Advocates who are trying to keep real estate taxes reasonable in Florida won one battle but lost another as state courts have ruled on two important cases.
In the first case, The Florida Supreme Court rejected the wording as misleading in Amendment 3, thereby officially knocking it off of the November ballot.
In the second, The First District Court of Appeals once again rejected an appeal by out-of-state homeowners questioning the constitutionality of Florida’s Save Our Homes (SOH) law and its offspring, the amendment that allows homeowners portability on their tax savings when they relocate into a new home anywhere within the state.
Continue Reading Florida Real Estate Taxes: Win One, Lose One
Tags: Florida, real estate, taxes
Members of the military, foreign service and intelligence communities will have an additional year to buy a home and claim the home buyer tax credit that expired on April 30. To qualify for the extended tax credit deadline, qulaified service members must have served on official extended duty outside of the United States for 90 days or more at any time between January, 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. If so, they have until April 30, 2011, to sign a sales contract, and until June 30, 2011, to settle and close on the home. The rule includes both the $8,000 first-time and $6,500 repeat homebuyer tax credit.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has finally announced two important clarifications regarding the documentation required for taxpayers seeking to claim the first-time and move-up homebuyer tax credits. Local guidelines, especially for closing statements have caused a lot of confusion for both claimants and their tax preparers.
The Bonita Springs City Council has agreed to keep its tax rate the same as last year. The 2009 tax rate will be 82.73 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That’s great news for 
Gulf Coast Associates, Realtors specializes in upscale 
