California is the only state in America that provides genuine  property tax relief, as opposed to deceptive tax deferment, to residential and commercial property owners and middle class families – specifically in the form of Proposition 13, and now Proposition 19 – for instance a Prop 19 (Prop 58) parent-child exclusion – along with capping yearly property taxes at 2%… when transferring a parent’s low property taxes to an inherited home,  moving into their old family home as a primary residence, with a comfortable 12-months to settle in.  

The problem is, critics of property tax relief in general continue claiming that these tax breaks are mainly helpful to homeowners that are well off… as they out it, “elite homeowners”. With no statistics to back up this often repeated claim.   We hear quotes such as, “Instead of helping the middle class, property tax relief in California allows a wealthier class of citizens to take greater advantage of their predecessors investments.”  This simply is not accurate.

First, as we all know, wealthy folks make up a small percentage of the general public – and the same simple equation applies to homeowners. In microcosm, the majority of families that take advantage of property tax relief in California, that avoid property tax reassessment, are in fact middle class or upper middle class… Not millionaires as the LA Times or San Fran Chronicle would have you believe.

The same 2% to 3% of ‘haves’ versus the 97% to 98% ‘have-nots’ equation – reflecting stark wealth disparity among homeowners all across California holds true when it comes to using property tax breaks to avoid property tax reassessment – to save money… that middle class and upper middle class residential and commercial property owners do not have to throw around on unnecessary tax hikes!

Can you picture genuinely wealthy families that own multi-million dollar homes (that the press continues to inform us are the only property owners gaining genuine benefit from Proposition 13 and Proposition 19) – taking the time to go through property tax break processes, simply to save a few thousand dollars every year? Families with 7 and 8 or 9 figure incomes? 

We can cast serious doubt on that one.  Yet newspapers like the LA Times and San Fran Chronicle still continue to pitch this in Op-Eds as a realistic scenario. 

Yes, there are wealthy investors out there who did take advantage of Proposition 13 tax breaks, for investment properties that would rent out to tourists.. However, this is a fraction of the general home-owning public, and the bulk of folks using these tax break are middle income and even upper middle income residents. They’re not famous, wealthy celebrities like, for instance, the Bridges family…

The Bridges family.  The one and only tale of a rich and famous family “taking advantage” of property tax relief to rent out fancy homes on the beach to upscale vacationers.  Repeated over and over and over again as a cautionary tale, in the press, curiously without any similar stories bring referenced about any other wealthy family in California. It is curious that not one other family  has ever been named or blamed for this type of inheritance / tax break activity, over 3 decades.

To the sheer joy of County Tax Assessors – Californians without proper counsel from a trust lender or a property tax consultant, or estate attorney,  stumble into anticipated property tax mistakes. Generally caused by not filing deadlines properly, or not comprehending complicated legal subtleties; or by not claiming an exclusion or exemption from property reassessment which is staring them right in face.

Without advice from a property tax consultants, or life-saving legal counsel from an extremely experienced trust administration / property tax relief attorney like Partner Rachelle Lee-Warner, Esq. — at the Cunningham Legal law firm. Or a reliable lender specializing in loans to trusts and estates,  like Commercial Loan Corp for example, led by inspirational president Kerry Smith, in Newport Beach… Helping heirs inheriting property with a Prop 19 (Prop 58) parent-child exclusion to establish a low property tax base when inheriting a home – also frequently buying out inherited property shares from siblings (co-beneficaries); or helping with the transfer of property between siblings, with a loan to an irrevocable trust… working in conjunction with Prop 19. 

Experts like this specialize in helping beneficiaries and homeowners save on property taxes, avoiding property tax reassessment  with  Proposition 13 and/or Proposition 19; mainly focusing on Property tax transfer, the right to transfer parents property taxes and keep parents property taxes basically in perpetuity, when inheriting property taxes through a parent-child transfer, typically the  popular Prop 19 (Prop 58) parent-child exclusion.

It’s worthwhile contacting a trusted expert, rather than accidentally triggering property reassessment that may increase your property taxes five-fold or ten-fold. A significant tax hike to say the least!

Let’s use the North Bay area in northern California as an isolated microcosmic example of how it is chiefly middle class and upper middle class property owners that have responded to property tax relief measure Proposition 19, for example…

The North Bay Business Journal informs us:  

California’s Proposition 19 has prompted a seven-fold increase in requests to county assessors to transfer property throughout the North Bay.  Barbara Green, the  Change-of-Ownership Supervisor  in the Sonoma County Tax Assessor’s office, tells us,   “It’s crazy! We’re just catching up….”

“….[Thanks to Proposition 19] middle class homeowners in Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties flooded County Tax Assessors with a load of filings. Sonoma County has taken in 917 filings through Feb. 5. The usual rate is 193 for the three-month period when compared to the previous year.  Although a smaller jurisdiction, Napa County’s government offices are in the same boat. Residents put in 175 of the forms to pass down their properties within the family. Marin County has received 600 more property transfer applications than its usual 54 parent-to-child transfers of property….

Proposition 19 allows homeowners over age 55 to keep a better tax rate when they sell one house and buy another. It took effect on April 1 and applies to anywhere in the state. It’s about as far reaching as the housing tax revolt of Proposition 13 that passed 1978.  There is a fever pitch of reaction within North Bay counties… for filing the parent-to-child property transfer.”

North Bay banking, accounting & law firms have all been experiencing a huge increase of calls over the past few months from prospects and clients. And we’re not talking about millionaires calling in or strolling into those offices.