A couple months after we moved in last year we got a supplemental tax bill for $1,012. They say it's typical on new construction. We expected it but weren't actually prepared to pay it so we asked for half to be be paid out of impound and by the time the other half was due this year they had already factored it in to this years impound and it would be taken care of. We even got a nice escrow refund check. Yesterday, we got yet another supplemental bill and the only thing it supplements is my annoyance. This time it's $3,000 on top of our normal taxes. That's not exactly what we planned on using our tax refund for so I call our mortgage company and thank goodness they agree to pay it. It will raise our mortgage by $25.00 a month come May because it creates a deficit in our impound account but that hurts a lot less them ponying up 3k at once. Now get this. He says the reason could be for home improvements which allows the city to say that our house is worth more and therefore we owe more property taxes. I wondered, how do they know anyways? If we did anything that would require a contractor to get permits then it's reported to the city. The only thing we did is our backyard so that must have been it. We are already paying taxes on the house, then we get taxed on the landscaping job itself, then getting a 3k bill was like doubling the cost of our landscaping job-for no good reason! Apparently, California is notorious for doing their little shady re assessments on property value. I suppose we better watch out when we get ready to do our kitchen remodel and we can probably forget about getting another escrow refund.
But really. It's enough to make your head spin. At least we got a decent tax refund this year-goodness knows we've paid enough. According to an old saying the only thing you can be sure of is death and taxes. I may not have understood that as a kid but I certainly get it now.
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