Real estate taxes - how do some people pay very low taxes? (sale)

[martinjsxx]

I live in eastern Queens and the single home real estate taxes are about $4500 or so with no tax breaks. The various reductions can get that amount cut in half. On blockshopper websites I see a couple of my neighbors are paying less than $400 a year. These are homes owned by people who do not seem to qualify for even the most common exemptions like for age, veterans, etc. What could these people be doing to pay such low taxes?

[Kefir King]

What could these people be doing to pay such low taxes?

Paying off the right people?

[bumblebyz]

Originally Posted by martinjsxx

I live in eastern Queens and the single home real estate taxes are about $4500 or so with no tax breaks. The various reductions can get that amount cut in half. On blockshopper websites I see a couple of my neighbors are paying less than $400 a year. These are homes owned by people who do not seem to qualify for even the most common exemptions like for age, veterans, etc. What could these people be doing to pay such low taxes?

I'm not familiar with blockshopper, but I know that zillow and other websites alike tend to underestimate taxes for some reason, but not to the extent that you're describing.

Try viewing the actual bill through the nyc.gov site and see if you see anything special on the bill:
http://webapps.nyc.gov:8084/CICS/fin1/find001I

[martinjsxx]

Originally Posted by bumblebyz

I'm not familiar with blockshopper, but I know that zillow and other websites alike tend to underestimate taxes for some reason, but not to the extent that you're describing.

Try viewing the actual bill through the nyc.gov site and see if you see anything special on the bill:
http://webapps.nyc.gov:8084/CICS/fin1/find001I

Thanks for that link. It's amazing how people's actual tax bills are available to all. I'm not seeing the low taxes I saw on blockshopper, they must have had wrong information.

[bumblebyz]

Originally Posted by martinjsxx

Thanks for that link. It's amazing how people's actual tax bills are available to all. I'm not seeing the low taxes I saw on blockshopper, they must have had wrong information.

Yes I can't believe that it's public information. You can also see sale prices, and mortgage amounts/interest rates as well so you know how much down payment your neighbor put down and can also infer their credit profile. But that's on a different site and you need to either know their name or cross reference the block/lot info.