The Villages 2024 Property Tax Comparison

[RL Lemke]

Looking at assessment rates and home property tax invoices, this is the type of analysis that influenced my home purchase.

The valuation assessment based total for each location. Unincorporated then within a city.

Much of The Villages north of 44 is unincorporated, if within Sumter County. If in Lake County most are within Fruitland Park, Lady Lake or Leesburg. South of 44, in Sumter County, development is mostly within Wildwood.

I wanted to include the forever property tax burden to my budget. Bonds and sub-district M&O are a separate number. I have a separate analysis for those numbers but only for the target districts we looked at.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VhkGVS8/0/Mws2SLdVbvjQDDFqKFm4P4hmnv5v5HtfnQh9MvJhf/O/i-VhkGVS8.jpg

Map of unincorporated Sumter County:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R9F54J4/0/LC9vbRM22cc83q5PNbtSMFCDGw7skFdTqMm39LW3T/O/i-R9F54J4.png

To look up bond balances, maturity and interest rate, look here:
Finance - The Villages Community Development Districts (https://www.districtgov.org/services/administration/finance/#)

[CarlR33]

LOL, it should be titled “County property tax comparison within the Villages. The Villages has nothing to do with the County taxes you pay.

[rjm1cc]

Not sure I understand. If you live in one of the cities, do you pay the tax you listed plus the county tax or does your city tax include the county tax.

[dewilson58]

Not sure I understand. If you live in one of the cities, do you pay the tax you listed plus the county tax or does your city tax include the county tax.

The city tax numbers presented INCLUDE county taxes.

[Babubhat]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

[Skip]

For many years, un-incorporated Sumter County taxes on residential properties are not only the lowest in The Villages but they actually go down a little almost every year! [Bigger base, no schools to build and maintain, and the roads are paid for by the bonds.]

Our friends up north can't believe that.

Skip

PS: The 2022 tax bill is $609 less than the 2006 tax bill. That's 16 years ago!

[dewilson58]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

They were very successful is expanding their tax base................glad I'm not "in the city."

[kkingston57]

For most of my entire adult life, have always chose to live in an unincorporated part of a county. Too much overlap/redundancy

[Altavia]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

We're seeing more law enforcement presence, in Wildwood. Especially traffic enforcement of speed and some neighborhood patrols.

[asianthree]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

We get actual cars that patrol our streets, and Write Speeding Tickets. In a month we see police presence more than the 15 years between the 6’s. How many times do you see a CS drive past your house in the wee hours of the night.

Then again some just get used to the speed of FedEx, UPS and every lawn/landscape company in TV. We couldn’t get used to it so just kept moving south. So more taxes for a service that is very lacking, well worth the few $$

[Kenswing]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

I’ve been seeing Wildwood Police patrolling our neighborhood more frequently. Other than that I guess we can brag about the new parking structure downtown. :1rotfl:

[BrianL99]

We're seeing more law enforcement presence, in Wildwood. Especially traffic enforcement of speed and some neighborhood patrols.

All those young folk down South drive faster. Up North, we don't need increased police presence. Sends a negative message.

[Normal]

Not sure I understand. If you live in one of the cities, do you pay the tax you listed plus the county tax or does your city tax include the county tax.

If you buy new, you pay an additional tax to the city of Wildwood(~1200). Unincorporated pays just Sumter county taxes. The rest pay a municipality tax and the Sumter tax. Generally the area between 466 and 466 A is somewhat safe except for the Fruitland park municipality on the east side and the south west area near Wildwood.

[asianthree]

All those young folk down South drive faster. Up North, we don't need increased police presence. Sends a negative message.

Many with 20 years plus in TV have moved south. You must never travel any roads in TV because Speed has been an issue for more than 10 years, Between the 6’s. But those newer to TV like to ignore problems especially lack of police presence.

Let’s face when Farmer, publicly stated “our department doesn’t waste our time with speed, just those we think may be under the influence” so CS we’re nite night after 9.

Since there is a new sheriff in town I actually saw a CS car with a person parked on the grass on BV. For 10 years that car would be sitting in the same spot for 3 weeks sans a breathing body.

[champion6]

I make a comparison of taxes every year. Attached is the 2024 comparison.

[BrianL99]

I make a comparison of taxes every year. Attached is the 2024 comparison.

Nice job.

It boggles my mind, that the majority of folks looking for homes in The Villages, seem to completely ignore (or are simply ignorant of) the various Tax Rates, Bonds and the disparity between neighborhoods as a result.

