Comments for Rion Real Estate | Seattle Real Estate & Metro Area Blog

Comment on New Washington Excise Tax Rule To Make Short Sales More Difficult? by Kathryn

Kathryn — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:35:33 +0000

It depends on the terms of the short sale with the bank. If the bank will not agree to forgive the shortfall, they may attempt to collect it later.

Comment on New Washington Excise Tax Rule To Make Short Sales More Difficult? by sebastion

sebastion — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:05:40 +0000

if my home sells short of the mortgage
am i liable for the difference to the bank
or can they apply for federal funds to make up the difference

Comment on Adjustment to “Distressed Homeowner” Law by M.R. Harbert

M.R. Harbert — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:10:29 +0000

It will be LINGERING over, even after it ’s modifications take place… still there hiding in the shadows.

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by Michael G

Michael G — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:52:42 +0000

Tax caps tend to have unintended side effects, but no tax cap at all also has consequences. I am somewhat Libertarian and would prefer to not make new laws without very careful consideration.

For Kara — what is a “real estate bracket”? Since I am not a teacher (or a realtor), I am not completely informed on what some of these words mean. However, if we follow your reasoning, let us suppose people must pay unlimited taxes on houses so you can have a job. Howver, let us suppose they cannot afford those unlimited taxes, and do not buy the houses AT ALL, and leave that city or state entirely. To make a long story short: your clients (children) leave town and so does the tax base. End of job. It looks like your job is at risk no matter what (welcome to the club).

For Mehling — “Better options to lower or maintain property tax bills without undermining services should be found and implemented.” No doubt, but it is too easy to sit at a computer and suggest that someone else do it. What is your plan? My plan is to take a page from every household’s playbook — “do more with less”. Eliminate the luxury. Unfortunately, Washington has a long history of excellence and high expectations and it will be painful to join the rest of the nation in unrepaired highways and overloaded classrooms.

Full disclosure: I was born in Washington but do not currently live there. My mother does and I would like to. The last time I voted in Washington it was for a mixture of local Democrats and state and federal Republicans. Democrats seem to have a better grasp of immediate, local needs; but tend to be clueless when it comes to the checkbook. At local levels this isn’t a serious problem but at state and federal levels, we need people that can balance a checkbook. Sooner or later, “Other People’s Money” means YOUR money and, philosophically speaking, ALL taxes are “extortion” — money taken from you under various threats, including the arrival of an armed Sheriff taking your property. We may recognize the necessity of taxes, but they are a necessary evil and must be handled with the strictest honor and accountability and only for purposes that benefit nearly everyone. I voted AGAINST the Kitsap County trail system because a large segment of the population will never use it, so why should they pay for it? On the other hand, had there been a subscription or donation system, for that I would have gladly contributed.

Where I am permitted to choose, I am fairly generous; where an extortionist comes along making choices for me, I am not so generous.

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by James

James — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:09:01 +0000

Though you claim to be a teacher, it is hard to follow your thoughts. Elementary, I presume.

The idea of Government being allowed to grow, but at a pace that taxpayers can afford and control is an apparent absurdity to a teacher’s union member, but I can’t understand why.

You say you worry about your job and mortgage. While it is evident that you must have to manage a budget, why wouldn’t you expect the government to do the same? You see, management requires discipline and discipline breeds performance. You must have figured that out with children by now.

So, why not expect that it could work with the ‘adults’ who run our government? Like vampires, they suck up every dollar they can figure out how to take from folks like yourself who work hard for it every day only to want even more when their greed and incompetence doesn’t translate into success. Then, they expect that like abused spouses we will crawl back and give them more of what they want after they’ve beaten us up again.

Why do they think that way? — Because folks like you reinforce them do do so.

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by Elizabeth Maupin

Elizabeth Maupin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:46:58 +0000

A similar measure passed in Colorado in the 1990’s. The result? That state plummeted from 35th to 49th among the 50 states in state and local spending for K-12 education as a share of personal income, and fell behind neighboring states in job growth. Let’s learn from their error and not make the same foolish mistake!

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by Miles Milliken

Miles Milliken — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:15:33 +0000

Measures like I-1033 have been tried in other states and failed becasue they keep cutting and cutting thier states nessesary services like educatin and health care. This happened in Colorado and it destroyed their economy so severly that a few years later the voters had to fight to reverse the law. Don’t vote on something that will further destroy our economy and cut our nessecary services that have already been reduced. For those managing this website and supporting Tim Eyman and I-1033 how can further destruction of or economy be benificial for real estate with so few people able to buy as it is.

Please Vote No on I-1033 it will further harm our economy and make it harder to get out of the resecion

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by Tony

Tony — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 04:10:01 +0000

I applaud the attempt of reasonable people to make government as efficient as possible, but am tired of these “anti-tax” initiatives that eat at government’s ability to work.

Listen:

As we continue on this road to reducing Government and its services to the size that “it could be drowned in a bathtub”, as we keep reducing the ability of government to function from local to state to federal level, we continue to reduce the level of civility and community.

We want government to provide all sorts of help and protection when we need it, but we don’t want to pay for those services. AS the local, state and federal revenues are continually reduced by the “tax-cutters”, we continually undermine our own interests, continually chew our own feet off. This initiative is yet another attempt to reduce basic services that we have asked our government to perform. It becomes a spiral, reduce the government’s budget, reduce its ability to funtion, reduce its effectiveness and thus we think what good is government. This is a dangerous and self-defeating spiral.

Just say no to the easy way out… Don’t buy into the rhetoric and scare tactics.. Let’s all chip in for a more civil society…

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by C Mehling

C Mehling — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 09:18:07 +0000

If keeping property tax rates at a reasonable level for ALL state residents is of prime concern, then this initiative doesn’t seem to be the answer. While it appears such caps may hold down property taxes, services the average individual wants are also reduced, such as education and health care.
In addition, studies show that in most cases property tax limits disapportionally affect lower-income communities; the people who need property tax breaks because of low income do not reap the expected benefits these tax caps seem to promise. If people would look to other states that voted in such tax limits, you would find that what seemed to be the answer also created frustrating problems, especially in the reduction of the services low-income individuals might need such as health care.
Speak up and ask for a better alternative. Looking at what has happened elsewhere in our country, this initiative sounds great, but doesn’t play out as well. Better options to lower or maintain property tax bills without undermining services should be found and implemented.

Comment on Lower Property Taxes Initiative or Washington I-1033 by Bob Hutchinson

Bob Hutchinson — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:24:23 +0000

I agree, we all need to start living within our means and that includes our government. (city,county,state)