In Praise of the Garden State

Wow, a lot of people grouse about New Jersey. Constantly. It's too congested. The taxes are too high. Everything is so expensive. All of these statements are true. But there is one distinct advantage to living in New Jersey: we are dead center in the Northeast megalopolis. That giant, connected city that runs from Boston to [...]

By |2018-02-16T10:12:48-05:00February 16th, 2018|Art, Business, Capital, Criticism, Economics, Education, Gratitude, History, Service, Social Networking, Success, Taxation, Wealth|Comments Off on In Praise of the Garden State

Just Don’t Call It Free

Summer is here and the season wouldn't be complete without loud and strident calls to make New Jersey's beaches "free." First, let's be clear in our definitions. "Free" is not the same as, "managed by a larger, less visible entity." In this instance, the State of New Jersey. Most beaches in New Jersey are managed [...]

By |2014-06-03T10:32:58-04:00June 3rd, 2014|Art, Economics, Environment, Financing, Humor, Service, Taxation|Comments Off on Just Don’t Call It Free

Looking for a Place to Live? Think Like a 17th Century Farmer.

The housing market is making a comeback. Hard to miss after seven straight years of grinding losses. Perhaps you have noticed a pattern. Certain areas come back first, and often don’t lose as much value as other areas. The answer is often in the land itself. The first settled and built areas were first settled [...]

By |2014-01-28T09:51:47-05:00January 28th, 2014|Future, History, Humor, Residential, Taxation, Value, Waterfront|Comments Off on Looking for a Place to Live? Think Like a 17th Century Farmer.

Understanding Real Estate Rights

There a lot of ways one can hold rights in real estate. Here are some of the most common: Fee Simple You have probably heard the term fee simple before. Fee Simple is the highest possible ownership interest in real estate. If you own your home in fee simple, your ownership is only limited by: [...]

By |2013-08-06T15:04:39-04:00August 6th, 2013|Real Estate, Taxation, Terminology, Value|Comments Off on Understanding Real Estate Rights

DIY Tax Appeals Part II

Yesterday I discussed New Jersey taxation law, how to determine your true value and some basics of DIY tax appeal research. Today we tackle picking comparable sales and the mechanics of the tax appeal itself. Please note: this is in informal discussion of tips and tricks for DIY tax appeal filers. For more detail, please [...]

By |2013-07-16T06:38:07-04:00July 16th, 2013|Real Estate, Taxation, Terminology, Value|Comments Off on DIY Tax Appeals Part II

DIY Tax Appeals Part I

Like many professionals and their specialties, I sort of fell into one of mine. Because at one time I worked as a tax assessor I became an expert on property tax and tax appeals. Here in New Jersey we have some of the highest property taxes in the United State. There are two primary reasons for [...]

By |2013-07-15T08:59:03-04:00July 15th, 2013|Real Estate, Taxation, Terminology, Value|1 Comment

You Can’t Tax What Is Not There

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal focused on the issue of government subsidies for real estate development. The article discussed the decision by Oak Creek, Wisconsin to provide a $2.75 million dollar tax break for a hotel developer. The municipality determined a need for a hotel near Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport, and, responsibly, commissioned [...]

By |2013-01-02T09:12:18-05:00January 2nd, 2013|Real Estate, Taxation|Comments Off on You Can’t Tax What Is Not There
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