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I get it. You all desperately NEED to know what your neighbors paid for their houses (lots of people like that - the Gladys Kravitz's of the world), and either came from a state where privacy is non-existent and/or want to turn this state into one. (By the way, there were only 11 non-disclosure states until recently, now there are 12.) I'm retired now, meaning my license is inactive, meaning I don't have access to that information as a professional (sort of like lawyers and doctors have access to information that I don't because it's necessary for their profession to serve its clients), so I get that it's frustrating when you don't have it just because you want it.
And I get that you really really really need to blame someone for you not getting what you think you deserve, whether that is accurate or not. Doesn't make it right, but it's a normal human reaction.
But as a private citizen, not as a realtor or former realtor, I have ALWAYS appreciated the non-disclosure status of our state, long before I was in the business. Unless you want your personal finances (bank records) to be public information, to insist that you deserve to have this is hypocrisy, pure and simple, no matter who you try to blame.
Equating bank records to real estate values that impact one's own taxes is a bit of a red herring.
Do you deserve to pay a fair tax rate? Yes. The largest tax load for Texans is property tax - but, like I said, there's always some part time rookie realtor that I can call to get the worst possible CMA from and use that to fight TCAD. I give them my Google Voice number and subsequently block them, so I basically just waste their time for supporting a system that devalues transparency in the transaction and industry as a whole.
That's not being a nosy neighbor. That's protecting my taxable value and trying to limit an overreaching government from leveraging both their campaign contributions and the confusion to improperly tax my property versus comparable properties.
I get it. You all desperately NEED to know what your neighbors paid for their houses (lots of people like that - the Gladys Kravitz's of the world), and either came from a state where privacy is non-existent and/or want to turn this state into one. (By the way, there were only 11 non-disclosure states until recently, now there are 12.) I'm retired now, meaning my license is inactive, meaning I don't have access to that information as a professional (sort of like lawyers and doctors have access to information that I don't because it's necessary for their profession to serve its clients), so I get that it's frustrating when you don't have it just because you want it.
And I get that you really really really need to blame someone for you not getting what you think you deserve, whether that is accurate or not. Doesn't make it right, but it's a normal human reaction.
But as a private citizen, not as a realtor or former realtor, I have ALWAYS appreciated the non-disclosure status of our state, long before I was in the business. Unless you want your personal finances (bank records) to be public information, to insist that you deserve to have this is hypocrisy, pure and simple, no matter who you try to blame.
So you're saying the Texas Association of Realtors hasn't spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbyist to fight efforts to make that information public?
Comparing something like HIPAA to sold prices of property is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Medical conditions can be and have been used to discriminate against people for employment, insurance coverage, etc., hence the reason HIPAA exists.
No one is asking for bank records to be public. Sold prices of homes are not even close to the same thing, and you know it.
Another issue is that if I go to a Realtor and they show me comps, they get to cherry pick the comps that will provide a value of my home that benefits them. And Joe Q. Citizen has no way to know that, meaning there is absolutely no checks and balances.
And if your license is no longer active, then why do you have "Texas Realtor" displayed in your profile for everyone to see?
So you're saying the Texas Association of Realtors hasn't spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbyist to fight efforts to make that information public?
Comparing something like HIPAA to sold prices of property is a bit of a stretch, don't you think? Medical conditions can be and have been used to discriminate against people for employment, insurance coverage, etc., hence the reason HIPAA exists.
No one is asking for bank records to be public. Sold prices of homes are not even close to the same thing, and you know it.
Another issue is that if I go to a Realtor and they show me comps, they get to cherry pick the comps that will provide a value of my home that benefits them. And Joe Q. Citizen has no way to know that, meaning there is absolutely no checks and balances.
And if your license is no longer active, then why do you have "Texas Realtor" displayed in your profile for everyone to see?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TX Rover
Equating bank records to real estate values that impact one's own taxes is a bit of a red herring.
Do you deserve to pay a fair tax rate? Yes. The largest tax load for Texans is property tax - but, like I said, there's always some part time rookie realtor that I can call to get the worst possible CMA from and use that to fight TCAD. I give them my Google Voice number and subsequently block them, so I basically just waste their time for supporting a system that devalues transparency in the transaction and industry as a whole.
That's not being a nosy neighbor. That's protecting my taxable value and trying to limit an overreaching government from leveraging both their campaign contributions and the confusion to improperly tax my property versus comparable properties.
Let's all pretend that the realtor groups fighting for this really care so much about OUR collective privacy and not about protecting their turf. I for one have found redfin's comps super helpful and have been able to use them to protest my property taxes these last few years. I guess we'll figure a workaround for next year.
