dbj1000

Really? How many decades will it take for property taxes in states like Texas to catch up with the "capped" California taxes?

Mummy in the foothills

From talking to other USC's in some mid west and eastern states our property taxes are much lower it seems due to Prop 13. Other states re evaluate the house annually and up the tax accordingly.
Now that the house prices have dropped many people will apply for a reduction in the yearly tax, here.
For our house we pay about $2000 a year in property tax (a bit less if I remember right) of course the house is 16 yrs old and we bought it new. It's if you move every 4 or 5 years you get dinged as you pay based on the value of the last sale, and it increases slightly every year, but house price increases were going up much faster. (were being the important part here)
Before prop 13 people who owned their homes and retired were getting priced out of their homes at retirement as they couldn't afford the high taxes as they were based on the value of new sales in the area.

sdbritguy

If it hasn't been mentioned before, make sure hubby keeps his UK holiday allowance.

julians151

San Diego is one of the best places on earth...very laid back and down to earth people you wont find anywhere else in the world...do it.

Cape Blue

I think that might be the crux of the matter - you've owned the pad for 16 years and the property tax is based upon that price.

I've always thought Prop 13 was very unfair, I've seen two identical properties both with one couple living in them, and yet one paid $800 pcm property tax against the other at $100 pcm - seems somewhat unfair for the person paying 8 times more considering they are getting exactly the same level of service from the city/county as their neighbor.

Sally Redux

?? They go up 2% per annum, rather galling when the property value is plummeting.

scrubbedexpat091

But if you have owned your home for many years, your likely already paying less then someone in a state where its based on property values every year.

Better to pay the measly 2% in a down turn then to be priced out of your house from taxes in an up turn.

Anyone considering California should keep in mind its 9.3% unemployment rate as well.

Sally Redux

2% on a recent california purchase price is not measly

scrubbedexpat091

I would never have bought at the over priced values of the past few years, it was wise to wait for the bubble to burst, and it did.

Sally Redux

I do realise I was a twit.

Black Sheep

Wow, littleroux - unless you're a New Zealander yourself, I'd say it's a stroke of luck for you and your family that these other opportunities have come up for your husband, as I have a strong feeling (from the way you speak and from my own experience) you would NOT have been impressed with New Zealand. New Zealand NEEDS immigrants as not only do their own citizens, including the majority of their best and brightest, literally pour out of this 'paradise' at the rate of 50,000 per year, they have no other major source of revenue (immigrants prop up their beloved housing market amongst other things) outside of tourism and dairy. So they put an extraordinary amount of money and effort into promoting their country abroad to unsuspecting (and hopefully wealthy) potential immigrants with shameless exaggeration as 'clean, green, low crime, friendly, good schools, laid back lifestyle' etc etc. Now who can resist that picture?! A shame then that it's all 'spin' (to put it far too nicely than it deserves to be put!). The fact is that NZers are actually bragging openly these days about just how good they are at this kind of spin (it's been a hugely successful immigration campaign after all), so much so that they're talking about selling their 'spin expertise' overseas!! Just thought you might like to know this....

If you do make it to San Diego, do as others have suggested re making contacts from this board so that you have a support network already set up on arrival. Once there, you'll find that the easiest and quickest way with a younger child to meet other mothers/parents right away is to just take your child/children to the nearest-to-your-new-home playground/park every day, preferably at the time of day when it's 'busiest' - do this and I can almost guarantee that you will make American friends with similar-aged children very quickly... if you want to, anyway. Americans are generally extremely friendly and genuinely-interested-in-you people, but it CAN be difficult to get to meet ,and make friends with, them if you don't know where and how to...

But perhaps, seeing as you haven't posted recently, circumstances have changed?

tamms_1965

I didn't think you could be denied coverage by a US group plan for pre-existing conditions (Clinton years). When DH was added to my ins. here, all the company wanted was proof of ANY coverage in the UK (his NHS card was enought). No other questions asked.

tamms_1965

Esp. if you have a common medication that is available in generic form. I pay $4 at Walmart (and Kroger) for my generic prescription, which is $6 LESS than my copay.

Black Sheep

http://www.calpatientguide.org/v.html

tamms_1965

I haven't looked at the link yet, but I'm going to put a few bucks on it being a certain somebody with a "stout" avatar. Now I need to have a looksee...