I am very concerned about the amount of buyers that I speak with that are unaware of how our local property taxes are calculated. 

First and foremost the current homeowners property taxes (the number you see on the MLS printout) is NOT what you will be paying.  That amount is what the current seller is paying and is based on the price they purchased the home for (whether that was 2 years ago or 10 years ago).  I personally feel that it should not be included on the printouts because it can lead to confusion, in reality it means nothing to you as a buyer.

When a home is sold,the home is reassessed by the property appraiser which usually leads to higher property taxes (homes tend to appreciate in value).

Below are links to a few local property tax estimator websites.  To find what your estimated taxes will be you will need to type in the anticipated purchase price.  The program will calculate the taxes based on that solely-the street address does not matter and has no bearing on what your estimated taxes will be (city may be required).

Orange County FL http://www.ocpafl.org/pls/webappI/tax_estimator

Seminole County FL http://www.seminoletax.org/Sctaxest.htm 

Volusia County http://webserver.vcgov.org/tax_estimator.html

If you base your decision to buy a home on the current seller's property taxes, be prepared for a rude awakening!

Addition:  I found more information about local property tax information on the Orlando Sentinel

This question is posed to me time and time again...it is not an easy question to answer. 

If a home that you will be listing has less than perfect carpet, do you recommend replacing it prior to listing the home for sale or offer a carpet allowance to the buyer.   

I usually suggest that they have the carpet professionally cleaned before rushing out to buy new carpet.  Sometimes that is enough to make a difference. 

If they replace the carpet, will the buyers like the new color and will the sellers be able to keep it new (do they have pets or kids that may make it difficult)?  Do they have it in their budget to replace the carpet?

If you offer an allowance it may turn buyers off from even wanting to see the home.  But there may be buyers who would love the chance to pick out their own flooring. 

Leaving the carpet "as-is" may raise concerns about the condition of the home. 

Any thoughts?

Kim