But not sure the point of pointing the red herrings to this poster. This is a poster that compared folks moving to Austin and wanting familiar thing to rape and colonization.
Let's all pretend that the realtor groups fighting for this really care so much about OUR collective privacy and not about protecting their turf. I for one have found redfin's comps super helpful and have been able to use them to protest my property taxes these last few years. I guess we'll figure a workaround for next year.
But not sure the point of pointing the red herrings to this poster. This is a poster that compared folks moving to Austin and wanting familiar thing to rape and colonization.
When I get my tax bill, I’ll PM you the name of whatever jokester I use this year for a terrible CMA. Just set up a generic gmail and Google voice number ahead of time.
It was a bit of an oddity when I moved here to not have access to the MLS. I was mildly side hustling in RE when I lived in Atlanta with my mother who was a broker so I had access to the MLS at all times in GA, but the MLS was also public so there wasn't really much need for a realtor aside from taking the stress out of the home buying process. Here it seems like you almost need a realtor, I'm sure you can get by without one but it seems to be a bit more complicated. I could understand the need and reasoning someone would want to know how much housing in a particular area is truly selling for in leu of understanding if the housing they particularly are inquiring about is overvalued or not.
Realtor's, especially in Austin seem to be willing to tell you whatever you want to hear just to close a deal and make commission. I won't over generalize and say they're all like that, but when I was looking to purchase, alot of them were.
Funny how the Texas Association of Realtors has fought tooth and nail to keep Texas a non-disclosure state when they suppoedly has nothing to do with it.
Most states make this information public. Texas is only one of 12 that doesn't. So it works pretty well in most other places. It allows for fairer assessments for taxes and helps owners, buyers, and appraisers. The only people it doesn't help are Realtors.
And how is client relationship defined? The only Realtor we have ever used in a transaction is dead. So we technically have no client relationship with a realtor. If I want to protest my taxes, am I just screwed? Or at the very least, will I now have to take even more time off from work so that I an establish a "relationship" with a Realtor, even though I don't plan on selling or buying any property for decades? How convenient for me. If I do reach out to a Realtor, and they provide me comps, how is that a relationship with me? They don't have more of a relationship with me than Redfin does. I called them, they gave me comps. I go on Redfin, it gives me comps. What's the difference other than one is wildly inconvenient?
I personally think this is an issue that should go on a ballot. Let the people decide, not the folks who have a financial interest in the current system.
sales prices absolutely should be available to the govt. It is ludicrous that there is a game where everyone is trying to lie about their value.
The govt doesnt have to publish the value, but it absolutely should know the value of every single sale.
But as a private citizen, not as a realtor or former realtor, I have ALWAYS appreciated the non-disclosure status of our state, long before I was in the business. Unless you want your personal finances (bank records) to be public information, to insist that you deserve to have this is hypocrisy, pure and simple, no matter who you try to blame.
I also value privacy. So why not prevent realtors from viewing my private sale information? Then it would be truly private.
I would support making my sale information totally private and giving ME control over who can see it.
sales prices absolutely should be available to the govt. It is ludicrous that there is a game where everyone is trying to lie about their value.
The govt doesnt have to publish the value, but it absolutely should know the value of every single sale.
Why? What gives the government the right to my private information? Do you also think the government has the right to know what I pay to have my house cleaned?
The government has NO right to know anything about my sale price.
Why? What gives the government the right to my private information? Do you also think the government has the right to know what I pay to have my house cleaned?
The government has NO right to know anything about my sale price.
Taxes are based on your home value (which is related to your sales price, albeit not the same necessarily).
No one taxes you based on what you pay to clean your house. Although, if your cleaning person is a 'contractor' and you pay over a certain amount per year, you DO have to report what you pay your cleaning person.
Why? What gives the government the right to my private information? Do you also think the government has the right to know what I pay to have my house cleaned?
The government has NO right to know anything about my sale price.
It would be better than the current system. Right now, property values are all over the map and don’t even remotely mirror the market, most of that due to a lack of transparency. I’d rather the playing field be level, but until then - I’ll play the game… I still use the photos of my duplex and condo before the rehab that would probably cost $240K to do today. Bribed some of my buddies in the trades that knew what they were doing to help me do some electrical and plumbing stuff so I could get away without pulling a permit and did most of the cosmetic stuff myself.
When I go to sell, I’ll pull all the permits myself and have inspectors come in. Until then, I underpay by about $5-6K per year.
The system is broken.
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