FYI: Preview this year's property-tax bill

Jay February 15, 2024 (1:58 pm)

Just an FYI, all West Seattle wetlands have disappeared from the King County Parcel Viewer. Wetlands were removed from my property and I got a tax hike. If you have an environmentally sensitive area on your property, check out the parcel viewer and confirm the percentage of usable area that you are being taxed for.

Marina February 15, 2024 (3:41 pm)

I think the definition of a wetland was changed under the Clean Water Act a few months back by the Supreme Court so that could be why? Or maybe the website isn’t loading 😂
- Jay February 15, 2024 (4:20 pm)
  
  They’ll corrected it to the original status if you email them.

aRF February 15, 2024 (2:49 pm)

After accounting for the change in property value, it looks like my assessed rate is up by over 11%. Is that correct?

WSB February 15, 2024 (3:23 pm)

I haven’t yet seen the Assessor’s standard overview announcement with datapoints about this year’s bills and assessments – usually there’s a news release. In this case I knew the dates just because I saw them in the system recently and made a note to write a small story in case anyone else was interested in checking. FWIW our assessed value went down, taxes owed went up.

oerthehillz February 15, 2024 (2:55 pm)

Thanks! Nice to know we can pay on line with that link. Not nice to know the shock value. Our property tax has gone up 1,000.00 over the course of the last 3 years while no improvements have been made, either to my home or anything else of note I can think of.

WS Res February 15, 2024 (3:18 pm)

And how has the value of your home changed?
- oerthehillz February 15, 2024 (3:40 pm)
  
  It has dropped. The land value has nearly doubled in the 3 years however.
  - WS Res February 15, 2024 (5:39 pm)
    
    Congratulations on your good fortune.
Erik February 15, 2024 (6:07 pm)

$1000 is actually not a bad increase for a total of 3 years. I’ve seen much much higher increases over the last few years.
Steve February 15, 2024 (9:39 pm)

Rookie numbers. Our taxes went up 21% from last assessment. We did nothing.
1994 February 15, 2024 (10:03 pm)

Isn’t there a credit card fee tacked on if you pay on line?
- Karen February 16, 2024 (8:59 am)
  
  You can avoid that fee by paying with an e-check. Directions are on the payment page.
waikikigirl February 17, 2024 (10:40 am)

Our taxes have increased 1298.00 in the past 3 years but our assessed value has also gone up by 456k which is a good thing if and when we ever want to sell. This KC website also lets you see things about your neighbors…and don’t tell me nobody else has peeked! 😉

Tired of the BS February 15, 2024 (5:04 pm)

Nothing like paying more for less!!!

Kristina February 15, 2024 (6:00 pm)

My home value fell slightly but my annual bill went up by about $400, only $33/month. I can manage that! I was nervous it would be worse so I am pleasantly relieved.

K February 15, 2024 (6:03 pm)

Wow, I did major improvements to my home 2 years ago and the overall value still dropped this year. Tax rate went up over last year, but still lower than it has been. Overall, taxes going up by less than the cost of lunch at Taco Time. A welcome surprise. :)

Useful Idiot February 15, 2024 (8:48 pm)

And think of how much less services you’re getting for that tax increase! It’s like Christmas all over again!
- Explain February 15, 2024 (10:17 pm)
  
  which services have become less accessible or have dropped in quality over the last few years?
  - K February 15, 2024 (10:54 pm)
    
    None, I don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m generally happy with what I get for my tax money (save a couple city departments that could be a little less wasteful). I generally assume people who are hand-wringing over taxes here have never lived outside of Washington (and definitely not on the east coast if they did). I do wish our tax system was less regressive and would vote on an income tax if it came up, but the way things are structured now I’m sitting pretty with my tax burden compared to what I’d be paying in most other states.
  - WS Resident February 17, 2024 (10:51 am)
    
    Which services?The roads are awful, crime is on the rise, homelessness continues to grow, there are barely any police, utilities are going up, mass transit is a joke, ferry service keeps getting cut, bike landed are a joke.

enginerd February 15, 2024 (10:24 pm)

Is there a way to dispute the increase? It looks like our property tax has increased by 20% over 2023. The county’s own assessment shows our Appraised Total Value has only increased by about 7%.

