Cape Coral Real Estate

Tax Estimator “Future”

I provide this service to you to help estimate your purchase future taxes.

This is an estimate only but should be very close.

Just put in the sales price and hit calculate. If you are going to live in the home as primary residence, take off 50k of the sales price as your exemption. There are other exemptions below that are not on this web site.

Click>Tax Estimator

Every person who owns and resides on real property in Florida on January 1 and makes the property their permanent residence is eligible to receive a homestead exemption up to $50,000.  The first $25,000 applies to all property taxes, including school district taxes.  The additional exemption up to $25,000, applies to the assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 and only to non-school taxes.

If one spouse holds the title, the other spouse may file for the exemption with the consent of the titleholder.

If filing for the first time, be prepared to answer these questions:

  1. In whose name or names was the title to the dwelling recorded as of January 1?
  2. What is the street address of the property?
  3. How long have you been a legal resident of the State of Florida? (A Declaration of Domicile or Voter’s Registration will be proof of date before January 1.)
  4. Do you have a Florida license plate on your car and a Florida driver’s license?
  5. Were you living in the dwelling on January 1?
$500 Widow’s and Widower’s Exemption Any widow or widower who is a Florida resident may claim this exemption. On remarriage, the widow or widower is ineligible for the exemption. A person who is divorced before the spouse’s death is not considered a widow or widower.
$500 Disability Exemption A Florida resident who is totally and permanently disabled may qualify for this exemption. $5,000 Disability Exemption for Ex-Service Member An ex-service member disabled at least 10% in war or by service-connected misfortune may be entitled to a $5,000 exemption on any property owned by the ex-service member. $500 Exemption for Blind Persons A Florida resident who is blind may qualify for this exemption. If claiming exemption based on blindness, the applicant must have a certificate of blindness issued by the Division of Blind Services of the Department of Education, the Federal Social Security Administration, or the Veteran’s Administration.

 

 Service Connected Total and Permanent Disability Exemption An honorably discharged veteran with service-connected total and permanent disability may qualify for total exemption of homesteaded real estate used and owned as a homestead, less any portion used for commercial purposes. An existing exemption can be transferred to a new qualifying residence.

Under certain circumstances the benefit of this exemption can carry over to the surviving spouse.

If filing for the first time, bring proof of your service connected disability: such as, a letter from the United States Veterans’ Administration.

 

 Exemption for Totally and Permanently Disabled Persons 1.Real estate used and owned as a homestead by a quadriplegic, less any portion used for commercial purposes, is exempt from taxation.

2.Real estate used and owned as a homestead, less any portion used for commercial purposes, by a paraplegic, hemiplegic, or other totally and permanently disabled person, who must use a wheelchair for mobility or who is legally blind, is exempt from taxation.

A person seeking exemption under number 2 above must meet gross income limitations. Gross income includes veterans’ and social security benefits. The gross income of all persons residing in the homestead for the prior year cannot exceed $14,500. However, beginning January 1, 1991, the $14,500 limitation will be adjusted annually. The adjustment will be based on the percentage change in the average cost-of-living index of the immediate year compared with the prior year.

If filing for the first time, a certificate of total and permanent disability from two (2) licensed doctors of this state or from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs is required.  For the legally blind, one of the two certificates may be from a licensed optometrist of this state.

 Additional Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older State law allows a city or county government to enact a local ordinance allowing an additional homestead exemption amount, up to $50,000, to any person who has legal or equitable title to real estate on which they make their permanent residence.

In order to apply for and receive this local option homestead exemption, the applicant’s income may not exceed $24,289.00 as of January 1, 2008.  The income limitation was established at  $20,000 in 2001.  The figure is adjusted annually, on January 1, according to percentage changes in the average cost-of-living index. The cost-of-living index is the national average of the monthly consumer-price-index figure for the period of January 1 through December 31. It compares the prior year with the year before it and is issued by the United States Department of Labor.

The income limitation for 2009 will be posted to the Department’s website as soon as the new figures become available.

See the list of counties and municipalities that offer additional homestead exemption for persons 65 and older.

 

 Homestead Property Tax Discount For Veterans Age 65 and Older With a Combat Related Disability This amendment provides a property tax discount on homestead property owned by eligible veterans.  To be eligible, a veteran must have an honorable discharge from military service, be at least 65 years old, be partially disabled with a permanent service connected disability, all or a portion of which must be combat-related, and must have been a Florida resident at the time of entering military service.

 

 Homestead Tax Deferral A person who is entitled to claim homestead tax exemption may elect to defer payment of part of the combined total taxes. The combined total includes property taxes and any non-ad valorem assessments that would be covered by a tax certificate sold by the tax collector. An annual application for tax deferral should be filed with the county tax collector onor before January 31, following the year in which the taxes and non-ad valorem assessments are assessed. Approval of an application for tax deferral will defer the portion of property tax that exceeds 5 percent of the applicant’s household income for the prior year. If household income for the prior year is less than $10,000, all ad valorem taxes plus non-ad valorem assessments will be deferred.

