Attn: South Carolina home/property owners

[ddarlak]

Looking to buy a house in south carolina and had some questions for anyone who owns property there.

I'm trying to figure out south carolina's tax situation. in NY our property tax and school are seperate and very high.

for example, my NY house is assessed at $78K, my county property tax is roughly $1500, my school tax is a seperate bill of $2100.

I've been researching south carolina, specifically myrtle beach area and found some cheap fix-er-uppers in the $50K range (yet assessed at $150K). the taxes listed on zillow.com are in the $400-$600 range. I'm trying to find out if that is all the taxes or just the county tax?

what other surprises might i expect from south carolina goverment, i mean if your poperty/school taxes are so low compared to NY, they must make it up somewhere else??

Thanks

dave.

 

[Techman]

in the south..
The taxes are much lower.
In LA my taxes were 600 a year.
In Mich the taxes are 3000 a year.

Also the cost of living down there is lower. You do not have "hidden" taxes on utilities either.

For example. In LA there was no meter fee on a business. You just paid the bill for usage. In the norf there is the meter fee for account fee on gas and elect and phone and cable. I pay 60 a month just for the privilege of the meter sitting on the building.

And then. The north has the "recovery" system. That means the total cost of the gas is charge to all the "paying" users. The non payers just use the gas till its cut of and then all the others pay for it. My actual gas bill was just 30 bux but the recovery charge was $40 more. I dream of moving back to the South when I retire..

 

[SightLine]

I cannot remember for certain (and I live here) but I believe there is some variation depending on the county and school district. To give you and idea - this is our 2010 bill.

There are some very good real estate deals to be had along the cost here. We have a friend who lives just north of Myrtle Beach in Cherry Grove. In my opinion - if I were going to be a local at the coast I'd much prefer somewhere outside of the main Myrtle Beach area. Little quieter and laid back is more my style than the touristy crowded main drag areas. Cherry Grove is literally only a 30 minute drive to the main parts of Myrtle Beach if you are curious.

 

[petesign]

Down here in Alabama, property taxes are middle of the road, but they get you a few ways.

1. Sales Tax here is 9 - 10% depending on what community/county you are in. 2. Income tax, state income tax here sucks. 3. Ad valoreum tax. If it isn't bad enough that they tax you on what you make here, then on what you buy, they then turn around and tax you for what you OWN.

A good realtor should be able to tell you what your taxes for a property will be, and estimate an escrow payment for you.

 

[ddarlak]

Thanks sightline!

What are the school tax credits listed on your bill?