Ocala Weather Update September 09

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September is still the summer in Ocala and not at all like fall as in other parts of the country.  It’s still plenty hot and plenty humid. Towards the end of the month the heat will begin to back off a little. By that I mean the high 80’s instead of the mid to low 90’s.

Here we are in September, at the peak of hurricane season and for the second year in a row, nothing is happening. Why do experts make predictions anyway when they are so wrong so often. Ocala is one of the least hurricane prone areas in Florida but the remnants of hurricanes provide a lot of scary wind and huge amounts of rain. In that sense I’m glad we’re having such an uneventful season and I hope it continues.

August was much wetter than in past years. We had several years of low rainfall and this year is back to normal. By that I mean afternoon thunderstorms on a regular basis. Some of these thunderstorms can drop 2 or 3 inches in less than an hour. I’m not kidding, I’ve had to lower my swimming pool several times to keep it from over flowing.

Remember as I love to say, the hot summers are a very small price to pay for no winters. I look forward to the winter.  Do you?

Ocala Property Taxes

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Property taxes in Ocala, as in the rest of Florida, are pretty confusing. A lot has to do with the Save Our Homes initiative, also know in real estate as amendment 10. Save Our Homes was supposed to keep seniors from getting taxed out of their homes by capping tax increases on homestead properties by 3% or the rate of inflation, which ever is lower.

The problem with amendment 1o is that you can buy the exact same house as the guy across the street, who has been there for 10 years, and pay twice the taxes that he does. Another example of politicians helping one group at the expense of another.

Now that property values have dropped like a stone here in Florida a new issue has come up with Save Our Homes.  This is called the recapture rule. The recapture rule states that tax assessors must increase the assessed value of a house by up to 3% as long as that it  is less than the homes market value.  This is why most peoples taxes are not going down even though their homes value has gone down.

Now here’s some home work. Below are 2 great links. One is to the Marion County property appraiser. Read the FAQ and check out the tax estimator. If you live in Florida read the portability calculator because you can bring your Save Our Home exemption with you to a new house. The other link is to an article from the Ocala Star Banner which has a detailed explanation about why taxes aren’t going down.

Marion County Property Appraiser

Ocala Star Banner

If you buy a foreclosure or short sale in the Ocala area it is important to understand that you will be assessed at market value and not the amount you paid for your house.

Finally, when you see the taxes on a real estate listing be aware that it is not the amount that you will be paying. Taxes adjust every time a house is sold.

Florida population down, Marion County up

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While Florida lost population for the first time since the end of WW2, Ocala Marion County gained in population. From April 08 to April 09 Marion County added a little over 3,800 residents. Over all Florida lost over 58,000 people. Some counties losing more than others and a few counties actually gaining population like Marion County.

Why are people coming to Ocala and Marion County?

  • The lowest median home prices in Florida.
  • Lower property taxes than much of the state.
  • Lower home owners insurance than much of Florida.
  • Much lower hurricane risk than south Florida.
  • Less traffic and crime than other parts of the state.
  • Just a better quality of life.

There has never been a better time to buy a house in Ocala Marion County than now. Interest rates are at historical lows with no where to go buy up. Home prices are down 50% in some areas from 2005-07. Call or email me today and I’ll send you a list of homes that would meet your needs. All I need to know is what you want. Or try my Ocala Dream Home Finder. What ever is easier for you.

Ocala weather August 2009

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Ocala weather in August is pretty much the same every day. Never below 90 and never above 95 in the day. Never below 70 at night and more like the mid 70’s. It’s humid all the time and there is a possibility of a thunderstorm almost every afternoon.

We are having a very uneventful hurricane season so far this year. Let’s hope it stays that way. In case you haven’t read my weather reports before this one, Ocala is probably the safest place in all of Florida for hurricanes. That’s not to say Ocala will never get one but that it’s unlikely.

As I always say, don’t let the heat and humidity bother you, it’s a very small price to pay for no winter.

Ocala Deed Restrictions

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house with over grown grass and junk car in the yard

Ocala deed restrictions

I get asked a lot about Ocala area deed restrictions. Let me start by saying that no one dislikes authority figures or being told what to do more than me. However, as you can see from the picture above there are good reasons for deed restrictions. Try selling your house if you live next door to that guy.

If there is a mandatory HOA, home owners association, you must be given a copy of the deed restrictions to read before making an offer. Most are pretty much common sense like no mobile homes or that you can’t park your RV or boat on the front lawn. Others might bother some people.  For example, you can only put up a certain kind of fence or you can’t have a shed in your back yard.

If you can’t imagine living with deed restrictions you do have options in the Ocala area. There are a number of sub divisions with either no or very few deed restrictions. There are older communities that have let them expire. There is also agricultural zoning but if the house is in a sub division the zoning can be over ridden by the deed restrictions.

So to sum this all up, deed restrictions depend partly on the personality of the buyer, the restrictions themselves and how they are enforced.