Unless you work very near the Katy area, you'll pay for it in your commute to your job. I-10 is horrible. Trust me, I live around there.

Tue Apr 22 2008, 13:59

The taxes including MUD at first do seem to be high in the Katy, Houston area, however since there is no state income tax it does balance out compared to states with an income tax. There are great benefits to living in the Katy area, the school district is rated top in the state, there are a lot of green spaces, shopping and very friendly people. With the Homestead Exemption you would be eligible for after one year in your home, you would receive a reduction of up to 20%.
Please feel free to contact me directly if you need more information, I would be glad to help.

Tue Apr 22 2008, 08:57

We certainly do encounter that a lot when people are buying homes in the Katy area! Why are the property taxes so darned high. Well, aside from the MUD, the school property taxes are a fairly large part of the whole as well. Some areas can be just over 4% total, just depending on the BONDS that are approved and funded. I don't seem to have a complete map of all the MUD districts (each district maintains their own websites and maps are usually on that) but here are some contact number for each utility district depending on county:

City of Katy - Water Utilities 281-391-4800
MUD District - Harris County 713-526-1841
MUD District - Fort Bend County 281-342-6414

You will get a little relief from the tax rate on your second year in your home. If you reside in a home ON January 1st of a year as your primary residence, you can claim a homestead exemption tax credit. There is a formula to determine exactly how much but it works out to roughly 20% reduction in your tax bill.

Katy is a great place to raise a family and with local routes like the Westpark Tollway going straight to downtown (the tollway is unmanned with limited on ramps and so you can be in downtown in about 12 minutes from Katy) the commute isn't all that bad unless you brave I-10!

If there is anything I can help you with in your move to Katy, please don't hesitate to give me a call or email and I'll do whatever I can!

Tue Apr 1 2008, 09:09

Katy is among the best school districts in the houston area as well! For this, you pay a little more! Also most all of Houston is in a MUD district.....Katy is a great area to live! There are other areas where tax rates are lower, but you have to take into consideration all the benefits of Living in Katy Tx.


I wish you luck!

Wed Mar 26 2008, 21:12

Hello DiMuria!

Thanks for your posting. I am very confused when I read the following about Property Taxes in your web-site. Your web-site said the poprty tax calculation is using sales prices. So I am not clear about your posting... Does your posting say some area in KAY is not using Sales Price and other areas are using sales price ?

If the above is correct, which part is not using sales price for TAX calculation ?

== The folloing is from your WEB-site

The taxes are based on the CAD (Central Appraisal District) value. The CAD usually uses the price you paid for the home in the first year, after that they assess each year based on comparable sales in your neighborhood.

Thanks

Sun Mar 23 2008, 00:02

Not only does Katy not have a State tax, but you must also realize two things...1. you will qualify for a homestead exemption that helps lower the taxes quite a bit. 2. taxes are based on central appraisal district values...not your sales price...many homes have CAD values much lower than sales prices.

Sat Mar 22 2008, 09:57

One thing to keep in mind is that Texas does not have state income tax - the revenue has to come from somewhere - so property taxes are high.

Sun Mar 16 2008, 18:51