The taxman!

Being a homeowner is stressful!! It's that time of year, when the county tax assessor updates their records. I got a notice that the "taxable value" of my home had increased by some $20,000! I wasn't aware that I had sunk $20,000 into home renovations lately. And that's because I didn't. What happened, seemingly overnight to raise the "taxable value" of my house by $20,000? IT SOLD. Yes, I bought it last year. Unfortunately that little transaction caught the attention of the tax assesssor, and they re-valued the property for the first time in ten years. Ouch.

I'm just holding my breath over how much this will raise my monthly payment. See, even when you don't have some predatory-lender-backed ARM, your monthly payment can still rise!

Boo.

A little bit of saving grace from this letter that informed me of the $20,000 valuation hike, though: I get an extension in filing for my homestead exemption. I goofed. I thought the deadline for applying was April 15, since that tends to be a widely popular tax deadline... No, apparently for county property taxes, the deadline is March 15. So I missed it. But I get a 20-day extension. That lowers the amount the county can tax by $1,000. So, kind of a big deal. But I can still file! Whew.