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.
- Published in Videos
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
Chip Waller – What Are Some Highlights of Your Career?
Video Summary
I think the first highlight of my career would be serving as the Chairman of the Real Property Probate and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar. It had some 8-9,000 members when I was the Chairman. I served in that capacity for a year however, I have been involved with the Real Property Section for about 38 or 39 years and continue to work with the Section. I have also received the Annual Service Award and the Robert Scott Award for outstanding service to the Section. It has been a labor of love and probably the highlight was being the Chairman.
Another highlight was being admitted to the United States Supreme Court and going to United States Supreme Court and watching oral argument. In order to be admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court, you need to be nominated and then you can be sworn in. You have to, of course, be a member of good standing with the Florida Bar. It was quite impressive to go through the ceremony and sit on the front row to watch the oral argument with the Justices 10 or 15 feet in front of you.. That was quite an experience and thrill!
I have recently been elected to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and that is quite an honor. As a fellow, you are selected by your peers and there are less than fifty lawyers from Florida that are in the ACREL.
Of course, one of the things that probably attributes to my practice is completing the Iron Man in Hawaii – 13 hours and 54 minutes and that’s a part of my personality- not ever giving up! It’s just getting one foot in front of the other. I certainly didn’t beat a whole lot of people, but I did finish it and that’s the thing about our team – we don’t ever give up and we usually complete what we start. And so, that’s pretty much the highlights. If you like to talk to me about any of your legal problems or putting together a deal, please give me a call at (727) 847-2288. Thank you.
Chip Waller – What Legal Training Do You Have?
Video Summary
What legal training do I have? To start out, I did graduate from Dunedin High School. (We won’t tell you how long ago that was.) I then went on to St. Petersburg Junior College for one year; It’s now St. Pete College. Then I went on to Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, and graduated with a B.S. in Accounting. From there, I went to Mercer University to the Walter F. George School of Law and graduated with my JD degree (that stands for Juris Doctorate). So don’t call me “Doctor”, just call me “Lawyer”. And from there, I started practicing law in New Port Richey, Florida on Main Street with James J. Altman; He was a great mentor. I stayed with Jim Altman for about six years before I opened up my own law firm across the street. I can’t say enough good things about him.
From there, I stayed across the street for a while and then I took on a partner by the name of Stanley R. Mills who is now Circuit Court Judge. He got on the bench in 1989. I then moved to my present location at 5332 Main Street in New Port Richey. And that covers about 40 years of practicing law, so I guess a lot of my experience is just being here. As Woody Allen would say, 80 percent of success is just showing up every day! So I have been showing up every day for 40 years. I also am a Board Certified Real Estate Attorney (and have been for I don’t know how many years). So, that is the extent of my legal education and it takes a lot of experience, having gone through the process, to come up with a good answer. So if you need some good answers, 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.