Property Taxes, HOAs, and the Price of Options: A 5-10-1 Home Dilemma

I’ve never paid that much attention to property taxes. I just assumed they were standard—something we had to pay, and that was that.

But as part of my 10-10-1 plan—or more accurately, my 5-10-1 plan at this point—I’m trying to build a home life that energizes and supports the lifestyle I want. The first step? Figuring out our living situation.

Are we going to live in the barndo forever?
Should we just keep bouncing back and forth between the country and city house?
Should we sell the city house?
Build a house on our property?
Buy something halfway in between?

Yikes. The list is overwhelming.

I love that I have options…
I hate that I have options.

To kickstart the decision-making process, I decided to take a more objective approach and dive into a bit of financial analysis. Numbers don’t lie, right? I want to use those insights as one of the key guideposts for making a good, solid decision—along with the more intangible but equally important question: Will this home energize and support me?

I also need a solution that works for both me and my husband—so, balance is the name of the game.

The Analysis Phase

I started by looking at a couple of pre-owned homes and new builds that might be a decent compromise for both of us. I revisited some house plans we’ve liked in case we want to go the building route. And of course, I took a fresh look at just staying put in the barndo.

One of the areas we looked at had homes boasting “low property tax rates,” which caught my attention. That was new territory for me. I’ve always just paid property taxes without much thought—but now I was curious. What were we actually paying now?

Surprise! It’s Not So Standard

Let’s start with the city house.

City House:

• Property tax rate: 2.34%
• Annual HOA fee: $1,000
• Surprise assessments? Yep, we’ve had those too.

We don’t even have a pool or clubhouse. Our neighborhood has two gates that haven’t worked in years. Fixing them would cost a fortune, and every year the vote to fund repairs fails. The HOA even tried to get the city to take over maintenance, but the city said no thanks. So we’re stuck maintaining the streets, sidewalks, street lights, and the brick wall surrounding the neighborhood—on top of everything else.

Now, let’s talk about the country house.

Country Property:

• Property tax on larger piece: 1.44%
• Property tax on smaller piece: 1.77%

Our property crosses two school districts. Oddly enough, the smaller section is in the better district, but our physical address is in the other. So, even though we pay taxes to the better district, my grandson doesn’t qualify to attend school there—unless we make a big push, and even then, we’d likely have to drive him 30 minutes each way. Not exactly a perk. For now, we’re sticking with our plan to try out PTAA for 7th grade.

And Then There Were the Options…

The pre-owned home we looked at?

• Tax rate: 1.28%
• HOA: None

The new build?

• Tax rate: 1.57%
• HOA: $750/year

“On paper, the answer seems clear—but life isn’t lived on paper.

The 5-10-1 Filter

As I continue working my way through my 5-10-1 plan, I’m trying to keep the big picture in mind:

• Where do I feel most supported?
• What type of environment energizes me?
• What will make our day-to-day life easier—not harder?

The data is helpful. But so are the little things—sunsets over the pasture, being able to hear the coyotes at night (or not), proximity to grocery stores, peace and quiet, or convenience.

I’m not sure what we’ll decide yet, but I’m finally asking the right questions. And more importantly, I’m letting both sides of my brain—the logical and the emotional—have a say in the decision.

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Have you ever made a big housing decision that surprised you? Or maybe you’ve had your own love/hate relationship with HOAs or school district quirks. I’d love to hear about it—drop a comment or send me a message. Let’s swap stories.

And if you’re working on your own 10-10-1 (or 5-10-1) plan—cheers to the clarity that comes from asking good questions.