The Sun's Financial Diary

When buying real estate, everybody knows "location, location, location." However, the difference between locations shouldn't just be neighborhoods in the city, the city itself should also be on your mind. You certainly don't want to live in one of those "most dangerous" cities, even though you may find a perfect location in the city.
Morgan [...]

Early last month, we saw an open house sign nearby. We were not really shopping for a new house back then (even now), but since it was in the area we like, we decided to take a tour. The house, built in 1998, has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage, and a unfinished basement. [...]

A study report released today by National Association of Realtors found that a majority of the 78 million baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, face uncertainties when it comes how to retire. The study was to find what kind of homes baby boomers will buy when they approach retirement. However, it also shows [...]

According to The Tax Foundation, New York and New Jersey top the list of median property taxes in the nation. The 15 counties with highest property taxes are:

Westchester County, NY – $7,337    
Nassau County, NY – $7,025         
Hunterdon County, NJ – $6,988      
Bergen County, NJ – $6,846         
Essex County, NJ – $6,642         
Rockland County, [...]

And it is the rise of property tax.
Today’s New York Times article offered a glimpse on how personal income increases since 2002 were outpaced by the rise of property tax. According to the article, from 2000 to 2004, personal income went up 16 percent nationwide, while property tax soared 26 percent. In the tri-state area [...]