Hey, we are somewhat newbies here and have a question about property taxes. It seems like there are a lot of properties here in Sun City with additions that are are not included in the property tax assessment. Is there some sort of Senior or other exemption that we don't know about where people can expand their square footage and not pay any additional property taxes or is it just lack of enforcement? In California the local Assessor would be all over this type of situation but it seems to be somewhat common here. We ended up with a single family house with no additions but are considering enclosing the screen porch so inquiring minds need to know. Thanks
It all depends on whether or not you hire a licensed contractor who's registered with the state and gets the appropriate permits. No permit no inspection, but also no protection against shady contractors! Research any potential contractors on the Arizona Registrar of Contractors website.
Welcome to TOSC Happily Retired. I've written often that first year here is the most amazing of times. So many things to get your head around. One of the joys is putting your own stamp on the property you buy. Things have changed from years back when home buyers were moving into newly built homes (1960-1980). Those needed little work and consequently remodeling wasn't a thing. The period from 1980- 2000 was a touch different as the second wave of home owners sometimes found their dwelling needed newer touches. Some even wanted additional space and room additions weren't unusual. Back in those days, the "greatest generation" were more inclined to be frugal and do the work themselves. The DIY mindset was common and rather than incur the increased costs with higher taxes, they just did the work without permitting. By 2005, boomers were coming in droves and often times money wasn't a factor. Hiring contractors, especially licensed and bonded ones was their safest bet. Permits were just part of the cost of doing business, though some of the shady guys did it without pulling them. BTW, adding square footage requires a permit, remodeling interior space for example kitchens and bathrooms typically doesn't. The cool aspect of Sun City homes, especially the ones with hip roofs is, walls can usually be removed to make small rooms into open areas. Lots of that being done. The final phase of growth has been 2010-current. Virtually any vintage home that hits the marketplace at a decent price is gobbled up by flippers. It's the new normal. There's some really good ones around and some that are just lipstick on the pig guys trying to make a quick buck. The challenge of course, when buying, is in paying attention to detail. Huge differences in the quality of work and the materials they buy. The other item of course is in the big ticket items; windows, ac, roofs and the likes. Those are often not touched and that's where a good home inspection is so valuable. Of course all of that is often over-looked once the bidding war starts on a home for sale. Again, welcome to talk of sun city. You made an awesome choice to retire to. If you get a chance, understand our history and it will make it all the more special to you.
Welcome to the wild west HR! Back in the good old days many folks did their own thing without permits and hence never paid their fair share of property taxes. This type of thing continues to this day with the assistance of some shady Realtors who knowingly market these properties and it just keeps going. People even brag about it. One guy sold his longtime 2805 SF home which was on the tax rolls for 1886 SF and posted all about it over several months. To me this is a Tax Cheat but I doubt that anyone around here would care as these types just game the system every way they can while posting how virtuous and ethical they are and letting the rest of us take up the government funding slack! BTW, how did you find this site? For questions about Sun City I would say this is the least desirable as it’s controlled by a small group of outliers who want to control everything in the community and use a scorched earth policy on anyone that even thinks of disagreeing with them. My neighbor calls them the frustrated liberals as it appears they didn’t make anything of their life and in retirement they want to make their mark on society. Sort of like the dogs peeing on your rocks in the front yard if you ask me. They hail from uber enlightened places like Minneapolis, Albuquerque and West Hollywood so you know what they’re all about. Anyway, enough ranting. Welcome to the best place to retire in America. For additional support there is Facebook: Sun City Chat Arizona and Nextdoor which is full of thrilling coyote sightings and political discourse between folks who have never learned how to be politically correct. Good Luck.
One can only smile at my new best friend who still hides behind his fake name for fear of who knows what. BTW, the house he was referring to was in fact mine and if you do a search on the site for" selling the compound" you can find it on here. It was indeed a 2800 sq ft home and when we sold it, we included in the sale the permit that had been pulled from Maricopa county for the 1000 sq foot addition done in the 1980's (BTW, that was two owners before we bought it in 1999). Unfortunately when the county computerized their records, shortly after the permitting was done, they never entered the data into their system. But alas, that's yesterdays news. Today's news is you did buy into the most unique age restricted communities in the country. Congrats and welcome, enjoy the read around on this site.
But my point is people never correct the county records and pay their fair share of property taxes. Did you or did you not pay property taxes on your actual square footage?
Golly, there's a tough one. I told you over coffee i hadn't, and i told you the story how it happened. By the way, i will be more than happy to compare what i have paid in property taxes in Sun City to yours. But none of this is what it is all about is it? The sad fact is you elected to ruin a thread of new comer to Sun City by attacking me. Curious.
OK then. Nextdoor and TOSC seem to both be the story of the horse; in one neighbors yard it’s beaten senseless and then tossed in the street to get run over then tossed in another neighbors yard to be beaten. The next day the horse is back in the street and then back in the original yard and beaten again. The cycle repeats for several days until a new horse arrives and it starts all over again. How many times can you beat a dead horse? It’s too bad because newbies are looking for good information from long time residents. Throw in the lack of knowledge of who the good and bad Actor's are and it just becomes a waste of time and effort. I’m going to take a pass. Luckily we’re at the age where in person contacts are still the norm and I must say the people we have met in Sun City have all been wonderful and supportive even after we arrived on the scene with California plates on two cars in the driveway.
Just enjoy your life in Sun City happily retired. I've written it a thousand times, many on this site; the first year here is the best. It's like being born again, especially if you just retired from the grind. The California plates are only problematic to a handful. The beauty of Sun City is we really don't care where you came from, whether you lean right or left, only that you become part of the what was called in the 60's, " a great social experiment." It's that damned good here.
Thanks for the truthful answer. I won’t ask if you feel any remorse whatsoever as knowing you I already can guess the answer. Of course you will have paid more in property taxes when adding the back taxes, fees and penalties on your former compound! My olive branch is have your wonderful Mrs let us know if you need Bail money or a cake with a file and I will be the first donation or buy the ingredients and hopefully old friend Peg or one of the Advocates knows how to bake!
Oh snap, i guess you forgot the rest of the story i told you where my wife went down with the building permit we had and tried to resolve it. Suffice to say, they were less than helpful other than suggesting the 20 year old plus addition would need to have a building inspector come out and make sure it was done according to code. they didn't care one way or the other and neither did we at that point.
That would be standard procedure for the county. Better get that letter off to the Assessor to make amends before the situation becomes really bad and you need $$ or the cake! Neighbors three doors down bought a flip. Everything great until they wanted to put in a pool and rear patio cover. Inspector tagged the property due to the two additions. Still in litigation with seller two years later although they are able to live in the property. It can get really ugly. Good luck.
