Comments on: No Wonder We Have Slumlords

By: Patti Randle

Patti Randle — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:32:05 +0000

Houses on just my block (the 1700 block of S Adams) are valued by TAD at ridiculous ranges – $17 per sq ft to $85 per sq ft. And if you paint your house and clean it up, you can bet that your property taxes will go up the next year, as much as 50%. TAD is providing a great disincentive to improving your property. We as responsible property owners are paying the price, and Fort Worth overall is suffering as a result by having created a haven for slumlords and irresponsible homeowners.

By: KeithDFW

KeithDFW — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:07:53 +0000

Compare the 1200 blocks of South Adams St (redeveloped by Square One a few years ago) to that of Washington Ave or Henderson and there you will see a huge disparity – and to cap that off the South Adams homes are on 1/2 lots to boot!

By: Carl Green

Carl Green — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:48:47 +0000

Excellent point. How can we as a city or county realign the incentive structure to promote quality redevelopment and proper maintenance of properties? The challenge will be not burdening owner/occupants who have very limited financial resources.

The basic answer is enforcement of code compliance but I think you are on to something better. Perhaps Fort Worth or Tarrant County (which assesses taxes) could permit modest abatements for qualifying projects or perhaps assign a greater tax rate to the land than the improvements. Yet, perhaps someone could get an agricultural abatement if they use a lot for a community garden or other publicly beneficial use. Thoughts?

By: weber

weber — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:15:08 +0000

Actually, many of the lots north of Allen are valued at $8,000. Somewhere south of the 1400 blocks the value goes up to $30K, regardless if the home is owner occupied. I am not sure, but assume the land value is kept low to encourage development, in this case along and around Magnolia.

The value of the structure on a square foot basis is a big problem (minus the land value). Many are valued at under $20 a square foot while the average is around $65. For examples on the lower end, see 2740 Lipscomb ($9.68 p/sq/ft), 818 Richmond ($12.20), 1830 6th ($13.46), 1925 5th ($9.40), and the list goes on. It is no coincidence that many of the properties with very low values are not owner occupied.