MitchRoss.com
Pastor's Husband, Geek Dad

I've blogged about the unusual and quirky "Prop A" with Michigan's proerty tax system. One side effect is that often times, taxes will go up even with property values go down.

I've recently come across a DVD that's a seminar on how to appeal your assesment. I haven't seen it, but I like the organization that puts it out- Michigan Taxpayers Alliance. The DVD is $10 - you can get it here: Property Tax Assessment Workshop DVD

» Read More
Votes: 110 - Rating: 0.00

Rate this post: 012345678910

Back on my first post on the topic (Kill the Debt) I mentioned the things my family are doing to get out of debt. Turns out there's a ton of online sources to help get this done.

There's 3 basic strategies, which may be in any combination:
-Reduce discretionary expenses (i.e. stop eating out)
-Reduce debt overhead (i.e. lower interest rates loans)
-Increase income (i.e. get a side job)

» Read More
Votes: 11 - Rating: 0.00

Rate this post: 012345678910

My wife and I are on a quest to get totally out of debt. Credit cards, student loans, auto loans, mortgage - everything. Part of it is from listen to too much Dave Ramsey. Part of it is from when I sat down and totaled the amount of interest (not monthly payments - just pure interest) we were paying each month.

We're on a super tight budget, with weekly reviews of the progress we're making on our goals.

» Read More
Votes: 12 - Rating: 1.50

Rate this post: 012345678910

Today I dropped by a rental house I own. The tenant was late paying, and had disconnected all known phone numbers I had for her.

As I approached the house, I saw some young kids playing across the street, unsupervised. As I knocked and waited, the kids came across the street and up to the door I was knocking.

The 2 little girls looked at me with squinting eyes, a look of suspicion on their faces.

"Hi, is you mom home? I've been having problems getting ahold of her by phone."

The kids remained silent, a look of distrust on their faces.

» Read More
Votes: 12 - Rating: 1.67

Rate this post: 012345678910

So there I was, doing my normal daily routine at work, when my cell phone rings.

I hear a friendly voice say "This is Bank of America fraud prevention department". Any conversation that starts with a line like that isn't going to be good news.

They ask me "Have you recently been in Brookstone Illinois spending several hundred dollars?"

Oh goodie. I haven't left the state of Michigan in, oh, months. I don't think I've even driven past Brookstone, IL.

I turns out that someone got my debit card number, and in one day visited 6 different stores in the same city. Meijers, Jewel, Sears, and a few others. The strange thing is about half of them were for exactly $200.

The total damage? Over a thousand dollars.

» Read More
Votes: 12 - Rating: 0.83

Rate this post: 012345678910

In my last post, I talked about my "7 Rules to Get Lower Property Taxes". I briefly mentioned a quirk with Michigan's property tax structure called "Proposal A". This law has a side effect that even in years where property values are dropping, property tax values still go up.

For the city of Jackson, the local paper reported the following quote: "This year [2008], about 90 percent of the homes in the city saw a decline in assessed value while 75 percent saw their taxable value increase."

Here's a better explanation of what's going on. "Proposal A" as it is commonly known, was an amendment to Michigan constitution in 1994. It limits what local property tax assessors can do when increasing the taxable value of property.

» Read More
Votes: 12 - Rating: 0.75

Rate this post: 012345678910

With Michigan property values plummeting like a piece of Russian rocket debris, many people are taking a closer look at their property tax assessment statements.

This year when I opened up my property tax assessment, I found that the local assessor claimed my property went up in value $50,000 in one year - the same year that most houses in my county were going down in value.

I decided to appeal the assessment- and won. I've done this more than once for the same property! Here are my tips on how you can get lower property taxes too.

» Read More
Votes: 16 - Rating: 2.50

Rate this post: 012345678910

What ever happened to banks being thankful that I'm giving them my money to use? They ought to be giving me interest for the privilege of using my money. Instead, National City is charging me fees every chance they get. I've had enough.

» Read More
Votes: 20 - Rating: 4.50

Rate this post: 012345678910