BiggerPockets Daily

It’s common to have questions about your property taxes, but one is more important than all the others combined: Why did my property taxes increase?

There’s no individual answer to this question, as it can depend on a variety of factors. 

Here are 19 frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help you understand property taxes as a whole, and with that, determine why your taxes have increased.

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Working for a company is the most common way people in the United States earn their living. As an employee, your earnings are reported on IRS Form W-2, and federal, state, Medicare, and Social Security taxes are withheld every time you are paid.

Although there are benefits to being an employee—like simplified tax preparation—you may pay more in taxes than self-employed individuals or business owners because you can’t claim certain deductions. That doesn’t mean you don’t have options, however. You may be able to supplement your income, grow your net worth, and reduce your tax obligation by investing in real estate.

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Setting up an emergency fund is one of the fundamental pillars of financial well-being. And yes, saving can be hard, especially in 2024. According to a recent poll by Bankrate, many of us are saving less, with the majority (63%) saying that recent high inflation means they’re able to save less than before. As of 2024, only 44% of Americans could pay for an emergency expense of $1,000 or more from their savings. The majority would rely on credit cards, payment plans, or cutting spending elsewhere.

However, not everyone’s situation is quite as dire. About a third of us (30%) report having more savings this year than last year. And millennials are not doing so badly, with 35% of this generational group saying that they have more savings than they did a year ago. So, some of us are on the right track. 

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Denver’s housing market is on fire—at least according to a U.S. News analysis of December 2023 data from the U.S. News Housing Market Index, which includes multiple indicators of housing supply and demand, along with financial health measures. A healthy job market, low rental vacancy rates, and a low housing supply that keeps rents from falling may make Denver an attractive market to investors as well, U.S. News reports, despite its high home prices relative to the national median. 

Several more of the top 20 housing markets ranked by U.S. News were also located in Colorado, and three were located in North Carolina. Multiple markets in Texas and Florida also made the list, consistent with recent migration trends into these states. 

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When buying rental real estate, where you buy now matters just as much as getting a great deal. Matt Myre, managing editor of the BiggerPockets Blog , shares today’s Headlines about states that are becoming unapproachable for investors due to their politics and what you should look for when trying to avoid bad policies. There are really two main points that contribute to the issue with these states.high taxes and stringent regulations.

Meanwhile, other markets are looking to improve zoning, making a big difference in how cities have developed, and how they are currently priced.When choosing a market to invest in, these are major considerations for new and experienced investors.

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Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett’s much-anticipated annual letter to investors is out. As is customary for the maverick investor, it’s peppered with headline-grabbing statements about Buffett’s disdain for investment advisors and unearned wealth. 

But setting the flashy statements aside, Buffett’s latest letter contains some very valuable information. It’s worth paying attention to, even if you are at the very beginning of your investment journey because it concerns the future of one of the biggest, traditionally most profitable segments of the investment market. 

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Purchasing a home is an extraordinarily expensive process, especially once you add up the down payment, closing costs, and potential relocation expenses. And once you’ve acquired the home, you still need to consider the ongoing taxes, mortgage payments, and associated costs like HOA fees, insurance, and home maintenance costs.

Many people understandably wonder what costs and expenses could be tax-deductible and what additional taxes they may need to pay as part of the homebuying and ownership process. 

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I love telling people that I have been a Brandon Turner copycat when it comes to my real estate investing career. While our backgrounds in finding real estate are a bit different, our stories are quite similar because I followed what Brandon coined the “stack method.”

The stack method is self-explanatory: First, you buy one property, then two, four, six, and eight more, but you start small and scale up gradually over time. In the hopes that you can avoid (or at least laugh at) some of the mistakes I made, here is how I utilized the stack method and my biggest failures along the way.

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There’s a lot that goes into house flipping. You need to choose the right market, negotiate a competitive price, work with the best contractors, and get an agent to help you sell for a profit. 

On top of that, a defined accounting strategy for house flipping is critical to your long-term success. Here’s how to create one.

On top of that, a defined accounting strategy for house flipping is critical to your long-term success. Here’s how to create one.

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Subleasing was frowned upon for a long time, but in today’s era of Airbnb popularity, it’s making a solid comeback and can be a great real estate investment strategy. 

Airbnb arbitrage allows you to rent properties to tenants that you rent from a landlord. You act as the middleman between the owner and tenants and take a piece of the pie without the need to own physical real estate yourself.

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