WSB February 15, 2024 (10:37 pm)

What you would have had to appeal is the valuation – you would have gotten a notice of that separately, at a different time of year – not the bill. And the time’s up for that, until next time.
https://kingcounty.gov/en/independents/governance-and-leadership/government-oversight/board-appeals-equalization/appeal-property-tax
K February 15, 2024 (10:49 pm)

The tax rate went up this year, so your taxes would have gone up more than just the amount of your property value increase. That’s why a lot of us whose property value decreased are still seeing slightly higher taxes. Congrats on the increased property value, though!
- BAA February 16, 2024 (11:54 am)
  
  K, going around and congratulating people on their higher property tax assessed values comes off as pretty insincere and insensitive, especially in this context. It’s more money someone has to spend every month on top of a mountain of other living expenses that have been skyrocketing over the last couple years. Is it difficult to believe that people saddled with potentially hundreds of thousands of mortgage debt could be legitimately concerned about the rising cost of ownership or are struggling?Yes, they might have more equity in their home, but unless they are planning to downsize or move to Ohio, what is the benefit to them, exactly?
  - K February 18, 2024 (7:54 am)
    
    Are you really asking what the benefit of wealth accumulation that requires no action on the part of the person accumulating said wealth is? You can access that wealth without moving or downsizing.

Robbed Blind February 15, 2024 (10:58 pm)

When I bought my house in 2016 the property tax was $3700 a year. My 2024 tax bill is over $8000. That’s a 216% increase. Property taxes in Seattle are insane and unjustifiable. I now vote against all property taxes, no matter what they’re for.

K February 16, 2024 (6:08 am)

You’re literally complaining that an asset you own dramatically increased in value with no action on your part, and are threatening to withhold money from schools and libraries as a moral stance against that “misfortune”. Your handle would make more sense if you took the word “robbed” out of it.
- Eric1 February 16, 2024 (12:43 pm)
  
  Home values are just funny money. Homes are actually worth zero until you sell it. Until then, the government makes money off the imaginary value of the home. There are benefits to owning and renting homes. Renting generally lets you live your life with fewer problems and you have more freedom. If a city is too expensive to buy a home and you want to do so, move to a city where your skills and job prospects match the housing costs. I moved here 30 years ago, because I could afford a home here since Seattle wasn’t that popular. It isn’t like moving to a cold rainy city just called to me. I was offered a job that when I penciled it out, moving gave me the opportunity to own a home. At the time, I was thinking that buying a “cheap” home in a marginal city would appreciate a little over time and I would be a homeowner. Sure my house has increased in “value” way more than a little but I am not any richer in actual dollars. I could “cash out” but it would still have to buy a new home somewhere. I would probably spend all of of money on a nicer home in a worse place or a smaller home in a nicer place but again I’m not really richer money wise. I plan to retire on my savings and not sell my home because living in a cheaper city (for most of the past 3 decades) allowed me to save money in my 401k and IRAs and THAT was my plan for success. Don’t look at others and worry about their good fortune, look at yourself and see how you can better your life because nothing I do will benefit you.
  - Kyle February 16, 2024 (2:08 pm)
    
    You now have access to more funds via a home equity line because of the value of your home. It’s not just funny money.
HS February 16, 2024 (7:56 am)

We don’t have an income tax. This region is expected to have the most stable pricing for homeowners insurance in the future. And your equity / wealth have obviously increased tremendously. Plus you’re still able to write-off interest on your loan. I consider myself fortunate to own a home in this area, especially since we are short over one million homes in this region. I’ve made my property earn some income to offset taxes. We pay the same amount annually and that’s how I mitigate the costs of homeownership.

Tracey February 16, 2024 (3:29 am)

People keep voting yes on levies. Voting No doesn’t mean you don’t support the initiative it means you don’t support it being funded by endless property tax increases (that indeed get passed down to renters and the poor). Are there honestly no other sources of funding?

Explain February 16, 2024 (11:48 am)

until there’s an income tax, only way to get revenue is with property or sales tax.

Rick February 16, 2024 (7:42 am)

Key word around these parts is always “MORE”. We’ll figure out how to spend it later.

