Reduce Your Escondido Property Taxes

Decline in Escondido Home Values

Prudential California RealtyMost Escondido home owners are aware that Escondido property values have been declining.  In many parts of San Diego County, the decline has been relatively dramatic. That decline may mean a reduction in Escondido property taxes, however.  Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment passed in California in 1978, allows a temporary reduction in assessed value (which is what your Escondido property taxes are based on) when a property suffers a “decline-in-value.” That decline in Escondido home value occurs when the Escondido real estate market value of the Escondido property is less than the assessed value as of January 1st.  Does a decline in a property’s market value require a reduction in Escondido property taxes? The answer is that it depends on the Market Value and the Taxable Value.

 

  • Market Value – Is how much the property would sell for (the unconditional sales price)
  • Taxable Value – Is established by the Assessor, (the Prop. 13 value), and this value may be increased by a
    CPI factor of up to 2% per year as specified by California laws

A temporary reduction in Escondido property taxes can only be granted if the Escondido home Market Value falls below the Prop. 13 value (Taxable Value).   Some property purchased in 2005, 2006 and 2007 would be the most likely to qualify. Property is valued for property tax purposes each year as of January 1. If you’d like information about recent comparable sales in the Escondido real estate  area to see what today’s value may be, simply contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.   I’d be happy to help you!

Grade Your Realtors Website

Shop and Compare

Gary's GradeNo matter what you decide to buy in life, you always shop and compare and try to make sure you are getting the best value for your money.  Before you hire an Escondido Realtor to sell your home, you should definitely do the same thing.  After all, your Escondido property is probably your most important investment.

According to the San Diego North County Association of Realtors over 87% of Escondido home buyers start their search on the Internet. Before you hire someone to sell your Escondido property, you want to make sure they will maximize the chance of Selling your Escondido home. Is there an objective way to measure your Escondido Realtors website marketing effectiveness?  There are really two ways and the first is called Website Grader.

Website Grader

Website Grader is a free tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of your Escondido Realtors website. It provides a score that incorporates things like website traffic, SEO, social popularity and other technical factors. To use Website Grader go to the webpage: http://websitegrader.com/.  Enter the url address of any Escondido Realtor webpages that you would like to check. Then click on the box that says “Generate Report.” The higher the score the more effective is the Realtors website. The Website Grader score of Gary Harmon.com is “89.”

Google Keywords

The second way to grade your Escondido Realtors website is to see how it ranks in Google. Go to http://www.google.com/ and type in different search words that should apply to selling your Escondido real estate. Try “escondido realtor, escondido real estate, or escondido homes.” A good Escondido realtors webpage is found on page one or two of Google.

Pick the Best

Before you list your Escondido home, check out your Realtors website. Pick an Escondido Realtor that has a site that will mazimize the chance of getting the most visitors to their site. Pick a site with a high Website Grader Score and a high Google page rank. Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor has such a site. Hire Gary Harmon with Prudential California Realty and put Gary’s winning team to work for you.

Advice for Buyers

Escondido home buyers should be aware as long as incentives are in place Escondido home sales in the conforming loan ranges will be brisk.
Get pre-qualified with a reputable lender like HomeServices Lending powered by Wells Fargo.  Keep mortgage interest rates in perspective
with Escondido real estate prices. The historical median for mortgage interest rates is 9%, over three and a half points higher than it is today. Home prices are almost where they were ten years ago in some areas of Southern California. If you pay a higher interest rate now than last month, remember you’re way ahead on price.

The graph below shows how many months of  home inventory is on the market by price.  For more information, contact Gary Harmon, you informed Escondido Realtor.  Please click on graph to enlarge.

Months of Inventory

Escondido Property Tax Refunds -Where Are They?

Escondido Property TaxProperty Tax Refunds on Escondido Real Estate

Where is your Escondido property tax refund on your Escondido home.  The price of your Escondido property has gone down every year for the last four or five years. You have filed a request with the County to refigure your assessed value on you Escondido home, but you keep paying the high property taxes here in San Diego.  You are in the same  boat as thousands of other Escondido home owners.
I am including an article from the North County Times to expose the problem.

“The San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s office continues to take in millions of dollars more in property taxes than is owed and then lags in returning the money to taxpayers, according to a 2009 audit. The examination of the treasurer’s property tax refund account concluded that nearly $8 million needed to be refunded or funneled to the county’s general fund if the person or entity who was owed the money could not be located.