A permanent resident of Florida 65 years old or older may defer that portion of the tax that exceeds 3 percent of the applicant’s household income for the previous year. If any applicant’s household income for the prior calendar year is less than $10,000, or is less than the amount of the household income designated for the additional homestead exemption pursuant to s. 196.075, F.S. and the applicant is 65 years of age or older, approval of the application shall defer the ad valorem taxes plus non-ad valorem assessments in their entirety.

For additional information as to the number of years, total amounts that may be deferred, and interest on deferred taxes, contact the local tax collector.

 

 Installment Payment of Property Taxes Taxpayers who want to prepay property taxes on the installment plan should file an application with the tax collector by May 1 of the year in which the taxes are assessed. After submission of an initial application, a taxpayer is not required to submit annual applications as long as he continues to elect to prepay taxes by installments. For additional information as to discounts and payment dates, contact the local county tax collector. Effective January 1, 1993, county tax collectors may accept an installment payment of property tax on the next business day following the due date, if the last day for payment falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.

 

 Personal Property For purposes of property taxation, personal property is divided into these categories:

  1. Tangible Personal Property – All goods, chattels, and other articles of value capable of manual possession whose chief value is intrinsic to the article itself. “Inventory” and “Household Goods” are expressly excluded from this definition.
  2. Household Goods – Apparel, furniture, appliances, and other items  usually found in the home and used for the comfort of the owner and family. Household goods are exempt from property taxation.
  3. Inventory – Items of inventory are exempt from property taxation. Inventory generally means goods, wares, and merchandise held by a business for sale.

Some items of personal property are not taxable, for example, licensed motor vehicles, boats, airplanes, trailers, trailer coaches, and certain mobile homes as defined by law.

Taxable items are assessed at just value based on an annual return that must be filed by April 1 with the county property appraiser. The year of purchase, original cost, and the taxpayer’s estimate of just value is required on the return. The property appraiser has the duty to discover omissions and to place value upon personal property.

The amount of tax due is calculated by multiplying the value of the property by the tax rate set by the taxing authorities. The tax bill is mailed to the taxpayer, usually by November 1.

The payment must be made to the tax collector by April 1 of the following year. There are specific discounts allowed for early payment and penalties for delinquency, failure to file, and for unlisted property.

If you are looking for information on the $25,000 tangible personal property exemption, see the Frequently Asked Questions for Amendment 1 Implementation.

For more information about property taxes, contact your county property appraiser or tax collector.

 

