02-16-2010, 10:31 PM
Actually the property taxes here aren't bad. The electorate passed proposition 13 back in the 1970's to restrict how much the state could raise property taxes. This was done at a time when the state had a budget surplus and the crooks in the state legislature were too busy trying to figure out how to spend the money, rather than either saving it for a shortfall or returning it to the tax payers. The problem out here is that property values are so high even after the drop last year, and the area where I live is almost back to where the values were before they fell. I guess the big difference between Los Angeles County and the high desert in Victorville or Lancaster, for instance, is that we don't have the excess inventory of built but unsold homes in addition to the foreclosed homes. The foreclosed homes got snapped up by speculators out here as soon as the prices dropped to where they were perceived as values. My house is now about 1800 square feet on a small lot and is probably appraised at @ $450k, another lot that would allow me to build a storage building on to house a model railroad is simply not available. I could buy a second house for 450K to house my railroad, but I can barely afford my first house!