2 virtually identical homes, but in different areas, could have the exact same asking price and many buyers don't do enough research to figure out that one of them could actually end up being significantly less expensive.

[RL Lemke]

My purchase experience in discussing property taxes, bonds and district M&O assessments with realtors showed that there is a general understanding. In creating a budget for living in The Villages, my The Nut itemizing the fixed monthly costs, my Sumter County tax invoice will be 15.86%. A percentage that could have been quite a bit larger had we purchased a home elsewhere.

It was an earlier version of my OP cheatsheet that defined where we looked for our home, eliminating Lake County, Marion County and south of 44. Then, within the target area, it came to floor plan, village location, amenity and shopping proximity.

With the record number of homes on the market, we had a significant buying advantage. Buyers during the last few years didn’t have the same advantage. Still, as the home market price adjustment toward a pre-covid normal continues, we purchased at close to the peak pricing. Our market timing was good but not great.

[Triker]

The Villages is growing so fast they can’t keep up. The cities have jumped in on the gold mine with the villages and are annexing in the property so you will pay both annual county and city taxes, plus a bond to the villages, an annual maintenance fee plus a fire dept fee. ( plus your monthly amenity fee)
Reality living in the Florida villages is not cheap. It all adds up. Do your research before you buy.
(Note there are also a lot of outsiders who illegally use the village’s amenities pools, courts rec centers, events etc) People wait for front desk person to leave then go in rec centers or bypass and use back doors.
Villages’s need to check every ID when they check the pool ids And maybe do random check ids in the rooms. They have to have maximum capacity in these rec centers but some things get way over crowded.
There is just no way to fool proof and monitor the amount of people.

[RL Lemke]

The cheatsheet is the first cut in sorting the property tax price of admission to The Villages.
Each of the homes which made my short list then warranted a look at the tax statement and details of the unit bond information.

For Sumter County all you need is the street address: Payments & Services (https://county-taxes.net/sumter/sumter/property-tax)

For the bond balance, interest rate and maturity go here: Finance - The Villages Community Development Districts (https://www.districtgov.org/services/administration/finance/#)
The District & Unit info is on the tax invoice. If not, look at the assessor information.

I think it is always prudent to base a budget on using the 85% of the home sale price X the total valuation based assessment. The property tax invoices you will see online are based on historic valuations and include a variety of exemptions. For budget purposes, I am not relying on exemptions.

[RL Lemke]

Many may consider the $100/month Wildwood tariff to be worthwhile. Comments above indicate this to be the case.

[MikeN]

True but the bonds are an outrageous burden

[RL Lemke]

I found that MLS realtors often had out of date bond balance information, if they even had any bond information. They often fail to indicate the floor plan model name. VLS does a better job. To better understand the specific home I chose to invest what I consider a great sum, I purchased the full construction drawing PDF for $400. This illuminated so many important aspects of construction and changes. You need the lot and unit number. https://agewave-solutions-inc.square.site/

[RL Lemke]

True but the bonds are an outrageous burden

During covid the lot development cost more than doubled. I found that the subcontractors couldn’t perform per the contracts because of material shortages and crazy price increases. So, I understand how the bond financed developer reimbursement numbers increased so.

A prudent buyer, living within a budget, will carefully consider bond expense. In addition, it is important to consider that the sub-district will be assessing for maintenance & operations. It appears that these numbers are also higher as you go south.

[westernrider75]

The Wildwood, Fruitland, Leesburg tax for which you get nothing in return.

We definitely see more police presence and traffic enforcement in Wildwood.

[Altavia]

Looking at assessment rates and home property tax invoices, this is the type of analysis that influenced my home purchase.

The valuation assessment based total for each location. Unincorporated then within a city.

Much of The Villages north of 44 is unincorporated, if within Sumter County. If in Lake County most are within Fruitland Park, Lady Lake or Leesburg. South of 44, in Sumter County, development is mostly within Wildwood.

I wanted to include the forever property tax burden to my budget. Bonds and sub-district M&O are a separate number. I have a separate analysis for those numbers but only for the target districts we looked at.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VSBgpbr/0/MWjxvXRRDHZSncmRTmkXCcPxVrLJJmwRwBRH74vKS/O/i-VSBgpbr.jpg

Map of unincorporated Sumter County:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R9F54J4/0/LC9vbRM22cc83q5PNbtSMFCDGw7skFdTqMm39LW3T/O/i-R9F54J4.png

To look up bond balances, maturity and interest rate, look here:
Finance - The Villages Community Development Districts (https://www.districtgov.org/services/administration/finance/#)

Thanks for sharing your research and the multiple informative posts!

