Who Qualifies for a Homestead Exemption?
Video Summary
Who qualifies for homestead exemption? First, homestead exemption is something that you apply for before January 1st of any year which you wish to obtain homestead exemption. The application must be made on or before March 1st of a particular year. By way of example, if you bought a home December 23, 2011, and you moved into the home, then you could apply for a homestead exemption in 2012, and you have until March 1 of 2012. Now, in order to be qualified, besides owning and occupying the property, you must be a Florida resident.
You cannot be a resident of another state and have two homestead exemptions. And you have to put this on the application- that you don’t have homestead in any other state. In order to qualify for homestead exemption, you have to own the home prior to December 31st of the preceding year and you must be a resident of the state of Florida and occupy the property. You cannot have two homesteads, whether they be in Florida or another state. Our property appraiser, Mike Wells, researches this and will disqualify you for your homestead exemption if you have an exemption in another state and there are substantial penalties involved, also.
From time to time folks want to know, “Can I get a homestead on the property here and my wife get a homestead on a property up north?” I don’t suggest your trying to do that- it may fail. If you’re a husband and wife, then you’re considered a family unit, and they may not allow the above. You also would not want to have to defend your actions if they found out later on. You would need to discuss that with the property appraiser at the time you apply for homestead exemption, whether here in Pasco County, or with any property appraiser.
So, in order to get a homestead exemption, be sure you’re a resident in the state of Florida and you’ve owned the property prior to the year you apply. If you bought the property on January 2, 2012, you can’t get homestead exemption until 2013. One last note is that you can apply for homestead exemption as soon as you get the property, up until March 1 of the following year. If you have any questions, call me at (727) 847-2288. Thank you.
- Published in Real Estate, Videos
How Do I Apply for a Homestead Exemption?
Video Summary
How do I apply for a homestead exemption? A homestead exemption is what exempts up to $50,000.00 of your property taxes in Florida from taxation. $25,000.00 of your exemption does not exempt it from school taxes. It’s on the assessed value between $50,000.00 and $75,000.00. How do you apply?
You’ll go to the property appraiser’s office and sign an application showing your ownership and further swearing that you are a resident of the state of Florida, show them your Florida driver’s license. A Florida driver’s license would prove that you’re a resident and your address. Then, you simply sign the application, under oath, that you occupy the property, that it was your homestead property as of December 31st of the prior year and that you own the property. You’re not able to apply for a homestead exemption for, let’s say, 2012 if you purchase a house January 2, 2012. It would not be eligible for a homestead exemption until 2013.
You can apply at any time. You don’t have to wait until after the 1st of the year to apply for homestead exemption, and you have up until March 1, 2013 or March 1st of each year to apply for homestead exemption for that particular year. How do you apply? You contact the property appraiser’s office and fill out the application saying that you’re not a resident or have exemption in any other state and show that you’re the owner of the property (there are various forms of ownership, as far as that’s concerned, whether it’s being under an agreement per deed).
It doesn’t matter whether you have a mortgage on it. It would be helpful if you had your deed to show them that you’re the owner of the property. If the owner is husband and wife, I believe only one- either the husband or the wife can apply for the homestead exemption. As far as I know– and certainly in Pasco County, you cannot apply online. I’m not sure if there are any other counties in Florida that have an alternate way of applying for a homestead exemption, other than going to the property appraiser’s office, filling out the information and signing under oath. In Pasco County, Mike Wells is currently the property appraiser. If you have any questions, give me a call at (727) 847-2288.
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When Can I Apply for a Homestead Exemption?
Video Summary
When can I apply for a homestead exemption? You can apply as soon as you become the owner of the property and become a permanent resident of the state of Florida and move into the property that you purchase. When you make application, you’re applying for the next calendar year, so if you buy a property in 2012 and you move into the property and you own it, you can apply at any time up until March 1, 2013 for homestead exemption.
There are two exemptions. One exemption is for the first $25,000.00, which exempts about $500.00 in taxes. There’s an additional $25,000.00 exemption with the assessed value between $50,000.00 and $75,000.00 and that exempts everything but school taxes, which will save you approximately $300.00. So, you can apply as soon as you have your recorded deed or to show that the proof of ownership – you occupy the property and you’re a permanent resident in the state of the Florida.
How do you show that you’re a resident of the state of Florida? Get a Florida driver’s license. That’s the first step, which I understand’s not particularly easy anymore with all the identification you need (but that’s a topic for another video I guess) and also if you register to vote, that’s another good indication.
You can’t have any homestead exemptions from any other state, if you own property in more than one state. However, you can apply as soon as possible, but it’s for the following year. If you have any more questions, give me a call at (727) 847-2288.
- Published in Real Estate, Videos
Chip Waller – Why Do You Like Being a Lawyer?
Video Summary
Why do I like being a lawyer? Well, I love to put a deal together – especially when I deal with the buyer and the seller of a business or a real estate transaction. We try and put the deal together if we have a willing buyer and a willing seller. We’ll figure out ways to make it work and then negotiate the transaction. I truly love doing transactional work where we put deals together when it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
I also like solving problems. And many times people come in with problems with the intention of heading off to court. But I often tell folks that a bad settlement is better than a good lawsuit. Whenever you deal with attorneys, the cost of dealing with the legal system is very expensive, so I like to try to think of non-legal ways of solving problems. Now, that doesn’t always work and therefore I defend a lot of people who have been sued when we don’t have the opportunity to come up with a non-legal method of solving the problem. It always takes two people to come up with a solution.
I guess, the best way of saying why I like being a lawyer is: I like helping folks and that comes as far as putting transactions together as well as helping them solve problems. So if you like for me to try and help you or solve some of your problems or put a deal together, give me a call at (727) 847-2288.
Chip Waller – What Areas of Law Do You Practice?
Video Summary
What areas of law do I practice? I try and help individuals in small businesses as well as representing as many banks as I can in West Pasco, where I have my office. There are a few large corporate clients that are available, so I try to represent people in their various problems. I don’t cover all areas of practice, so if you have a problem I cannot address, I’ll try and direct you to an attorney who would handle it properly.
I am a Board Certified Real Estate Attorney, and I certainly can handle most of your real estate needs, if not all of those — and that’s something I truly enjoy doing. I have also been involved in Estate Planning for my entire legal career and try to stay current with that, as well as Estate Administration and Trust Administration. We do Commercial Litigation. Right now we are doing quite a bit of Foreclosure Defense, as well as representing investors and one or two banks as far as handling foreclosures are concerned.
One of the areas that I don’t practice in is bankruptcy. I refer many of my cases to the local bankruptcy attorneys. I also refer criminal law to different attorneys. The law has become so specialized that there are any number of questions that come up and so I refer whoever contacts me to someone who I am confident will be able to do a good job for them. So, if you have a question, give me a call and I would be glad to talk to you about it and see if it’s something I can handle for you, if not, I’ll head you in the right direction. (727) 847-2288.