. single. year. for the past five or six years. That makes me wonder if they'll keep on going up!
If you're working with a realtor, have them set you up with a feed, if you haven't already. The "property synopsis" for each listing will also include the tax, but I would check the disclosures to see if it's affected by the Homestead Exemption which could represent a couple of hundred dollars less than you will be paying until you qualify.
The best of luck to you in your search. A good realtor will help you with a property's past history, its present and future - especially if the realtor is familiar with the area and is aware of revaluations being contemplated which could affect the taxes you will be paying.
Where do you go to find out how much the taxes are?
I have been checking realtor.com and various houses I have seen that are the same price, same city, can be different. I looked the county up it gives an average price.
In the listing it says what the tax assessment for the previous year is. But I have also heard that can change when you buy it. I'd like to Know the real deal because sometimes it is significantly different.
For many, many areas, if you type in "(name of county or city) Tax Commissioner", it will find you the county or city department in charge of collecting taxes. If it's on-line (and most medium to larger size cities are, and an increasing number of small ones), just follow the instructions to pull up the tax records on a specific property. It's pretty much public record. You can look up your own, your neighbors, your inlaws, your boss . . . :-)
There are LOTS of discounts offered by various municipalities. Homestead (i.e., this is your primary home) exemptions, senior citizen discounts, veteran discounts, handicapped discounts -- the list can be pretty long. But you should be able to figure out a raw tax with the millage rate, value and a calculator.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