[Altavia]

True but the bonds are an outrageous burden

Would you rather pay/finance 10% additional on your home or have a 10% bond that does not impact your credit score and you don't have to pay off when you sell your home?

[asianthree]

I have a tendency to give credit that most know exactly what taxes, amenities fee, and overall upkeep comes with moving to TV. Not the surprised fearful “I didn’t know about ___________. Those who don’t probably should seek the help of a financial person to make decisions or a family member.

My in-laws bought homes in their 90s, and first thing both pointed out was how much less taxes and monthly expenses were going to be than at the northern home.

So maybe common sense, due diligence or education comes into play more than many give credit to new incoming TV residents.

Have to say I have never compared taxes yearly. Why bother it’s not a reason to give pause to stay, sell, or buy.

[Altavia]

I have a tendency to give credit that most know exactly what taxes, amenities fee, and overall upkeep comes with moving to TV. Not the surprised fearful “I didn’t know about ___________. Those who don’t probably should seek the help of a financial person to make decisions or a family member.

My in-laws bought homes in their 90s, and first thing both pointed out was how much less taxes and monthly expenses were going to be than at the northern home.

So maybe common sense, due diligence or education comes into play more than many give credit to new incoming TV residents.

Have to say I have never compared taxes yearly. Why bother it’s not a reason to give pause to stay, sell, or buy.

Maybe partly because the value seems higher since those costs are significantly lower for many who moved here from other areas.

The tax/bonds/fees and local intergovernmental infrastructure here is also highly complex - lots of moving parts and not so easy to comprehend.

[Normal]

Would you rather pay/finance 10% additional on your home or have a 10% bond that does not impact your credit score and you don't have to pay off when you sell your home?

The bond is a clever scam to permit the charging of more money from the Developer. After all who wants to pay for the additional overcharging of your home the seller would love to receive?

So a 450,000 dollar home is really 500,000 thousand, all the while just outside the bubble the same home is 275,000. Who knew?

The bond is insult to injury under predatory salesmanship.

[biker1]

I don't know what the percentage is now but 10 years ago is was 5% on my new home. I wrote a check to pay if off.

Would you rather pay/finance 10% additional on your home or have a 10% bond that does not impact your credit score and you don't have to pay off when you sell your home?

[Bill14564]

The bond is a clever scam to permit the charging of more money from the Developer. After all who wants to pay for the additional overcharging of your home the seller would love to receive?

So a 450,000 dollar home is really 500,000 thousand, all the while just outside the bubble the same home is 275,000. Who knew?

The bond is insult to injury under predatory salesmanship.

Please post an example of the $450K Villages home and the identical $250K home just outside the Villages. I’m sure there is a markup for a location inside the Villages but it’s hard to believe the markup is $200K.

[Normal]

I don't know what the percentage is now but 10 years ago is was 5% on my new home. I wrote a check to pay if off.

It isn’t, it could be more or less. It’s the added hidden windfall charge from the Developer that is “Supposedly “ set to cover costs for road and development of a neighborhood. A courtyard Villa neighborhood would be less than say a designer home neighborhood. The concentration of homes can defray the cost. The good news is the bond isn’t considered in your taxable rate from the city and county.

[Normal]

Please post an example of the $450K Villages home and the identical $250K home just outside the Villages. I’m sure there is a markup for a location inside the Villages but it’s hard to believe the markup is $200K.

Orlando FL New Homes and Real Estate for Sale - Taylor Morrison (https://www.taylormorrison.com/fl/orlando?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=s%7Cfl%7Corl%7Cnon-brand%7Cphrase&utm_content=general---new-home#d=0fc20ce873ef49c483e6e14ef01a9a1d,0fc20ce873 ef49c483e6e14ef01a9a1d,0fc20ce873ef49c483e6e14ef01 a9a1d&t=Communities&mt=0)

Just go proportional. Not every home costs 450,000 k

Here’s one in Leesburg
New Construction Homes for Sale in Leesburg, Orlando, FL - Taylor Morrison (https://www.taylormorrison.com/fl/orlando/leesburg?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=s%7Cfl%7Corl%7Cnon-brand%7Cexact&utm_content=city---leesburg#c=leesburg,leesburg,leesburg&t=Communities&mt=0)

[Bill14564]

