Real Estate Course Chapter 18 Flashcards
Floridians who homestead their residence and who reside on the property as their permanent legal residence are eligible for a $50,000 homestead tax exemption from city, county, and school board taxes.
FALSE. owners are entitled to a $25,000 exemption for city, county, and school board taxes. Owners with assessed values greater than $75,000 are entitled to an additional $25,000 tax exemption from city and county taxes only. Owners with assessed values between $50,001 and $75,000 receive a prorated amount of exemption in addition to the $25,000 base exemption.
One mill can be written as .001.
TRUE. A mill is one one-thousandth of a dollar (or one-tenth of a cent). There are 1,000 mills in a dollar.
Government buildings are immune properties—that is, government buildings are NOT subject to taxation.
TRUE. Immune properties are government buildings plus special categories that have been made immune by a statute or ordinance, such as municipal airports. Immune properties are not even assessed
Ad valorem means according to cost.
FALSE. Ad valorem means according to value.
Step 2 in protesting a property assessment is court litigation.
FALSE. Step 1 is seeking an adjustment by contacting the county property appraiser or a representative of that office; step 2 is filing an appeal with the Value Adjustment Board; and step 3 is court litigation.
One of the requirements for establishing a homestead tax exemption is that the owner must have held title to the property as of January 1 of the year of application.
TRUE. Another requirement is that a recorded deed, recorded contract for deed, or property tax bill must be presented in the homeowner’s name, plus two forms of identification.
Special assessments are levied according to the value of a property.
FALSE. Special assessments are a one-time tax levied on properties to help pay for some public improvement that benefits the property. Special assessments are not ad valorem taxes—they are not levied according to the value of a property.
How are Special assessments levied?
Usually, special assessments are levied on a front-foot basis for items such as sidewalks and street paving. They are often levied on a per hookup basis for utility and sewer improvements.
The IRS useful asset life of nonresidential income-producing property is 27.5 years for calculating depreciation allowance.
FALSE. The useful life of nonresidential income-producing property is 39 years. The useful life of residential rental property is 27.5 years.
Disabled veterans must be at least 20 percent disabled by military service-connected injury to be entitled to an additional $5,000 exemption on their homesteaded property.
FALSE. Veterans must be at least 10 percent (not 20 percent) disabled by military service-connected misfortune to be entitled to an additional $5,000 exemption on homesteaded property.
The purpose of Florida’s Green Belt Law is to protect coastal property from commercial development.
FALSE. Florida’s Green Belt Law was designed to protect farmers from having taxes increased just because the land might be in the path of urban growth and therefore well suited for development.
If a request for a property tax adjustment is denied, what is the property owner’s next step?
File a petition with the Value Adjustment Board
A homesteaded single-family residence has an assessed value of $92,800. The owner is a 25 percent service-disabled veteran who is 75 years of age. What is the total homestead tax exemption
The answer is $55,000. The solution is:
$50,000 homestead exemption + $5,000 disability = $55,000 total homestead tax exemption.
The just value of a homesteaded property in Leon County is $425,800. The Consumer Price Index for the previous year was 2%. The property’s just value increased the maximum allowed under the Save Our Home Amendment. By what percent did the just value increase?
The answer is 2%. The just value of homesteaded property may be increased either three percent annually (based on the assessed value for the previous year), or the percentage change of the Consumer Price Index for the preceding year, whichever is less.
You have been granted homestead tax exemption. Your assessed property value is $395,000. What is your taxable property value for county taxes?
$345,000. The solution is:
$395,000 assessed value – $50,000 homestead exemption = $345,000 taxable value.
A development company purchased 1,000 acres of land from a foreign seller for $2,850,000. Federal law requires the buyer to withhold from the seller and pay to the IRS approximately
$285,000. The IRS requires that buyers withhold 10 percent of the gross sale price. The buyer must report the purchase and pay the IRS the amount withheld.
For tax purposes, real estate commission is classified as which type of income?
ACTIVE
A property owner has lived in her home for seven years. This year, the owner refinanced her mortgage loan in order to reduce her monthly housing expense. The property owner may NOT deduct which housing expense on her annual federal income tax return?
A)$11,749 mortgage interest
B)Gloria may deduct all of these expenses
C)$7,850 property taxes
D)$3,000 in points charged to refinance the mortgage loan
D) $3,000 in POINTS CHARGED TO REFINANCE THE MORTGAGE LOAN. Points are deductible in the year paid, unless they are paid when refinancing a loan. In such cases, the points must be deducted over the entire life of the mortgage loan.
A holder of a tax certificate may request a tax deed
A)on January 1 of the following year.
B)after November 1 when taxes for the previous year become delinquent.
C)anytime up to ten years after the tax certificate was originally issued.
D)after holding the certificate for at least two years.
D) AFTER HOLDING THE CERTIFICATE FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS. The holder of a tax certificate can force a public auction of the property after two years (but no later than seven years) by requesting a tax deed.
The tax exemption filing period for first-time applicants ends on
March 1st. First-time applicants must file an application with the county property appraiser’s office on or before March 1.
Tax advantages of homeownership do NOT include
A)a tax deduction of the interest paid on a home equity loan that does not exceed $100,000.
B)exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence up to $500,000 for a single adult.
C)up to $10,000 in penalty-free withdrawals from an IRA if used as a down payment on a personal residence for first-time home buyers.
B) EXCLUSION OF GAIN FROM THE SALE OF A PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE UP TO $500,000 FOR A SINGLE ADULT. The IRS allows an exclusion of up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 for married couples filing a joint return) realized on the sale of a principal residence.
The Value Adjustment Board is composed of
one school board member, two county commissioners, and two citizen members.
A corner lot measures 120 by 100 feet. Street paving costs are $55 per running foot, and the city will pay 30 percent of paving costs. All of the streets in the neighborhood are being paved. What is the property owner’s assessment?
The answer is $4,235. The solution is:
120 feet + 100 feet = 220 total feet × $55 = $12,100; $12,100 × .30 = $3,630; $12,100 – $3,630 = $8,470 property owners’ share; $8,470 ÷ 2 sides of street = $4,235 assessment.
Which statement is FALSE regarding property taxes?
A)Property taxes become a lien on all real estate in Florida on January 1 each year.
B)Property taxes for the previous year are due on November 1.
C)The county property appraiser assesses all real property within the county.
D)Ad valorem tax means according to value.
B) PROPERTY TAXES FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR ARE DUE ON NOVEMBER 1. Property taxes are due November 1 for the current year. Property taxes are paid in arrears, meaning that although they are assessed on January 1, the bill is not due until November 1 of the same year.
