Sell Your Home & Keep Your Property Tax Base
Are you an empty nester looking to downsize, but hesitant to sell because of a higher tax rate on the new property? Well, Proposition 60 could have been written with you in mind.
Under Proposition 60, California homeowners 55 and older get a one-time chance to sell their primary residence and transfer its property-tax assessment to a new one, but the market value of the new home generally must be equal to or less than the market value of the old home.
Prop. 60 was designed to help longtime California homeowners who want to downsize but don't want to give up the low property- tax assessment they enjoy in their existing home.
Under Proposition 13, homes are reassessed for
property-tax purposes when there is a change in ownership or new construction. In between ownership changes, the assessed value can go up by an inflation rate not to exceed 2% a year.
Prop. 60 lets homeowners 55 or older transfer their base-year value from an existing primary residence to a new primary residence, but there are restrictions.
The new home must be in the same county as the old one or, as Proposition 90 added, in one of eleven counties that accept transfers of base-year value from other counties. The eleven counties are: Alameda, El Dorado, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Tuolumne and Ventura.
Also, the new home must be purchased or built within two years - before or after - the sale of the original property.
If the new house is purchased before the old house is sold, the market value of the new house on its purchase date cannot exceed 100% of the old home's market value on the date it is sold.
These rules are great if you’re considering downsizing. If you want to take advantage of them, contact me and I will be more than happy to guide you through the process.
