re: #88 sagehen

Huh.

My investment funds have lost this year, but… nowhere near 1/2 or 1/3 or whatever these billionaires are losing. I think my stocks are down by maybe 15% (of course, I’m more diversified than they are). My home is worth, um… only slightly up from last year, the huge year-over-year increase seems to have slowed down. But I certainly didn’t lose anything on it.

Same here in South Austin. When we bought the house in ‘97, a 2/1 of 1100 sq ft plus a converted 2-car garage that was a 450 sq ft 1/1 with an attached laundry shed (which included a second certificate-of-occupancy- we were a duplex on a legal lot!) the land (7,500 sq ft) was worth $25,000, and the improvements were worth $130,000.

Now, the land is appraised at $725,000 and the Improvements are appraised at $419,619.

I am just rich as shit, at least if I sell. But this means my property tax is north of $15,000 this coming year because we have no income taxes in Texas and property owners are responsible for over half of school funding.

Texas is the most evil state in the union for making the poor pay the most taxes. It’s a fucking joke.