Orlando FL New Homes and Real Estate for Sale - Taylor Morrison (https://www.taylormorrison.com/fl/orlando?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=s%7Cfl%7Corl%7Cnon-brand%7Cphrase&utm_content=general---new-home#d=0fc20ce873ef49c483e6e14ef01a9a1d,0fc20ce873 ef49c483e6e14ef01a9a1d,0fc20ce873ef49c483e6e14ef01 a9a1d&t=Communities&mt=0)

Just go proportional. Not every home costs 450,000 k

Here’s one in Leesburg
New Construction Homes for Sale in Leesburg, Orlando, FL - Taylor Morrison (https://www.taylormorrison.com/fl/orlando/leesburg?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=s%7Cfl%7Corl%7Cnon-brand%7Cexact&utm_content=city---leesburg#c=leesburg,leesburg,leesburg&t=Communities&mt=0)

So not exactly identical and not $200K less than the Villages.

Yes, there are homes outside the Villages that cost less, there are also homes outside that cost more. That seems to be evidence of a healthy marketplace, not predatory practices or a scam.

[Altavia]

The good news is the bond isn’t considered in your taxable rate from the city and county.

Very interesting point, that tax savings could cover a significant amount of the bond cost.

[Normal]

Very interesting point, that tax savings could cover a significant amount of the bond cost.

Perhaps if you lived in an unincorporated section. But aren’t most of those bonds already paid off?

The only real place where bonds are high and only climbing are in the new sales area. Here 100% of the homes have a bond and 100% of the homes are incorporated. Generalizing any new home purchased has about a $50,000 added bond and at least an additional 1,000 dollars annually for life to cover municipality taxes. The rarity is finding an almost new home where someone paid off the bond.

Unincorporated is quickly becoming the viable buying option for those who are budget savvy.

[biker1]

I was only stating what mine was, 10 years ago.

It isn’t, it could be more or less. It’s the added hidden windfall charge from the Developer that is “Supposedly “ set to cover costs for road and development of a neighborhood. A courtyard Villa neighborhood would be less than say a designer home neighborhood. The concentration of homes can defray the cost. The good news is the bond isn’t considered in your taxable rate from the city and county.

[BrianL99]

The good news is the bond isn’t considered in your taxable rate from the city and county.

Very interesting point, that tax savings could cover a significant amount of the bond cost.

Must be New Math.

I'd like to see that calculation, seeing as Bond Payments are not Tax Deductible and Taxes are.

[Bill14564]

Must be New Math.

I'd like to see that calculation, seeing as Bond Payments are not Tax Deductible and Taxes are.

No, just regular old math.

In some places the cost of infrastructure is included in the selling price of the home. Here, the cost of infrastructure is in the separate bond. The selling price of the home is a starting point for determining the assessed value of the home which is used to calculate property taxes.

Lower selling price -> lower assessed value -> lower property taxes

It's been quite a while since I've been able to itemize my deductions so a lower assessed value benefits me much more than higher taxes.

[RL Lemke]

The assessed value is a function of fair market value, regardless of how development is financed. Then, after the county assessor determines the total value county wide, the cost of government is apportioned.

When I vote on tax rates, we apportion for debt and M&O separately. If you look at the property tax invoices in the three counties you will see a number of separate apportionments. Everything from schools, stormwater, trash, city operations, county operations, etc…

So, what one pays the county in Florida for a single family home is 85% of fair market value, less exemptions, times the total of the millage rates. Any bond balance tied to a parcel has no impact. The fair market value of a home in The Villages doesn’t appear to be influenced by bond balance. Home sales prices seem far more influenced by location, size, condition and decorating.

It appears that local counties are slow to reappraise home values, unlike other states I’ve worked in. Thus, when you look at what home sellers pay for their property taxes varies widely. That is why you should avoid looking at what people pay and instead focus on what you pay for the home, as that will establish a new fair market value. People who have been in their home for many years will benefit from the slow county assessor revaluation.

[RL Lemke]

BTW: When I was appointed to the taxing authority in 1999, our levy was $0.38/$100. Today, that rate is $0.08/$100. We took our responsibility for managing taxpayer money very seriously.

[Topspinmo]

So not exactly identical and not $200K less than the Villages.

Yes, there are homes outside the Villages that cost less, there are also homes outside that cost more. That seems to be evidence of a healthy marketplace, not predatory practices or a scam.

It probably was when he brought? Housing has gone up at 100% since then everywhere? Elsewhere even now and not near populated area 500K gets you 10 to 20 acres plus with ponds, out buildings, and land you can offset living on. Even those has sufficiently increase after inflationary years. But, villages often a distinctly different life style in golden years of rest and relaxation. IMO that’s big factor from inside and outside bubble.

