Is Stafford, Tx a nice place to live in? (Houston: foreclosed, houses)

[Ilovethewindycity]

I am looking to move out of Texas due to the extremely high property taxes. I currently live in Dallas and while I enjoy the city, weather and neighborhood I am not at all a fan of the property taxes. I understand that there is no state income tax here but that does not make up for the amount of property tax that is paid here. The county of Dallas has a 2.4% tax rate on the value of the property which is based on the value of the neighborhood. So even if I bought a foreclosed home for $250,000 in a $500,000 neighborhood, my property tax is based on the $500,000, that is insane. I stumble upon an article this morning about Stafford, Tx which does not have a property tax. Can anyone tell me what the neighborhoods are like there? If anyone is familiar with the Dallas Metroplex, what city is Stafford most similar to? Thanks

[bamba_boy]

Stafford is basically an industrial (mostly light industry) enclave that does have a few small middle-to-lower middle class subdivisions. Stafford has a minimal or non-existant property tax but does pay the rest of the property taxes for schools and Harris County - still a nice break over the rest of the Houston area probably 30-40%. I live near it in Houston and it's got it's gritty areas but you might find a nice house but if you're talking about an upscale $500,000 house area might be difficult unless you're buying a lot and custom building but then you're probably going to be in an area of houses worth half that - not a very good appreciation scenario. That empty lot is likely not too far from some warehouse operation. On the plus side, it's very close to Sugar Land and plenty of great shopping and a big restaurant row from The Fountains to First Colony Mall just outbound on the 59. Also great access to all of Houston from three freeways that cross nearby: the 59, Beltway 8, and the new Rt 90 (Main St.) freeway that nobody knows about yet so is very fast into the Medical Center.

[westres1]

2.4 is low for most of Houston's suburbs. In Stafford you will still pay about that much for the school tax.
The appraisal district only knows what you finance.... you can also protest the taxes. In this climate they would lower the value.

[tstone]

To me, Stafford is similar to Webster. They are both small fly-through towns butted up against Houston, and look a lot like Houston. Populations are only about 10k. Lots of people work there and live somewhere else. Strictly middle of the road areas otherwise -- Not great but not terrible.

[ZeroTX]

We looked at a house in Stafford, in an older neighborhood (Dove Country) and the total tax rate was 1.9%

-Michael