Scarlett February 16, 2024 (7:51 am)

Most of you homeowners have seen the market value of your homes soar in the past twenty years, and it accerelerated in the last years. Unless you’ve had very expensive major repairs to contend with, or just bought your house, any one of you could realize very large gains from the sale of your homes, all of it likely excluded from capital gain tax. Think about it: You’ve held an asset that has gained hundreds of thouands of dollars, in many cases, an asset that will nicely buttress your retirement if you downsize and you’re kvetching about modest property taxes (that can be itemized on your 1040 or reduced for the low income). Sure, no one is ever happy about paying more property taxes, and of course money can always be spent better, but there who are no free lunches – you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

Jim February 16, 2024 (12:59 pm)

Telling people they should just move out if they don’t like their property taxes is pretty underhanded. People are literally being taxed out of their homes
- Josh February 16, 2024 (3:41 pm)
  
  Well Jim they can sell their houses at a huge profit and move into something or somewhere cheaper if they did not plan well enough to pay their tax bill. Especially retired people who reaped the advantage of working in a state with no income tax have no right to complain. People can also use their massive equity in their house to be smart with their money and use it to make it if they really are in need of accessing cash. If you dont like the tax rate then maybe organize and demand that the ultra wealthy start to pay their fair share of taxes in exchange for their access to the infrastructure and labor we all offer them basically for free or cheap.
  - BAA February 16, 2024 (7:14 pm)
    
    Dang dude. I doubt that property taxes forcing people to move is a widespread issue (I could be wrong, but can’t find any good data on it), but for people that are in that situation, is that really what you think?
    
    Having to move away from your friends/family/community because it’s no longer affordable would be kind of heartbreaking.
    
    No amount of good planning guarantees someone won’t end up on a bad situation. It’s possible to want the ultra wealthy to pay their fair share, fund important programs, AND have a little compassion for people even if they own a home.
    - Josh February 17, 2024 (9:33 am)
      
      It’s baloney that people are being taxed out of their homes. The average property tax bill around here is about $8000 a year. Compared to 20 years ago when it was about 3 to 4 thousand a year. If people truly can’t afford the extra 300 to 400 hundred a month because their asset appreciated $500k in that time span then that is on them. No one is entitled to live in this area and those who are willing and able to live here have a right to have services, which takes some money. The people complaining about not being able to afford the natural rise in taxes and claiming they will have to sell are disingenuous whiners. These poor unfortunate souls don’t have to move away if they can’t afford their really not that heavy tax burden (we don’t have an income tax so you get to deduct the sales tax you pay from your FIT, they average deduction for your sales tax offsets much of the rise in property tax which is also deductible) they can downsize. But yes, if they can’t afford an extra 20 to 30 bucks a month year over year they need to leave and create room for those that can. I don’t need to have compassion for whiny homeowners, they need to plan ahead and quite expecting to get something for nothing.
1994 February 16, 2024 (10:35 pm)

Seattle property taxes among top 5 most expensive in big U.S. cities

Feb. 9, 2024 Seattle Timeshttps://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattle-property-taxes-rank-in-top-5-most-expensive-among-big-cities/
- Josh February 17, 2024 (9:35 am)
  
  How does Seattle compare to state income tax against major cities? This article is meaningless and misleading.

wetone February 16, 2024 (9:06 am)

And people wonder why landlords need to raise rents……… or sell their investment properties. Which in many cases throughout this city means that one house gets turned into 3 or more residents and sold. With the high prices they’re selling for, it increases value of neighborhoods……. Slippery slope that down the road shows up in tax increases and property values rising………

K February 18, 2024 (7:50 am)

Turning one house into three makes taxes go down, because the total tax to be collected is divided based on your portion of total taxable property. Learn more about how property taxes are calculated here: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/assessor/buildings-and-property/property-taxes/residential-property-taxes

oerthehillz February 16, 2024 (10:44 am)

Just sayin, there are many of us who don’t plan on “cashing out” but rather counting on a mortgage free “affordable” place to live and then pass the home onto kids. So, we won’t be benefitting from capital gains or any gains other than a future on a limited budget in retirement while watching the monthly tax cost rise up to nearly what someone pays for rent, and beyond. Just a different perspective.

gus February 16, 2024 (3:42 pm)

Valuation down, bill up 10%. $1000 a month for the priveledge of living in my own home. I guess rents will be going up too!

Admiral-2009 February 16, 2024 (7:07 pm)

Have your phone ready to call 911 before you open up your letter from King County. Enough taxes already, government needs to reign in spending.

sixbuck February 16, 2024 (10:09 pm)

It is actually We, the People who need to reign in government. Way too big at every level. Record incompetency lately.