[Bill14564]

The assessed value is a function of fair market value, regardless of how development is financed. Then, after the county assessor determines the total value county wide, the cost of government is apportioned.

When I vote on tax rates, we apportion for debt and M&O separately. If you look at the property tax invoices in the three counties you will see a number of separate apportionments. Everything from schools, stormwater, trash, city operations, county operations, etc…

So, what one pays the county in Florida for a single family home is 85% of fair market value, less exemptions, times the total of the millage rates. Any bond balance tied to a parcel has no impact. The fair market value of a home in The Villages doesn’t appear to be influenced by bond balance. Home sales prices seem far more influenced by location, size, condition and decorating.

Where did you get your 85% number. When I look at my Sumter County property tax bill the assessed value is derived directly from the Market Value with no 85% factor involved.

My home originally sold for $289K with a $21K bond. The first year the fair market value was listed by the assessor as $273K. If the cost of the infrastructure was not collected through the bond then it would have been added to the price of the house - the developer was going to recover those costs one way or another. So instead of $289K, the initial purchase price of my home would have been $310K. Are you suggesting that the manner in which the infrastructure is financed does not factor into the assessor's determinations and the fair market value of my home would still have been $273K even though it sold for almost $40K more?

There have been several threads over the years on whether an owner should pay off the bond and whether that amount could be recovered in the next sale. The fair market value of a home here is rarely affected by the bond balance. Buyers are willing to accept the bond balance but are rarely willing to pay a premium on a home without a bond.

If the bond was included in the initial price of the home then the market value of all homes would be higher than they are now. Because we have the bond separate from the price of the home, the market values are lower. (the alternative is the homes are initially priced as if the bond was included and that amount becomes extra profit for the Developer)

[RL Lemke]

Where did you get your 85% number.

I don’t recall. When I first analyzed a retirement budget for Arizona, Nevada and Florida I wanted to quantify property taxes, making an apples to apples comparison. I knew that Nevada assed at 35% of FMV, and derived what Arizona and Florida did. 85% for Florida became my conclusion.

I may be wrong, and Florida assessors do indeed use FMV for their assessed value. I would have to search recent sales and compare the data to the assessed value. Work I have little interest in at this point, of now becoming a Florida homeowner. I will learn of my homes assessed value in early 2026.

Regardless of the veracity of the 85%, the comparison between the locations in my cheatsheet is accurate. One need only scale the $425,000 value, and resulting pre-exemption tax assessment up or down depending on the price of the home being considered for purchase.

Then, add the fixed charges on the tax invoice, like bond, district O&M and fire in unincorporated Sumter and Marion county.

[RL Lemke]

Are you suggesting that the manner in which the infrastructure is financed does not factor into the assessor's determinations

I am stating that this is accurate. How infrastructure is financed is not the province of the assessor. Just as city debt, often bond sales, doesn’t influence the assessment. Nor state or federal debt.

I consider the parcel specific bond debt, within a specific unit of apportioned development debt, to be just one of a number of ways a developer finances the improvements. Guided by state law, the use of debt before or after development is common, going by different names in different states. It is my experience that the sales price of the thousands of lots I’ve developed were not impacted by the development debt. National homebuilders paid the same.

[Bill14564]

I am stating that this is accurate. How infrastructure is financed is not the province of the assessor. Just as city debt, often bond sales, doesn’t influence the assessment. Nor state or federal debt.

I consider the parcel specific bond debt, within a specific unit of apportioned development debt, to be just one of a number of ways a developer finances the improvements. Guided by state law, the use of debt before or after development is common, going by different names in different states. It is my experience that the sales price of the thousands of lots I’ve developed were not impacted by the development debt. National homebuilders paid the same.

How did you recover the cost of infrastructure required by the thousands of lots you've developed? Did you put in the roads, sidewalks, entrance signs, water mains, and sewers with money out of your own pocket never to be seen again or did you pass those costs to the home buyers in the price of their homes?

[RL Lemke]

How did you recover the cost of infrastructure required by the thousands of lots you've developed? Did you put in the roads, sidewalks, entrance signs, water mains, and sewers with money out of your own pocket never to be seen again or did you pass those costs to the home buyers in the price of their homes?

