File that Tax Appeal!

Yes you should especially if you live in Atlantic City! I am a homeowner and a Realtor and I file my tax appeal every year. It’s a one-page form A-1 that you can print out or pick up at the County tax office.

If you feel a little intimidated by the process, you can have your real estate agent assist you or do it for you and he or she may charge a small fee for their time. You can also have an attorney file the appeal for you. Keep in mind you will usually pay them by giving them a portion of the amount they save you. If you feel you can do it yourself, by all means get the form online or pick it up at the County office and the instructions are pretty simple and straight forward. However, if you don’t ask, the answer is ALWAYS NO!

I remember once at a listing appointment with an elderly couple and I asked them if they ever appealed their taxes and they looked at me like I had two heads and said No. I think the elderly sometimes feel it’s best to let whatever is in place stay in place with no fuss. However, that is not always in your best interest as a homeowner. You have a right to appeal your taxes if you feel they are too high.

What you are actually appealing is the Assessment, not your taxes. So you will have to do a little bit of work and research to present your case to the County tax board but it is worth it. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be NO. Don’t pay anymore taxes than you have to.

Listen up!

If I can be of assistance, please email me at sbhardy@kw.com.

To Your Health & Wealth,

Simone Hardy

Real Estate Chick Got Questions

Is Your Home an Asset or a Liability?

Hmmm…..Remember in 1997 when Robert Kiyosaki said that your home was NOT an asset? He shook the financial world to its very core and made a lot of enemies very quickly – homeowners and financial institutions alike.

Well, fast forward to 2015 and I, a Realtor by occupation, bought my first home and I am very proud of myself for achieving this goal. It’s wonderful to have a roof over my head whether a home or an apartment. I grew up in apartment life and that was a great experience as well. Since I never had a home, that was a goal I always wanted to achieve so kudos to me for accomplishing that. Yay.

Now, if you haven’t heard, the first question Robert Kiyosaki answered was, what is an Asset? The definition of an asset according to R.K. is something that put $$ into your pocket. Well, does a home put money into your pocket? That depends. Is your home a rental property? If your home is a rental property, then Yes it is an asset because other people are paying you. That money is not coming out of your pocket.

After I bought my home and started paying for Homeownership – property taxes, water, sewer, cutting the grass (because I don’t want to do it), homeowner insurance + flood (I live in a flood zone), I remembered the question that Robert Kiyosaki asked on that early morning Informercial that I was up watching because I couldn’t sleep and he said, “Your house is not an Asset! and the hosts eyes lit up and he was taken aback.

Robert went on to explain how if you are paying all of these expenses out of your pocket then it cannot be considered an asset of the person paying the expenses. I thought well this house is gonna have to start paying for itself because this can be overwhelming especially when you think that as we age and want to work less, these expenses still have to be met in order to live comfortably. Most of the older generation have pensions that may cover most if not all of these expenses. However, remember pensions and social security is currently at risk of not being able to stand the test of time as people are living longer than pensions may be able to pay for them.

So what to do? That’s why I asked the question on my last podcast, Curious! Can your Home Pay for itself? This question bought to mind the next logical question, Is Your Home an Asset or a Liability?

Take a listen and let me know what you think! We can continue the conversation.

I love my home and being a homeowner is a goal I wanted to accomplish and as a Realtor would love to help others accomplish as well. However, moving forward it may be time to look at Homeownership through different eyes and ask different questions.

If I can be of service, please email me at sbhardy@kw.com.

To your True Wealth – Your Health!

 

I am Curious! Can Your Home Pay For Itself?

Hmm….Can one’s home pay for itself? Well, let’s see. When we buy our home, we think about enjoying all of our great possessions – beautiful living room set, ceiling fans, fantastic big screen television, etc. Of course, we work hard to pay for the luxuries in life that we want including our home. But, what if you could turn the tables and have Your Home Pay for Itself?

What might that look like?

Listen to my Podcast on Anchor where I go into more detail. I welcome your thoughts and comments. Thank you for listening.

If I can be of service, please send me an email at sbhardy@kw.com.

To Your True Wealth – Your Health~~

 

 

5200!

That’s the magic number that Buyers need to have at a minimum for being able to complete the purchase of a home with a pre-approval of $100,000.00.

Fifty-Two Hundred Dollars is the amount a Buyer should be shooting for in order to have down payment and closing costs.  Most Buyers are depending on ACIA, Smart Start or First Front Door to cover these costs.

I speak about it in my podcast. Listen here,

Here’s to Your Success,

If I can be of assistance, please email me at sbhardy@kw.com.