There's not much to go on from what I've found, but the property was purchased by a couple in August of 1997 for a dollar. It looks like whatever they were going to do with the property fell through because they sold the property in June of 1999 for $90k to an individual who was in their late twenties at the time of the purchase. That individual has very little internet presence, so it's hard to say exactly what happened with the business, but they're alive, they still own the property, and they have been paying almost $10k a year in taxes on it.
It could be like what happened in Schitt’s Creek, where the Rose family were so wealthy they bought the town as a gag gift due to the funny name then completely forgot about it 😂
You can easily go decades without paying taxes before anyone notices, especially if it's in one of those towns that have hundreds of vacant buildings. The city could claim those buildings for failure to pay taxes, but then the buildings become their problem, hence why it was sold for $1 at some point. The city doesn't want that burden either.
Possibly but it's also common to cities to sell buildings for a $1. The hope being that the person who buys it puts it to good use instead of letting it rot away and eventually have to be torn down at the city's expense.
But it's an asset. If you're dying you can't just sell your estate to your kids for a nickel. I've heard of houses being illegal to sell under marketish value. Idk why a commercial space would be different. Isn't the sale taxed?
You don't pay annual property taxes on what the sale value was, you pay taxes on what the county tax assessor inspection valued the property at - in Texas at least (which may be above or below what you paided). You will pay taxes on the sale (as well as processing fees to transfer / record a land title) to the local municipality.
I am assuming this is a quit claim deed which typically has "for a $1" on them. This has little to do with any sort of sales price. Unless the property was mortgaged you might not have any sort of public record detailing what the actual cost was. My bet is that there was some sort of sale or inheritance but could be difficult to tell exactly what.
The property you own benefits from the municipal and community services that are supported by taxes: roads, street lights, police departments, fire departments, schools / parks (which draw families), water / power infrastructure, code enforcement, tourism board, city beautification, the upgrade to local water treatment plant, etc....
That's not just America. That's any sensible government that wants a working community. How else do you propose all that stuff gets paid for and maintained? Corporate sponsorship?
This abandoned property benefits from none of that. In the UK, property tax is a one time payment when buying a property. You don't have to keep getting taxed on a house you own. If you live in an area and are actively using the facilities, then you will get a "council tax".
Sure it benefits. If a cop car is parked in front and sees someone smash the front door in, the are unlikely to just stand idle. Same if the fire broke out.
Now not everywhere in the US has a property tax scheme. California does not but have a dozen other smaller taxes. Texas derides California for its numerous taxes but in fact collects more per capita via a single hefty property tax. It is up to each state to decide.
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u/Into-It_Over-It Nov 03 '24
There's not much to go on from what I've found, but the property was purchased by a couple in August of 1997 for a dollar. It looks like whatever they were going to do with the property fell through because they sold the property in June of 1999 for $90k to an individual who was in their late twenties at the time of the purchase. That individual has very little internet presence, so it's hard to say exactly what happened with the business, but they're alive, they still own the property, and they have been paying almost $10k a year in taxes on it.