Within the Special District each sub-district was contractually obligated to reimburse the developer for infrastructure. State defined and approved infrastructure related to either roads or utilities. Functionally some 93% of the development cost. The rest, like parks & recreation, trails, major signage, was a developer expense. We also provided water service and sewer treatment, which were reimbursed pro rata by all sub-districts at 100%. Sub-districts sold bonds as district assessed value warranted. This means that each sub-district was obligated to bear a debt and M&O burden of $1/$100 assessment based on home valuation by the county assessor, until such time as the developer is fully repaid. This split between debt and M&O can delay developer repayment if there are significant maintenance expenses. We were also able to have our own police force, but instead contracted with the county for the exclusive use contract with the constable. Response times were measured in seconds.

Much like the unincorporated portions of The Villages, our Special District gave us total control of use (zoning), building inspections, all permits, etc… The only permits needed outside were for gasoline tanks, sewer plant performance and alcohol sales.

[JRcorvette]

If you are lucky enough to be in Sumter County you have the lowest taxes. I understand that the Bonds south of 44 are quite high. Probably double what they were just north of 44.

[BrianL99]

I am stating that this is accurate. How infrastructure is financed is not the province of the assessor. Just as city debt, often bond sales, doesn’t influence the assessment. Nor state or federal debt.

I consider the parcel specific bond debt, within a specific unit of apportioned development debt, to be just one of a number of ways a developer finances the improvements. Guided by state law, the use of debt before or after development is common, going by different names in different states. It is my experience that the sales price of the thousands of lots I’ve developed were not impacted by the development debt. National homebuilders paid the same.

The assessed value is a function of fair market value, regardless of how development is financed. Then, after the county assessor determines the total value county wide, the cost of government is apportioned.

....

So, what one pays the county in Florida for a single family home is 85% of fair market value, less exemptions, times the total of the millage rates. Any bond balance tied to a parcel has no impact. The fair market value of a home in The Villages doesn’t appear to be influenced by bond balance. Home sales prices seem far more influenced by location, size, condition and decorating.

It appears that local counties are slow to reappraise home values, unlike other states I’ve worked in.



By Florida law, as it is in most states, real estate is required to valued for Tax purposes, at market value. As a practical matter, in a given community, the actual assessment of a property could generally be only 50% of market value, and it wouldn't matter one iota. Assessments for tax purposes, are "relative", not absolute.

Saying the existing of a CDD Bond does change the value for tax purposes or saying it's not relevant in taxation, isn't exactly correct.

If there were (2) subdivisions, side by side, equal in all respects, but one had a CDD Bond attached and other did not, the "market value" would be higher for the lots w/o a CDD Bond.

When determining Market Value for any reason, all variables should be considered. 2 apparently identical lots, side by side. One has a view of the forrest behind it, the other has a partial view of the forrest, but also looks out at a billboard for an Adult Store. Are they worth the same? An Assessor might not react to the nuances, but an application for an abatement would likely establish that they don't have the same value ... same as if one had a CDD Bond attached and one didn't.

When comparing "Assessments" between one community/county and another, it's a fool's errand to use a "rule of thumb" that homes are assessed at 85% of Market Value. Again, Assessments are merely "relative" to other properties in that same tax area. The Tax Levy, divided by the total Valuation, generates the Tax Rate, which is then apportioned.

[nn0wheremann]

Looking at assessment rates and home property tax invoices, this is the type of analysis that influenced my home purchase.

The valuation assessment based total for each location. Unincorporated then within a city.

Much of The Villages north of 44 is unincorporated, if within Sumter County. If in Lake County most are within Fruitland Park, Lady Lake or Leesburg. South of 44, in Sumter County, development is mostly within Wildwood.

I wanted to include the forever property tax burden to my budget. Bonds and sub-district M&O are a separate number. I have a separate analysis for those numbers but only for the target districts we looked at.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-VSBgpbr/0/MWjxvXRRDHZSncmRTmkXCcPxVrLJJmwRwBRH74vKS/O/i-VSBgpbr.jpg

Map of unincorporated Sumter County:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R9F54J4/0/LC9vbRM22cc83q5PNbtSMFCDGw7skFdTqMm39LW3T/O/i-R9F54J4.png

To look up bond balances, maturity and interest rate, look here:
Finance - The Villages Community Development Districts (https://www.districtgov.org/services/administration/finance/#)
You forgot to include amenity fees. These take the place of park districts, or forest preserve district taxes. Including those, my Marion taxes are still 12 to 15 years behind what I was paying in DuPage County Chicagoland. Sales taxes are lower here too, and there is no income tax.