Reverse Mortgages - What Are They? Posted By : Barry Waxller
Reverse Mortgages - What Are They? Posted By : Barry Waxller
The great American Dream is to own a home. After all, it is a great nest egg investment. When you hit your retirement years, however, how do you turn the equity in the home into money you can use? Many suggest using a reverse mortgage.
Municipalities Killing The Goose That Lays The Golden Eggs Posted By : Dale Rogers
Areas of the country that have enjoyed a big run up in values the past year are now paying for it. Local tax assessors doing their jobs, based on comparable sales, are moving assessed values up to increasingly high levels. Housing affordability is a function of interest rates, housing prices and the taxes and insurance and income levels of the citizenry. With the recent run up, in some cases the property taxes have more than doubled. What is particularly disturbing is that many municipalities (NOT ALL OF COURSE) are awash in cash with this new surge in revenue. These governing bodies have the power to reduce the mill age rates to offer some sanity to these homeowners. Yes, there are always projects and departments that can use more cash, but every stinking penny of it? If elected officials awake from the coma caused by drinking out of the punch bowl filled with the euphoria of the new found tax monies it may give them cause to contemplate what is coming. In this case voters can exercise their rights while they are still in the district. Assessment levels can be reduced, and millage rates can be lowered and businesses can be evaluated on the basis of the Income Appraisal Approach with a reasonable return on investment. Comparable sales can squeeze the small business and investor out the door. This would be a fair policy to use the Income Approach for this segment of the market. Municipalities, counties, states need to adhere to recent budgets and commitments with community leadership responding with sound fiscal policy. Excessive taxation kills businesses and homeowners. Seems like there was a Tea Party in a harbor once.
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