It’s been a problem that stretches back to 2003 and has dragged on, despite a series of examinations in the years since. The most recent independent audit, conducted over nine months by the firm of Kessler International, found a variety of problems in how the treasurer’s office manages what is known as the Property Tax Trust and Refund account. That report was issued in March but never shared with the public.” Of course, this is an election year and Dan is running again.

This problem will not be easily solved, but Dan McAllister vows changes are being implemented to correct years-old problem.  If you would like to find out how to lower your property taxes, contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.  Gary Harmon will provide you with a property tax reassessment form along with instructions on how and when to file.

Escondido Homes for Sale and Escondido Foreclosures

Welcome to my Escondido Homes featured listing page.  Click on the hot links below by price to get a fast start.  If you would like to see an area not shown you can set up your own personalized search by zip code, area, price, features, and much more.  Start your own custom serarch here.   You can also see Escondido foreclosures, auction, or pre-forclosure homes at “Free Foreclosure Search.”  For a personalized tour of any of these Escondido homes contact Gary Harmon.
Escondido Homes $300k – $400k
Escondido Homes $400k-$500k
All Other Price Ranges 
See Video and learn how to SEARCH LIKE AN AGENT!

San Marcos Homes and San Marcos Foreclosures

 

San Marcos Homes for Sale $300k  – $600k

Welcome to my San Marcos Homes featured listing page.  Click on the hot links below by price to get a fast start.  If you would like to see an area not shown you can set up your own personalized search by zip code, area, price, features, and much more.  Start your personalized custom serarch here.   You can also see San Marcos foreclosures, auction, or pre-forclosure homes at “Free Foreclosure Search.”  For a personalized tour of any of these San Marcos homes contact Gary Harmon, your San Marcos Realtor.
San Marcos Homes $300k – $400k
San Marcos Homes $400k-$500k
San Marcos Homes $500k-$600k
All Other Price Ranges
San Marcos Foreclosures
See Video and learn how to SEARCH LIKE AN AGENT!

North County MLS Search

North County Homes MLS Search

Search all of San Diego North County by clicking on the picture above or use the individual searches below to search by community.

Escondido Quick Homes Search

Carlsbad Quick Homes Search  

Oceanside Quick Homes Search  

Vista Quick Homes Search  

San Marcos Quick Homes Search 

Encinitas Quick Homes Search  

Search for Escondido real estate and other San Diego North County homes by map or location.  This Quick Homes search allows you use the popular map search or enter your detailed search paremeters.  Enter here for your North County MLS Search.

Free Foreclosure Search

Free Foreclosure SearchUse Foreclosure Radar, America’s favorite foreclosure search, to search for auction , pre-foreclosues, and Escondido foreclosures.  Start searching now with Free Foreclosure Search.  Please be patient it takes a few seconds to load the search map.

ListingBook Search

Search for Escondido real estate and Escondido foreclosures like a Pro.  Get a free Listingbook account here and search all Escondido homes for sale.  Listingbook lets you set up your own Escondido property search parameters.  You are notified when new Escondido homes for sale come on the market or when there is any type of price reduction on the Escondido property.  Listingbook is always up to date and is affiliated with the San Diego North County multiple listing service.  Join Listingbook, and search like an agent!

Saftey Tips to Protect Your Escondido Home

House FireHere in San Diego North County winter is upon us.  We are getting our usually limited rain, and the mornings and nights are a little chilly.  If you are thinking of using a small portable heater in you Escondido home please observe these safety tips.

  • Don’t use an extension cord  to plug in your heater in you Escondido home.  Using any type of cord will greatly increase the chance of a home fire.
  • Don’t use your heater on the same circut in your Escondido home as other electrical appliances that use a lot of electricity.  The circuit in you Escondido property could easily overload.
  • Don’t use your portable heater near sources of combustion in you Escondido real estate.  For example, a lot of heaters in your Escondido home should not be used on carpets or under desk or counters.

A little common sense will go a long way in helping help protect your Escondido real estate.  House fires here in Escondido and San Diego North County are the single biggest source of diasters that effect most people.  There is a house fire every 28 hours according  to the San Diego American Red Cross.  For more helpful information or to buy or sell an Escondido property, contact Gary Harmon, your Escondido Realtor.