Dear Joe, We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you once again for making our dream to purchase a waterfront home in Cape Coral come true. From the very beginning, when you were able to quickly identify the exact type of home that we were looking for. Your website's "Client Portal" was extremely useful in this regard. Through to the closing on our home puchase, you consistantly demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the region, the skill and background to answer all of our questions in a timely and efficient manner, and the patience of a saint. In addition, it is clear that your strong and positive relationship with other professionals in the field (mortgage brokers, home inspectors, etc.) greatly streamlined this process. In sum, at all times we enjoyed knowing that we were represented by a terrific buyer's agent who truly had only our best interests in mind. We would gladly recommend you to anyone looking to purchase a home in Cape Coral or the surrounding area.
Franklin and Patricia Kronenberg  
We live in Pennsylvania and found Sunny Spot Realty through a Google search. As Pennsylvania residents using an Exclusive buyers agent in the current market in Lee County FL, was an absolute necessity for us. After identifying several homes in Cape Coral using the very helpful Sunny Spot website, we were contacted by Bernard Jans. He answered all our questions and made us feel comfortable in actually pursuing a dream vacation home. We soon went down to Cape Coral and looked at several properties with Bernard and Lori Jans. The house we ultimately placed an offer on was a foreclosure owned by Freddie Mac. The process with Freddie Mac was somewhat complicated, but, thanks to Lor i, Bernard and Joe, they stayed on top of things, and were often ahead of the issues. They also were very helpful even after the "sale". We greatly appreciate the care and attention to detail we received from this friendly, professional and knowledgeable group in buying our new vacation home in Cape Coral.
Frank and Brenda Kover  
To Joseph Beauvais, Our thanks! We found Joe on the internet and emailed him about buying a home in Cape Coral. We are from Switzerland and Germany and know little about buying a home in the U.S. Joe made us feel comfortable by telling us that buyers usually become friends and are treated as such from the beginning. Further, he said," My future success depends on your happiness and spreading the word." He held our interest above all else and found us this beautiful water front pool home and was very knowledgeable about foreign purchases. He walked us through the entire process with ease. He was there with the inspector and found items that are normally missed. He proceeded to make sure that they were fixed prior to closing. We are very glad we found such a caring and hard working person to help us find our vacation home. Thank you Joe.
Koen and Colleen  
Joe, Hyacinth and I would like to thank you and your associates Lori and Bernhard Jans at Sunny Spot Realty for your valuable assistance and representation on our behalf during our recent retirement home purchase. We, being out of towners and knowing very little about the area, felt we were in good hands through your knowledge of the local area and the real estate ins and outs. Having purchasing properties here in New England without a "buyers agent" I realized how important it is to have one. For the first time I felt someone was looking out for us especially in an area where we were not familiar. You made a sometime difficult and stressful experience much more bearable through your reassurance and knowledge. During and after the the purchase experience we felt as though we were amongst friends who cared for us, unlike that of a typical sellers agent. Thank you all.
Brian and Hyacinth  
Hi Joe, I wanted to take a moment to thank you and Bernhard and Lori Jans for helping Maureen and me purchase our Cape Coral property. As you know, I came in town with a list of 45 or 46 properties I was interested in seeing. I think with a list that size that you may have thought we were just "lookers", but as I told you, we were not wasting 4 days to just look. We came to find that special property. With the gererous help of Bernhard and Lori, we did just that. What can I say about that husband and wife team you have there.....words cannot describe how we feel about those two. Bernhard drove us around for 8 hours a day and we viewed most all of the properties I wanted to see. While he drove, Lori was on the phone making our next appointment. It was fast paced but they kept up. All during the sale process, Lori went above the call of duty staying in touch with our mortgage lender, sellers broker and other agencies as the need arose. I swear, I must have 200 e-mails back and forth with Lori. She was nothing but extremely helpful throughtout the whole process and still today, after the sale, continues to help us being out-of-state owners. Most companies might forget who you are after the sale, but not Bernhard and Lori. I can't wait until we get the chance to get down there this month as we have dinner plans with Bernhard and Lori. I will always consider them as great friends. Anyone thinking of using the services of this team cannot go wrong. I would advise anyone to make the connection with this team and go buy your piece of the sun. Thank You All for your hard work. Much appreciated.
Bill & Maureen Mootrey  
Mr. Beauvais, We have all experienced poor service in our day to day lives and often have thought tos end a letter to management in response, and sometimes we actually have done so. The irony is that in those rare instances when we receive truly outstanding and noteworthy service “above and beyond” we rarely bring that to the attention of management. I would like to bring to your attention the excellent professionalism and service provided to me by Bernhard and Lori Jans of your staff in my recent purchase of a home in Cape Coral. Their knowledge of the market was thorough. Every phone call and email was promptly returned. Every question I had was answered in detail and most impressive tome was if in the very rare occasion they did not know the answer they said so, researched, and got back to me within hours. They were instrumental to me in securing financing in this most difficult time in our economy and provided invaluable suggestions in purchasing property and flood insurance that resulted in significant annual savings to me. Their patience when frustrations set in was contagious. When for any of many reasons I was ready to “give up” I found myself relying on their “stay the course” guidance. They remained on top of significant interstate legal hurdles associated with the seller and purchase contract and guided requisite extensions to enable attorneys and the court to resolve these problems. These and so many more examples of Lori (assistant) and Bernhard’s true professionalism culminated on the morning of closing by noting an error in documentation that neither I or the title company had caught which resulted in a last minute revision to the documents that saved me thousands of dollars in cash at the closing table that same day. I could go on and on but suffice to say the Jans represent your firm with the highest caliber of professionalism and outstanding service. They have indeed “raised the bar” for every real estate agent and firm in the marketplace.
Michael Bottge  
We wanted to commend Joe Beauvais of Sunny Spot Realty of Fort Myers for the wonderful job he did helping us find our new pool home. He tirelessly made himself available during the entire search, purchase and closing process. We viewed many, many homes over a two week period and each day he progressively narrowed down what we were looking for and provided guidance and insight. Despite his always professional demeanor, we managed to make him laugh and we had a great experience viewing the listings. Our search, offer, inspections, and closing was pretty smooth with no issues. We highly recommend Joe Beauvais and Sunny Spot Realty for your realtor of choice if you are looking for a home in Fort Myers or Cape Coral, FL
Barbara & Gary Wurst  
Joe, You did a great job. I would highly recommend you, your company, to anyone I know who is looking to buy in the Southwest Florida area. I would be happy to be used as a testimonial. Feel free to give any of your prospects my name and number and I would be happy to tell them how great it has been working with you all. Thank you again.
Kevin Frazier CFP® | Regional Vice President  
Dear Joe, We cannot thank you enough for all that you did to make our home search a most successful one. Another agency was no where near as helpful! You worked extra hard to make it come together online and over long distance. The house you found for us exceeded our expectations! And we anticipate years of enjoyment and satisfaction from it. We have had nothing but compliments on our new home. You can provide our phone number to a client if desired so we can personally attest to our satisfaction with your work. Thank you again for your tireless attention to detail! Deb & Oleg B. Cape Coral, FL.
Deb & Oleg B.  
My experience with Joe was both enjoyable and very helpful. He worked with me relocating from Seattle Wa to Cape Coral and he helped me every step of the way from finding homes of interest to send me in Seattle to showing me properties here in Florida. He is quite knowledgeable and experienced in his field which is comforting to know when you are finding a new home. I would not hesitate to use his services again.
Christopher Hanny  
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